Questions tagged [off-camera-flash]
Using flash(es) while not mounted on camera hot-shoe.
341
questions
57
votes
14
answers
319k
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Is camera flash actually harmful to infants or newborns?
I just got a new off-camera flash, and the instruction manual says:
Never fire the flash unit closer than 1 meter from infants.
This was a little startling to me, since one of the main reasons I ...
- 1,871
28
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Why do we charge our flashes?
So whenever we want to shoot our flash before taking a photo. we have to charge it first.
What is the point of the charging our flashes? Aren't their power directly supplied by the battery of our ...
- 2,009
17
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Why is it important to move the flash away from the camera?
I've read that it's not the quality of your camera, but the quality of the lighting that make pictures really good. That is probably not always true, though - there are many crappy cameras out there. ;...
- 375
17
votes
8
answers
5k
views
Which is faster for flashes, radio triggers or optical triggers?
Assuming you have a line of sight to all your flashes and both methods will trigger the flashes with 100% reliability, is it faster to use radio triggers or optical triggers to set them off? Or put in ...
- 1,827
16
votes
8
answers
6k
views
Recommendations for Wireless Flash Triggers?
Currently my AB800's have a built-in optical trigger, but still requires a flash to trigger them. I'd like to move to an all wireless setup. I also have the canon ST-E2 to pair with my Sigma 500 DG ...
- 18.7k
15
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How can I think logically about getting correct exposure with flash?
I recently got a new off-camera flash (Nikon SB-700), and I'm having trouble thinking about the variables that go into proper exposure.
For example, without flash, I have a little mental decision ...
- 1,871
13
votes
6
answers
22k
views
What is the best external flash for Nikon beginner?
I have read a lot about the SB-800/SB-900 but I am on a low budget (around ~120$). Is there an external flash that I can have to start learning to use it? I do not need TTL compatibility so it can be ...
12
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Cheap secondhand off-camera flash with manual power controls?
I have a Canon 500D and am not overly a fan of portrait shots, but thought I might give it a go with a few simple setup scenes. External lighting would be useful, but the good stuff is very expensive, ...
- 2,215
12
votes
7
answers
12k
views
What are the advantages of TTL over manual mode when using speedlites?
Yesterday a user on Stack Exchange asked me why I prefer manual over TTL when working with speedlites. I use them mostly off-camera and I've developed a kind of a workflow where I do not walk back and ...
- 1,254
12
votes
4
answers
30k
views
Can I trigger my flash with an iPhone?
I have a Canon 430EX flash and an iPhone 5. I really enjoy the quality of the camera in daylight, but of course in low light conditions the built in LED flash is quite poor. So would it be possible to ...
- 46.5k
11
votes
5
answers
1k
views
What remote flash triggers can you recommend, on a budget? [closed]
I'm looking for a remote flash trigger for my canon DSLR. I know that I'm going to hear Pocket Wizard or other similarly-priced options, but I'm looking for something a bit cheaper. At a minimum, I ...
- 10.9k
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What's the best bang for your buck to improve low light portrait shots: Lens, Flash or Body?
I want to get better action shots in low light indoor conditions. I've got a Canon T1i (APS-C size) with 3.5-5.6 18-55mm lens, and am thinking about a flash upgrade, a lens upgrade, and/or body ...
- 211
11
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why am I limited to 1/100th of a second or slower with 5D Mark II, 600EX-RT, and ST-E3-RT?
I'm fairly new to using flash in my photography, so I'm a bit of a beginner when it comes to the finer points.
I have an ST-E3-RT transmitter on my 5D Mark II, and a 600EX-RT Speedlite set as a slave....
- 380
11
votes
4
answers
11k
views
What are the effects of umbrella size?
I keep seeing shoot thru an reflecting umbrellas in sizes around 33", 36", 42" and even larger. Many of the kits (stand, clamp, umbrella) I see around have the smaller size umbrellas. Strobist.com ...
- 1,403
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why was my Canon Speedlite 600EX triggering other flashes?
Hi: I second shot a wedding reception last Saturday and my on-camera Canon Speedlite 600EX flash (on a Canon 5DM3) was triggering the lead photographer's two Godox off camera flashes (she had a Nikon ...
- 111
11
votes
3
answers
369
views
What do you recommend as a first step for hands-on learning about flash?
So far, I am enjoying my new Speedlight (Nikon SB-700), but any good results I have gotten have been mostly luck. I'd really like to understand how to use it so that I can make intentional technical ...
