Help needed for choosing flash..

[Sgdevilzz]

I have no idea what kpo is so i'll just ignore that statement. :bsmilie:

I asked because I am genuinely curious why you'd recommend it. There may be some reason I don't know.

To me, the camera/flash/whatever is just a tool. I gauge a tool by its effectiveness, not by the name it carries. The second article in my first post shows the effects of knowing how your flash works. The last picture is arguably the most beautiful one, but it was done without any flash modifier. Yet you still see people buying diffusers, light spheres, etc. nothing wrong with that, but you have to know why you're buying it.

Same thing. If I have to buy a branded, more expensive flash, I have to know why it is better. What features it offers over the cheaper third party. That way I can make a decision if that extra cash is worth it. I want a tangible benefit and not just so I can say "i own all original stuff".

Now if that's your preference, that's fine. But for giving advice to a newbie you will have to justify yourself as well. If a pro racer just says go buy car x and you can be pro, will you just say ok? You'll still wanna know why.

Good point. I always see original flashguns are better because of their build and how long it lasts, how far it goes. For the price, it's definitely worth it as it will last very long. I'm not a strobist or someone who uses flash often so I might be ignorant at some point. Just giving my 2 cents away.

 

[symmetrix]

Good point. I always see original flashguns are better because of their build and how long it lasts, how far it goes. For the price, it's definitely worth it as it will last very long. I'm not a strobist or someone who uses flash often so I might be ignorant at some point. Just giving my 2 cents away.

Fair enough. I'll admit that Nikon flashes, being from Nikon will almost always have "home-court advantage" so-to-speak with regards to their cameras. I don't know exactly what, that's why I'm asking (Cal's lovely little SB-400 is delicious for macro ;p). However, I wouldn't go so far as to disregard all those third-party flashes. They're cheap and they work fine. Let's let the TS decide on whether the benefits of buying original is worth the extra cash compared to going 3rd party.

 

[spree86]

Fair enough. I'll admit that Nikon flashes, being from Nikon will almost always have "home-court advantage" so-to-speak with regards to their cameras. I don't know exactly what, that's why I'm asking (Cal's lovely little SB-400 is delicious for macro ;p). However, I wouldn't go so far as to disregard all those third-party flashes. They're cheap and they work fine. Let's let the TS decide on whether the benefits of buying original is worth the extra cash compared to going 3rd party.

Haha love my little SB-400. For Nikon original, you get to use the CLS, which is quite worth it in my opinion but if the person doesn't even use that at all then just go for a 3rd party :bsmilie:

 

[rvf79]

Don't buy 3rd party flashes, a little more and you can buy an sb-600. But if you have more budget then you can get more High end flashes like the SB-700/800/900.

Also try reading up on diffusers. Capturing photos with straight flash is equal to built-in flash.

Lastly read up on how flash works. This is a great video and it's easy to understand.

[video=youtube;SHpmd0-1ZyE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=SHpmd0-1ZyE[/video]

nice clip!!! I learn something new from this man

 

[Alan Chan]

I would always recommend nikon original flashgun, 3rd party may be good and cheap but there are cases of inconsistent color temp issues even from the best nissin flashgun.

not to forget the size and weight when considering which model to get.

 

[symmetrix]

So Nikon flashgun never has WB issues?

 

[daredevil123]

Just curious, why are you recommending against third party flashguns?

one big reason is TTL-BL mode. It is a very intelligent mode that balances ambient light with flash fill.

None of the 3rd party flashes offer TTL-BL mode.

 

[pinholecam]

Waa so many KPO ah :bsmilie:

No particular reason. It's just that just by saving a little more you can buy the original rather than buying 3rd party and then changing to Nikon's. It's just my own preferences. I prefer Original for flashguns.

For the price, the 3rd party one usually has the higher GN (guide number) than the cheapest OEM one.

Then again, its always nice to have at least one OEM flash with swivel head. This will provide the user with ease of use in TTL (ie. automatic flash) mode without needing to think too much about it. There are other perks like HSS (high speed sync) and wireless TTL control via on-camera flash.

If budget is tight, there is no wrong using a simple manual flash, so long as the user learns to use it.

