Flash accessories question

[pigasus]

I just ordered a 420EX for my D30. What flash accessories do you all think I shouldn't live without? :D

I plan to use the flash:
1. as fill flash outside when taking photos of people - often candid,
2. as fill flash outside with long lens (400 - someday soon, I hope) for birds and wildlife, and
3. as primary lighting (perhaps eventually with a second flash) for indoor portraits of people and animals (and inappropriate ceilings for bounce).

I know about the Stofen omnibounce. But it seems that for outside use its extra wide angle spread of light with no walls to bounce it back results in a significant reduction in output. Anyone with any experience with other bouncers/diffusers?

Thanks,

[magnum]

Just got my 420 EX and am very very happy with it. To me, anything more would be overkill...

Magnum

[Roger_Cavanagh]

Sally,

The Better Beamer http://www.birdsasart.com./accs.html#BEAMER works wells to extend flash range outside. There's a review on The Luminous Landscape site.

They do seem to be appearing in the UK recently. www.speedgraphic.co.uk list, but I got mine direct for USD 40 - the UK (as usual) is more.

Regards,

[kd6lor]

Consider a Lumiquest Softbox to soften the flash. It works like a charm...

Paul

[Chad]

my vote would be for a sto-fen omnibounce for shots to soften ;)

[Cal Maier]

Canon makes an off-camera shoe TTL cable that I would consider a must have. This cord will allow you to take the flash off of the hot shoe and either hand hold the flash or mount it on a stroboframe bracket. Getting the flash off the camera and further from the lens will improve your flash shots immensely. This cord is indispensable for vertical head shots or anything that you may want to shoot with the camera in portrait position, because it allows you to position the flash over the lens instead of the side of the lens(not very flattering when your subject is lit up from one side only).

I have the Sto-fen and a Lumiquest Soft box and both work quite well indoors, or if you are reasonably close to your subject, but they are not very effective for group shots or outdoors because of the light loss you experience with them. You must divide the max. distance from the subject by about 2.5, this means if you get a good exposure without them at 10 ft. you would have to be about 4 ft. from your subject to get the same results using these devices.

If your budget is limited, then I would say go for the TTL cable first and add the other things after. The cable is the most useful item you can add to your flash system and I wouldn't be without one in my camera bag.

Hope this helps you out.

Cal

[pigasus]

cal maier wrote:
Canon makes an off-camera shoe TTL cable that I would consider a must have. This cord will allow you to take the flash off of the hot shoe and either hand hold the flash or mount it on a stroboframe bracket.

Thanks Cal. I think you're right about it being a must have. Now all I need is a third arm. :D

[Hawkeye12]

magnum wrote:
Just got my 420 EX and am very very happy with it. To me, anything more would be overkill...

Magnum

glad you're happy, but since you haven't tried the Metz 54, you'll never know what you're missing.

[pigasus]

Roger_Cavanagh wrote:
The Better Beamer http://www.birdsasart.com./accs.html#BEAMER works wells to extend flash range outside. There's a review on The Luminous Landscape site.

They do seem to be appearing in the UK recently. www.speedgraphic.co.uk list, but I got mine direct for USD 40 - the UK (as usual) is more.

Hi Roger,
Was that $40 shipped to the UK? Did C&E hit you for VAT + customs + handling? If so then the UK cost (speedgraphics) delivered of £39 isn't too bad.

[Roger_Cavanagh]

pigasus wrote:
Roger_Cavanagh wrote:
The Better Beamer http://www.birdsasart.com./accs.html#BEAMER works wells to extend flash range outside. There's a review on The Luminous Landscape site.

They do seem to be appearing in the UK recently. www.speedgraphic.co.uk list, but I got mine direct for USD 40 - the UK (as usual) is more.

Hi Roger,
Was that $40 shipped to the UK? Did C&E hit you for VAT + customs + handling? If so then the UK cost (speedgraphics) delivered of £39 isn't too bad.

Sally,

Nope, it was 40 bucks in my hand. ' Course, that's no guarantee the same will happen to you, :) but it's quite a small package that doesn't look like much. I can't recall what exterior id there was.

Regards,

[Rudi]

Sally,

StoFen OmniBounce, off-camera sync cable and/or ST-E2 infrared trigger. A flash bracket is optional, depending on how much you like to hold your camera in one hand when shooting... :D