Taking it Off the Camera

[gmarquez]

All I have is my built-in flash...and all it seems good for is as a fill-flash for heavily back-lit subjects.

 

[fmw]

I would be even more direct. A serious photographer should never use a built in flash unit for any reason ever. If the image can't be made any other way, then the images shouldn't be made. Using an external unit mounted to a hot shoe is just as bad unless the photographer aims it and bounces it from something as Benji suggests. The whole purpose of the external flash is to get it external to the camera.

 

[DSLR noob]

I once saw an amazing shot of a car at night, where the owner bought a wireless flash, placed it in the center console pointed up at the ceiling of the car at full brightness, the car had its headlights on and when the picture was taken, the inside and outside of the car were glowing. Somehting I would've NEVER thought of on my own.

 

[jemmy]

i get my 5D today!!!!!!!!!! and cant wait to see how the noise issues hold up at a really high iso. i hear its waaaaaay better than the 350D i currently use. Also have a 580ex speedlight. definitely prefer to not use flash 99% of the time but happy to bounce it when i need to.

 

[DSLR noob]

I'm so Jealous!

 

[danalec99]

Strobist is a good place for off camera lighting education.

 

[gmarquez]

I would be even more direct. A serious photographer should never use a built in flash unit for any reason ever.

I would assume that at least some serious photographers find themselves with only a point-and-shoot now and then (either by design or by accident). In those cases, the built-in flash would be useful for snapshots, etc.

 

[fmw]

I would assume that at least some serious photographers find themselves with only a point-and-shoot now and then (either by design or by accident). In those cases, the built-in flash would be useful for snapshots, etc.

Not in my opinion.

 

[Alex_B]

i get my 5D today!!!!!!!!!! and cant wait to see how the noise issues hold up at a really high iso. i hear its waaaaaay better than the 350D i currently use. Also have a 580ex speedlight. definitely prefer to not use flash 99% of the time but happy to bounce it when i need to.

not to let you down ... I think it is good, but I'd like it to be better

however I never used a 350D

ISO 200 is no problem, ISO 400 useable but not perfect, above 400 I strongly recommend using noise reduction software in postprocessing.

Oh and if underexpose and then have to brighten up, the noise gets really bad, but that will happen with any current camera I suppose.

Anyway, it is a great camera, congrats

 

[Alex_B]

Not in my opinion.

You will find serious photographers using a p&s, but when they use it, those are not the moments when they do "photography" (at least not if they possess a non-p&s camera).

I use my camera on my cell phone sometimes, but not for creative shots, but only to document something, like the train timetable, or whatever.