 

[Alan Chan]

So Nikon flashgun never has WB issues?

none that i've heard of, or at least not as high of frequency as compared to 3rd party.

 

[SkyStrike]

none that i've heard of, or at least not as high of frequency as compared to 3rd party.

Sorry, OT abit...

What you mean by wb issue, do you mean when using multiple flash units? or ? To my limited understanding is that the WB is done by the camera body....so how does the WB issue thingy come about?

 

[spree86]

Sorry, OT abit...

What you mean by wb issue, do you mean when using multiple flash units? or ? To my limited understanding is that the WB is done by the camera body....so how does the WB issue thingy come about?

What Alan meant was the colour temperature of the light produced by the flash unit. A 3rd party flash has less consistency in colour temperature of flash compared to the original. This is due to the flash and not the camera.

 

[SkyStrike]

What Alan meant was the colour temperature of the light produced by the flash unit. A 3rd party flash has less consistency in colour temperature of flash compared to the original. This is due to the flash and not the camera.

Thanks for explaining, so in short, (some) 3rd party have higher chance of giving different color temp flash in some same situation (e.g. 1 shot at 5000k, another in 5300k)?

 

[spree86]

Thanks for explaining, so in short, (some) 3rd party have higher chance of giving different color temp flash in some same situation (e.g. 1 shot at 5000k, another in 5300k)?

Yup, that's the gist of it

 

[HoangHung]

Hmm, Im not so sure about the color temp issues, but so far my Yongnuo system never fail me. To TS, if you have around 300-400, you can get 1-2 yongnuo ttl flash ( dont buy the cheapest one ), triggers, holder, diffuser, reflector even backdrop, rather than just 1 branded flash.
2 yonguo flashes ~ 200$
yonguo triggers x2 ~ 60$
Reflector x1 ~ 50$
Holder x2 ~ 60$
umbrela x2 ~ 30$
total 400$.

 

[pinholecam]

Sorry, OT abit...

What you mean by wb issue, do you mean when using multiple flash units? or ? To my limited understanding is that the WB is done by the camera body....so how does the WB issue thingy come about?

Some flash, in particular the 3rd party ones can have either cool or warm flash o/p that varies on the charge level of the flash.
You are right in a way that you can adjust WB in PP or camera WB control.
To me, there are 2 things that will concern me over flash wb.
1. it can be a bit frustrating that the WB adjustment needs to be done, when on a more consistent flash it need not be bothered about.
2. Sometimes the camera wb has been set to balance for the ambient/bkgnd. If the flash has quirky wb o/p, then you'd need to balance for that and the ambient may end up looking funny colored.
Eg. White wall, and then the subject is too cool due to flash. If I 'warm up' the subject with camera WB adjustment, the wall will look 'warm' instead of white.

 

[Alan Chan]

once shooting for a wedding dinner, i've actually overworked my sb-900 for the very first time. it cuts off as a fail-safe when it hit the overheating warning.
i'm not sure if any 3rd party would survived or allow me to fire that many times before cutting off. with that said, i cant judge any 3rd party flash as i've not used any of them extensively.

i'm not saying only the branded like nikon and canon are good, i'm saying you pay more for a reason not just for the brand name itself.

 

[SkyStrike]

Yup, that's the gist of it

Some flash, in particular the 3rd party ones can have either cool or warm flash o/p that varies on the charge level of the flash.
You are right in a way that you can adjust WB in PP or camera WB control.
To me, there are 2 things that will concern me over flash wb.
1. it can be a bit frustrating that the WB adjustment needs to be done, when on a more consistent flash it need not be bothered about.
2. Sometimes the camera wb has been set to balance for the ambient/bkgnd. If the flash has quirky wb o/p, then you'd need to balance for that and the ambient may end up looking funny colored.
Eg. White wall, and then the subject is too cool due to flash. If I 'warm up' the subject with camera WB adjustment, the wall will look 'warm' instead of white.

Thanks for the replies.. abit of color temp issue (and or quirky ambiance) is not really a big issue to me even if it does occur (and I know it will, sooner or later for my recently acquired Nissin 622). But things may change if I have to sell my pictures/services.

TS, sry for abit of OT here..