Is zoom head on a flash worth the extra money?

Is there a picture you would have missed were it not for the zoom head? I am looking at the yn-465 vs. yn-467 and the zoom head, I think is one of the differences. I know what the zoom head does, focusing the beam for wider or narrower focal lengths but since they sell a flash that does not have the zoom (465) and manual flashes (460), it made me wonder why I needed it in the first place.

Is the zoom head only for on camera flash? Do you ever use it for off camera? Why would you not care if you had it for on camera with the 465? Thanks.

I did a search but couldn't decide.

The point is to focus the light, as you said. If you are shooting from a further distance away but have a longer lens, then you want the light to be hitting the subject and not anything that's not in the frame. You can get a bit more range by zooming in as well. And if you use a snoot at all, you can zoom it out to the max and waste less light as well. You can use it off camera just like any other feature on the flash.

JMartel wrote in post #12258919
The point is to focus the light, as you said. If you are shooting from a further distance away but have a longer lens, then you want the light to be hitting the subject and not anything that's not in the frame. You can get a bit more range by zooming in as well. And if you use a snoot at all, you can zoom it out to the max and waste less light as well. You can use it off camera just like any other feature on the flash.

But say I'm doing a portrait an only 10 - 15 feet away. Do I really want the light focused? I am inexperienced but it looks like that using a long lens and focusing light is for something way off. If I use 35, 50, 85 in a studio I don't know why I'd care.

OTOH, if I were in a dance hall or prom where I am bouncing light maybe I do. I really have no idea.

cameraperson wrote in post #12259024
But say I'm doing a portrait an only 10 - 15 feet away. Do I really want the light focused? I am inexperienced but it looks like that using a long lens and focusing light is for something way off. If I use 35, 50, 85 in a studio I don't know why I'd care.

OTOH, if I were in a dance hall or prom where I am bouncing light maybe I do. I really have no idea.

you probably wouldn't for portraits

cameraperson wrote in post #12259024
But say I'm doing a portrait an only 10 - 15 feet away. Do I really want the light focused? I am inexperienced but it looks like that using a long lens and focusing light is for something way off. If I use 35, 50, 85 in a studio I don't know why I'd care.

OTOH, if I were in a dance hall or prom where I am bouncing light maybe I do. I really have no idea.

Usually for portrait work you are going to be using a modifier anyway so as long as the spread of light from the flash will fill the umbrella/softbox you are using then a zoom head isnt that important. Being able to zoom wide is nice for use in a softbox though because of the short throw from the face of the flash to the front of the box.

gonzogolf wrote in post #12259140
Usually for portrait work you are going to be using a modifier anyway so as long as the spread of light from the flash will fill the umbrella/softbox you are using then a zoom head isnt that important. Being able to zoom wide is nice for use in a softbox though because of the short throw from the face of the flash to the front of the box.

This. The zoom head is best for focusing with a bare strobe or a snoot. Though with the zoom heads you can usually get a wider spread than the default one for brollys and softboxes.

At political events I can shoot at about 75 feet using maximum zoom on the flash and a 300mm lens (equivalent to 480mm on full frame). The zoom automatically goes to its max telephoto setting when it is on the camera and you use a long telephoto. For portraits with flash off camera, do use some sort of softbox or umbrella. the Canon 430EX II will automatically zoom to 24mm when used as a wireless slave, which is ideal for use with a softbox. You would want to put the softbox closer to the subject, however. Finally, if you are using the flash off camera as a hair or accent light, you will sometimes want to zoom it to telephoto to focus the light on a small area of the subject.