The first flash, Yongnuo or 430ex ii?

TridenTBoy wrote in post #14969158
Any idea as to where to get a flash diffuser that will fit the YN468 well? Maybe some flash gels while I'm at it?

What kind of diffuser are you considering?

gonzogolf wrote in post #14969951
What kind of diffuser are you considering?

I'm not sure. A good question for someone who knows exactly what kind of diffuser does what. But, I probably want something like this: http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ce_Dome_Diffuse​r_for.html ?

kboater wrote in post #14969946
when you get the Yongnuo setup going, will you keep us updated on how you like it?

im considering Yongnuo over canon myself

I'll try to do that. When I get the wireless transceivers I'll definitely be using my flash a lot.

TridenTBoy wrote in post #14970170
I'm not sure. A good question for someone who knows exactly what kind of diffuser does what. But, I probably want something like this: http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ce_Dome_Diffuse​r_for.html ?

I'll try to do that. When I get the wireless transceivers I'll definitely be using my flash a lot.

Thats sort of the reason I asked. A stofen style diffuser like that doesnt really do what many people think it does. It doesnt soften light by itself. it helps direct light around the room to bounce off of surfaces like the ceiling or walls. But if you have those surfaces available to you, then you probably dont need one in the first place. