How To Use A Canon 270EX In Portrait Mode?

Hi folks,

Apologies but i'm a bit new to this game so please bear with me...

I'm just about to purchase either an SX10 IS or SX20 IS and am looking for a nice, discreet flash gun to go with it. By reading the various threads here and excellent feedback, i'm probably going to go with the Canon 270EX.

There seem to be so many of you recommending this flash but i'm just wondering how you get on with it in "portrait" mode (camera sideways). If the camera is in landscape mode you can tilt the head and bounce the flash, but in portrait you don't have this facility. I'm guessing it isn't a problem as so many photographers rate it but wondering how you use it in that type of situation.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Ian

Yea I dont believe the 270EX rotates, so in portrait orientation youre gonna have side shadow unless you use a flash bracket.

ben_r_ wrote in post #12147743
Yea I dont believe the 270EX rotates, so in portrait orientation youre gonna have side shadow unless you use a flash bracket.

Thanks for the reply Ben. There seem to be so many folk that swear by this flash that I would have thought there would be a way around it... maybe dumbing down the power or adding a diffuser?

I am a total novice with this but thought there may be one you could attach that sort of forced the light upwards acting like a tilted flash gun (does that make sense?)

What do you mean by 'dumbing down' the power?

Roy Mathers wrote in post #12147763
What do you mean by 'dumbing down' the power?

I'm not entirely sure roy - was thinking that maybe the power of the flash face on due to not being able to tilt in portrait mode would over-power the shot and bleach the subject, and maybe also add the side shadows that Ben referred to?

Like I say though, i'm a total novice, especially to flash gun effects

I don't think reducing the power will help. Can you go to a 430EX?

I do have a 270 EX, but when shooting verticals with flash I use the 580 EX II.

Thinking about it, I use the 580 EX II for everything, regardless of orientation. The only use the 270 EX sees is on the G11, since that camera is a far too small to handle with a decent flash on top. It's too small even without, but that's a different issue. Since that's a 4:3 camera, not a 3.2, the difference between horizontal and vertical isn't very much. Shoot horizontal and crop instead.

this is what I usually use with both G11 and 40D, either with or without a flash bracket:
http://cgi.ebay.com …ories&hash=item​4cefe5a1fc

Interesting thoughts folks... thanks very much for your replies. I'm going to start a new thread for my next train of thought so it's searchable for others.

Thanks again

You will need a bracket that will keep the flash in proper orientation to the sensor when you flip it. Some brackets flip the camera which is not what you want. A decent option is below.

http://www.adorama.com​/SB310635KITC.html

cristphoto wrote in post #12148237
You will need a bracket that will keep the flash in proper orientation to the sensor when you flip it. Some brackets flip the camera which is not what you want. A decent option is below.

http://www.adorama.com​/SB310635KITC.html

The Stroboframe (or any Chinese copy thereof) negates the convenience of the 270EX (which is the small size and weight).

I wish that Canon had their ducks in a row when they designed the 270EX and incorporated both a rotate and a slave capability.

Canon woke up and has redesigned the 270EX ii with slave capability, but still no rotation. maybe the 270EX iii will have that capability.

In the interim, using a Joe Demp Photojournalist FlipIt ( www.dembflashproducts.​com ) will help to modify the light when shooting with the 270EX on a hotshoe in the portrait position. Placing the adjustable FlipIt reflector at about 45 degrees allows fairly decent light to be projected forward.