busy......slow flash?

[tomdlgns]

i was in a low light scenario last night and it seemed that i could only take 1 or 2 pictures before my xti was displaying busy on the screen, i was using the flash.

i sometimes i had to wait 10-15 seconds for the busy light to go away. it was at a graduation ceremony, so everyone is in a hurry trying to take pictures and all that good stuff...

would an alternative flash help me in this situation? i realize it will kill my battery quicker than the on board flash, but this is something that needs to be addressed.

thanks

[shutterfiend]

Not sure if I understood this right. Were you using the pop-up flash?

External flashes have their own batteries. Some external flashes recycle faster than others. Recycle time for external flashes are usually faster than the pop-up. Recycle time depends on exposure.

[Curtis N]

Hotshoe-mounted flash units use their own batteries (inexpensive AA), so using one will help your camera's battery last longer than if you were using the built-in.

There are many factors affecting recycle time, but most hotshoe flash units will recycle faster than the built-in unit, given the same output.

Here's six more reasons (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=207470) to get a good flash unit.

[tomdlgns]

i was using the pop up flash, correct.

also, i have the battery grip ordered, ordered it last week, so if i did get an extra flash, battery life wouldn't be that great of a concern. i just want to be able to take 3-5 pictures within 15-30 seconds. i hated waiting the additional 10-15 seconds between some of the pics for the flash to recycle. also, i don't want to carry a battery pack and a big flash either. just something that can fit on top of the camera is what i am hoping will help me out.

[tomdlgns]

Not sure if I understood this right. Were you using the pop-up flash?

External flashes have their own batteries. Some external flashes recycle faster than others. Recycle time for external flashes are usually faster than the pop-up. Recycle time depends on exposure.


that explains why i had a shorter delay during some pictures and a longer delay during other pictures. i was going to ask that question, but now i see where you are getting at.

thanks

[elysium]

i was using the pop up flash, correct.

also, i have the battery grip ordered, ordered it last week, so if i did get an extra flash, battery life wouldn't be that great of a concern. i just want to be able to take 3-5 pictures within 15-30 seconds. i hated waiting the additional 10-15 seconds between some of the pics for the flash to recycle. also, i don't want to carry a battery pack and a big flash either. just something that can fit on top of the camera is what i am hoping will help me out.
Thats normal. Using a battery grip will not help much. It comes up busy not just for recycling but to stop the flash from burning out.

[tomdlgns]

Thats normal. Using a battery grip will not help much. It comes up busy not just for recycling but to stop the flash from burning out.

sure, that is a good point.

but what i meant about the battery grip..if the flash also drains the battery a little more, i will be able to squeeze in mroe shots if i have the battery grip, correct?

i realize this will not help the recycle time, i just figured i would be able to get more shots in before i had to replace the batteries.

thanks.

[elysium]

sure, that is a good point.

but what i meant about the battery grip..if the flash also drains the battery a little more, i will be able to squeeze in mroe shots if i have the battery grip, correct?

i realize this will not help the recycle time, i just figured i would be able to get more shots in before i had to replace the batteries.

thanks.
Maybe be able to squeeze more shots out of it with extra mattery but in all honesty, you sound like you need faster recycle times and adequate light. Thought about a 580EX?

[shutterfiend]

External flashes may take anywhere between 0.1 sec to 6 sec or more to recycle. Before you make a purchase it might be a good idea to read some of the material on this forum. Just follow the link CurtisN provided, it offers great in depth understanding about lighting. "Master Flasher" is not a tittle to be taken lightly. He does flash a lot ;)

[tomdlgns]

Maybe be able to squeeze more shots out of it with extra mattery but in all honesty, you sound like you need faster recycle times and adequate light. Thought about a 580EX?


what is mattery?

yes, a 580EX was something i was looking at, however, i didnt want to buy if if the recycle times are not greater.

back to the battery issue.

if i have a 580ex with my standard canon battery, lets say i get 1000 shots, assuming i use the flash on all the shots.

wouldnt i get 2000 pictures with the battery grip while using the 580ex flash?

those are not exact numbers, obviously, that is how i thought it worked.

thanks.

[tomdlgns]

External flashes may take anywhere between 0.1 sec to 6 sec or more to recycle. Before you make a purchase it might be a good idea to read some of the material on this forum. Just follow the link CurtisN provided, it offers great in depth understanding about lighting. "Master Flasher" is not a tittle to be taken lightly. He does flash a lot ;)

yes, i would like more information, that is why i didn't just run out and buy a flash without getting more information.

another thing i want to point out...there is only so much i can do for lighting in this particular situation, a hectic/crowded auditorium hall. since i don't have much control over the lighting, maybe a point and shoot has a better built in flash?

i saw many people taking pic after pic after pic with their tiny point and shoot, while i had to wait 10 seconds for a recycle, at times.

good advice so far, thanks guy.

