Which camera flash to get and where?

1bargain on 03/06/2013 - 17:16

Hi,

My bub is growing too quick and I really want to take lots of close up shots of her. I have a Canon D60 but am worried about using the flash that comes with it too often. I'm thinking of buying those flash that you can attach to the camera and let the light bounce elsewhere instead of directly at bub's eyes.

Does anyone know how much they usually cost? What are the differences between the varieties they have on the maarket? Which ones do you own and do you like it or will you have to upgrade to another?

I thought I ask here because I know you guys are passionate about your DSLR and would give me great tips on getting a good one. Usually I save a lot of time reading from ozbargain then to start researching from scratch.

Thanks in advance for your tips and opinions.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • bich.light on 03/06/2013 - 23:47
    +1

    Buy a flash with a rotatable head ie Canon 580.
    I own one and bought it second hand… the first edition of it that is.
    It's good and reliable just go around and inspect the flash before buying it.

    Alternatively, I've heard some pro's using Yongnuos or Nissan — Third party flashes.
    Apparently they're not half bad! ie ThatNikonGuy and Karl Taylor.

  • dap2020 on 04/06/2013 - 00:29
    +1

    It all depends on your budget and your requirements. If ur using an off cam flash for photographing ur child and u said u have 60D, probably u should try canon 430 EX II. less powerful then 580 EX II and 600 but lot cheaper. I have both 430 EX II and 580 EX II and for normal occasions 430 works great. 60D can trigger flash externally without ST E2 so i think 430 EX II would be good for u. If ur serious,get it from local stock, else buy it from overseas and get an extended warranty.
    cheers and do post some photos

  • cheepwun on 04/06/2013 - 07:59
    +1

    If you're not made of money, look into third-party Canon-TTL compatible flashes from Sunpak, Nissin, Metz and so forth. Reviews on Amazon (and related Amazon sites - co.uk, etc.) and bhphotovideo.com

    You don't need to pay top-dollar for a Canon flash unit.
    A nice set or two of eneloop rechargeable AA batteries and charger goes nicely with these.

  • 1bargain on 04/06/2013 - 15:55

    Thanks guys for the tips so far. I'll look into it when I have time.

    I wouldn't mind Canon alternatives or grey imports (never done this so a bit weary), but like any Ozbargainer, I would like the best value for my money without the hassle of warranty issues.

    I don't like to pay top dollars for features I don't use as I'm not too tech saavy. How bad I am? I'm yet to learn most of the features of the D60 and am still only using it as a point & shoot. It was bought through desperation to get good quality photos and since then I haven't had time to explore its features. Any quick tips from u guys on its features will also be great. Thanks

    • dap2020 on 04/06/2013 - 23:04

      is it for D60 or 60D ? ur making me confuse .. D60 and 60D means a world apart

    • cheepwun on 06/06/2013 - 21:59
      +1

      I don't like to pay top dollars for features I don't use as I'm not too tech saavy

      All flash units come with a Guide Number in their specifications, telling you how far they can throw light around given certain camera settings. The higher the number for a certain (same) ISO setting, the more powerful they are.

      TTL
      I'd make sure any flash unit can do TTL (Through-The-Lens) metering for my brand of camera. This means the unit automatically adjusts its flash output to maintain correct exposure even when changing settings on the camera. Each manufacturer has their own implementation of TTL and as long as you see the words TTL and your brand of camera (such as For Canon or For Olympus/Panasonic or For Nikon), you should be good.

      zoom head
      As you zoom in and out on your camera and have the flash head pointing at the subject, nearly all TTL flash units will have a little motor inside them to adjust the flash output corresponding to your zoom settings on-camera (zoom in and out on your camera and the flash unit will be heard zooming away too). Flashes that cannot do TTL for your camera brand also have this feature too, but they won't adjust angle of light output (zoom) automatically based on your zoom settings in the camera. Anyawy, zooming in-and-out the flash head adjusts the angle of light output. Some flash units allow manual adjustment of the zoom when in Manual and Slave modes, which has an influence on how far the flash can throw light…and some don't allow this to be adjusted in Manual and Slave modes. So flash units can differ here. Just getting into flashes, I doubt adjusting this in Manual and Slave modes will be a major thing for most people.

      batteries
      I'd make sure it takes four AA batteries. Why? So it recycles faster (is ready for the next shot without long waits). Most of them are 4xAA models. Plus those that take 4 AA batteries tend to be more powerful which is useful when you really want to throw some light around.

      If I wanted something compact and rarely used the flash, I'd only then choose a smaller 2x AA battery models, but even they are much better than on-board flash units that come with just about every cam.

      Fancy LCDs on the back of the flash unit can help you work out how far the thing will throw light and whatnot and are nice to have, but aren't necessary.

      tilt and swivel
      There are some flash units that tilt their heads but don't swivel (left-to-right). You probably want one that does both; some of the budget units only do tilt. Even so, nearly all of them will improve your photos greatly. Just keep in mind if you rotate your camera for a traditional up-to-down head-and-shoulders-and-legs-type-of-shot, swivel helps you still bounce the flash light off the ceiling whereas one that just tilts in this position cannot, for example. The tilting-only models also don't let you bounce light off a nearby left-or-right wall unless they are used off-camera (in Slave mode, reacting to a flash that's fired off from the camera) and pointed to it that way.

  • 1bargain on 05/06/2013 - 14:16

    Opps…it's an EOS 60D. Didn't know there's a difference. I'll really need to learn more about my camera

  • DRTR on 13/06/2013 - 22:57
    +1

    Heya there,

    Maybe it'd be worth a shot at getting a diffuser instead of a flash system? I personally haven't got one yet, but they're certainly cheap (you can get them from ebay for like 2 dollars or less).

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-3-Color-Pop-up-Flash-Diffuser…

    Regardless of if you get another flash or not, I think it'd be worth 2 dollars for a punt anyway :)

    • cheepwun on 14/06/2013 - 12:00

      these diffusers are near-useless, in my opinion.

  • Brouw3r on 13/06/2013 - 23:02
    +1

    I have a yongnuo YN460, doesn't have TTL metering but it's cheap enough. I either use it on the camera or on a tripod as a slave (uses in-build flash to trigger remote flash). If price is not that much of an issue go for 430 EX II or better

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