- 1,871
11
votes
2
answers
632
views
Why does exposure compensation have no effect with my hotshoe flash?
Taking photos with my Canon XTi and 550ex. Camera exposure compensation did not seem to effect the exposures. I figured out I needed to use the on-flash exposure comp.
But the flash output is ...
- 5,078
10
votes
4
answers
43k
views
How to avoid shadows on the background when photographing with flash in darker areas?
This is ruining my photos and I don't know how to solve it.
I will post the result photo and you tell me the wrong things I am doing resulting in this! And how to fix it :)
Light was a Profoto B1 ...
- 2,460
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What's the best way to light up a subject that's far away?
I am shooting a wedding for a family friend, and one of the shots she would like is of them both standing on a balcony over a stairway. It's an old building they're getting married in, and it is a ...
- 365
10
votes
6
answers
62k
views
How can I fire a single canon 430ex flash remotely from a Canon 6D camera?
I don't ever use flash but I would like to start learning about portraits and lighting. I have a mainly unused Canon 430ex which I would like to use off camera with a softbox or bouncing of an ...
- 6,297
9
votes
1
answer
8k
views
How do I get my Godox trigger and flash to work close to each other?
I have a Godox light and transmitter, and they work fine when they're a few yards apart, but when I try to put the flash on a bracket or use it close to the transmitter, they stop working reliably. ...
- 52.1k
9
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Shooting glass product with embossment
Have been going crazy trying to wrap our heads around our problem for the past 2 weeks trying to find the right equipment settings, position our camera and lights for photoshoot. We need to take ...
- 191
9
votes
1
answer
688
views
Is there a simple flash bracket which holds a flash securely?
The flash bracket / umbrella swivel I'm using works just fine, but I'm a little nervous about the way the flash attaches. It's held in place by a combination of friction from screw on the side of the ...
- 143k
9
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Are there any radio flash triggers capable of P-TTL?
All the popular radio TTL flash triggers, like PocketWizard or RadioPopper, seem to be only available in Nikon and Canon flavors. Are there any models capable of transmitting Pentax P-TTL data?
- 32k
9
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Can you enable 2nd curtain when firing off-camera flashes?
The situation: I have a 580EX on a lightstand and am firing it with Cybersync triggers. The transmitter is mounted on a 5D Mark II.
Because the camera is unaware of the transmitter, there's not a way ...
- 1,527
8
votes
3
answers
765
views
Why does my external flash use Ni-Cd and Ni-Mh batteries so quickly?
I've recently purchased a Canon 430EX II to use with my 550D and it's great but I'm having battery issues.
I've been trying to use 2× 800mAh Ni-Cd and 2× 2500 mAh Ni-Mh (all rechargeables, the 800mAh ...
- 1,748
8
votes
7
answers
31k
views
When and why should I consider buying a speedlight/external flash?
I am just a hobbyist in photography. And I do not have specific interest areas (as of now). So while looking for different things to try with photography, I kept coming across things which require use ...
- 525
8
votes
4
answers
649
views
To take my portrait photography to the next level, should I get a second flashgun or a monolight?
I am a hobbyist and using a Canon 600D with 50mm f/1.8 and 18-135mm lenses.
I bought 430EX-II flashgun, and it works great as off-camera flash with the 600D's built in transmitter. I also have a ...
- 183
7
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Can I use rechargable batteries in an external flash?
I have a Neewer NW670C flash which uses 4 AA batteries. I've been using regular alkaline ones so far because I couldn't get myself to buy rechargable ones yet. However, the flash ate their capacity in ...
- 881
7
votes
2
answers
43k
views
My Godox flash won't fire off-camera. What should I check?
I have a Godox flash with a built-in radio trigger, and I honestly can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've checked that:
All the batteries in everything are good and everything's turned on.
The ...
- 52.1k
7
votes
4
answers
18k
views
How do I light a photo booth with a single flash and an umbrella?
I run a photobooth for a friend at a party for a side job and last night we came across a predicament. We only were able to use one flash on a tripod, instead of the usual two, along with the camera ...
- 173
7
votes
3
answers
26k
views
How to use old flash units with Digital SLR?
I got some old flash units (e.g. Metz 30bct-3) that I won on eBay along with some older slr cameras. The flash units are in good condition. I thought of using them with my Canon 600D but heard about ...
- 1,226
7
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Can I combine my Canon camera with my Nikon flash?
I have a Canon 60D camera and a SB-600 flash for Nikon. Can I use this flash wirelessly with my camera? I had Nikon camera before which I replaced with Canon and I haven't purchased a flash yet, so ...