[elysium]

what is mattery?

yes, a 580EX was something i was looking at, however, i didnt want to buy if if the recycle times are not greater.

back to the battery issue.

if i have a 580ex with my standard canon battery, lets say i get 1000 shots, assuming i use the flash on all the shots.

wouldnt i get 2000 pictures with the battery grip while using the 580ex flash?

those are not exact numbers, obviously, that is how i thought it worked.

thanks.
I meant battery sorry lol. You could get more or less depending on the power required for the shots. You just have far more control over light used.

Like mentioned already, recycle times are faster.

[tomdlgns]

I meant battery sorry lol. You could get more or less depending on the power required for the shots. You just have far more control over light used.

Like mentioned already, recycle times are faster.

ok, thanks.

:)

[tim]

Get a used 580EX or 550EX and a Canon CP-E3 or CP-E4 battery pack. It'll recharge near enough to instantly, so long as you use ISO400 to 800 - and there's no good reason not to. A full charge is 2-3 seconds, but lots of full power flashes and you'll burn out the flash head. The 430EX would be a good cheaper solution, it doesn't take a battery pack but it'll still recharge a lot quicker than your built in camera flash.

[shutterfiend]

yes, i would like more information, that is why i didn't just run out and buy a flash without getting more information.

another thing i want to point out...there is only so much i can do for lighting in this particular situation, a hectic/crowded auditorium hall. since i don't have much control over the lighting, maybe a point and shoot has a better built in flash?

i saw many people taking pic after pic after pic with their tiny point and shoot, while i had to wait 10 seconds for a recycle, at times.

good advice so far, thanks guy.

This is probably not true. However, your camera might allow you to use settings that require greater flash output and hence longer recycle times. Ordinary point and shoots might limit flash output for better recycle time.

[tomdlgns]

Get a used 580EX or 550EX and a Canon CP-E3 or CP-E4 battery pack. It'll recharge near enough to instantly, so long as you use ISO400 to 800 - and there's no good reason not to. A full charge is 2-3 seconds, but lots of full power flashes and you'll burn out the flash head. The 430EX would be a good cheaper solution, it doesn't take a battery pack but it'll still recharge a lot quicker than your built in camera flash.


i want to avoid carrying a battery back around. i know you dont need a battery pack to use the 580ex, i just want to add that in.

thanks.

[tomdlgns]

This is probably not true. However, your camera might allow you to use settings that require greater flash output and hence longer recycle times. Ordinary point and shoot might limit flash output for better recycle time.

yeah, i dont know how true it is, i am just going off of what i saw.

when i get home i can post the picture specs, but i was on full auto when i was shooting, so i would assume that the camera would pic the best settings, however, i could be wrong.

[shutterfiend]

Just as a reference, I have used a 580ex with normal indoor lighting in continuous burst mode (5fps on my 20D) for 4-5 shots at a time and every one of them were well lit.

[Curtis N]

i saw many people taking pic after pic after pic with their tiny point and shoot, while i had to wait 10 seconds for a recycle, at times.Among the many factors affecting the amount of flash power required for a shot (and hence recycle time) are the camera's aperture and ISO, and the distance from flash to subject.

A P&S camera, in low light conditions, will typically default to something like f/2.8 and ISO 400. This would require only 1/16 as much light as f/5.6 and ISO 100. I'm speculating here, but this could be part of the reason you saw P&S cameras recycling faster than yours.

A hotshoe flash unit will definitely help in the situation you describe, but I think 1,000 shots is too optimistic.

[tomdlgns]

Among the many factors affecting the amount of flash power required for a shot (and hence recycle time) are the camera's aperture and ISO, and the distance from flash to subject.

A P&S camera, in low light conditions, will typically default to something like f/2.8 and ISO 400. This would require only 1/16 as much light as f/5.6 and ISO 100. I'm speculating here, but this could be part of the reason you saw P&S cameras recycling faster than yours.

A hotshoe flash unit will definitely help in the situation you describe, but I think 1,000 shots is too optimistic.

who said anything about 1000 shots? EDIT (i was using 1000 shots in terms of battery life. i also stated that the numbers were not exact, just for an example.)

i see what your saying though, my kit lens can only go as low as f5.6, so i see what you mean there. and the conditions were very, very bad, IMO. very dim and no light at all.

plus, 350 graduates, plus all their friend and family trying to find a spot to take pictures...doesn't give you much time to setup and find well lit areas, especially when everyone is in a hurry, haha.

[nadtz]

when i get home i can post the picture specs, but i was on full auto when i was shooting, so i would assume that the camera would pic the best settings, however, i could be wrong.

You could be wrong. The different modes assume different things which may or may not be helpful depending on what you are doing.

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/ always good reading for those learning canon flash.

[tim]

Just as a reference, I have used a 580ex with normal indoor lighting in continuous burst mode (5fps on my 20D) for 4-5 shots at a time and every one of them were well lit.

That's only true if you don't need much flash power - high ISO and direct flash, maybe bounced flash if you're lucky.

[shutterfiend]

That's only true if you don't need much flash power - high ISO and direct flash, maybe bounced flash if you're lucky.

Why? Is that a bad thing?

[tim]

Direct flash isn't a bad thing, it's just one way to light images - generally not a way I use a lot when flash is the main light. Well, never. But direct flash uses less power than bounced flash, that's what I was getting at.