- 2,683
7
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Will I get HSS with my Fuji camera and Godox flash gear?
I'm trying to figure out if I can get HSS with my Fuji X-E3 and Godox flash gear, but my camera body doesn't appear on the much-repeated-about-the-interwebz compatibility charts:
Is there any easy ...
- 52.1k
7
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Canon native flash off-camera second-curtain-sync: any news?
Is it possible yet to use off-camera second-curtain-sync with any of Canon's native wireless-radio-flashes?
After searching, I can't find any recent articles on this. Most of the older articles ...
- 1,296
6
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Camera uses double flash which triggers external flash before the camera captures, What are the solutions?
I have a Sony NEX3 camera and an old external flash. Since Sony NEX3 doesn't have a hotshoe I use the optical sensor in the flash to be triggered by my camera's flash.
Unfortunately the camera uses ...
- 163
6
votes
4
answers
21k
views
Is it possible to mount a Flash on a Tripod?
Are there any tricks / methods / accessories that can be used to mount an off camera flash unit on a tripod?
- 3,728
6
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Why is there a preflash from a built-in flash when using remote flash only?
When using Nikon D7000 with an off-camera SB600 (which cannot be used as commander) in TTL mode, the built-in flash must be opened to make it work (to serve as a commander), even if this built-in ...
- 4,400
6
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Why did this image turn out darker?
In this tutorial on creating christmas themed images the author describes how she adjusted her exposure settings to add more weight to the christmas lights
She says she went from f/2.8 and 1/3 of a ...
- 269
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Can one radio trigger be used to trigger two speedlights?
I have a pair of Yongnuo RF-603 radio flash transceivers, two SB-600s & D200. I'm planning to build a large rectangular softbox that'll use both speedlights for extra power. Is there a synch cord ...
- 163
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why does using my slave flash darken the image?
Why does my slave flash at full power actually seem to darken the image?
The camera (Lumix G1) is set to M-Mode, forced flash at -2, f6, 1/30s.
I set my external flash (Nissin Di466 FT) to slave mode ...
- 205
6
votes
4
answers
8k
views
What is the best way to trigger a Canon 550EX speedlite in a studio?
I want to try my hand at off-camera flash for some indoor portraits. How should I trigger the speedlite (Canon 550EX)? Should I go for wired or wireless? What's the difference between a TTL cable and ...
- 5,078
6
votes
3
answers
371
views
How do I lower ISO in an intentionally dark photo and maintain contrast?
In the attached image I'd like to lower my ISO in an effort to reduce noise. Is there a way to leverage flash or some other technique to accomplish this without losing the contrast between the ...
- 98
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How do I compare the output of an LED panel with that of a flash?
How do I compare the output of an LED panel with that of a conventional hotshoe flash?
I haven't been paying attention to the LED panels, but they've been on the market long enough so that I'm ...
- 3,820
6
votes
3
answers
455
views
How are power levels automatically determined when using multiple speedlights with CLS?
If I take a picture with an on-camera flash, or a single speedlight, my understanding is that the camera/flash pre-fire and then automatically select the approrpriate power level to properly expose ...
- 5,095
6
votes
1
answer
519
views
Can an E-TTL II cable trigger a speedlite in Manual mode
Essentially, if you own an E-TTL II (or presumably iTTL) cable of a certain length/type, is there any reason to also own a manual PC-sync cable of a similar length/type, or can the camera be fired in ...
- 3,057
5
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How can I shoot in a studio at the widest apertures?
I ran into a limitation while shooting a newborn baby this weekend. I was indoors next to a set of windows. I was also using an off camera flash on a stand through an umbrella. The flash was a Canon ...
- 46.5k
5
votes
7
answers
3k
views
How do I correct overexposed fill-flash when shooting outdoors on a sunny day?
I'm trying to learn shooting with off-camera flash outdoors. I'm using a Yongnuo YN560 IV flash and YN560-TX transmitter. I'm shooting in Manual on bright, sunny day. I tried using flash as fill to ...
- 81
5
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Is TTL flash really useful when using off-camera flash?
I have a Canon 700d and a 430EXIII flash.
Recently I have been experimenting with off-camera flash.
I was really surprised to see e-ttl ii available even when using off-camera flash (via the pop-up ...
- 762
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Why are my flashes not putting out full power in HSS?
I have a Canon Rebel T7i and Godox flashes. I am a real estate photographer, and I am using a multiple exposure method to expose the windows to see the view outside.
On especially bright days, I ...
- 51
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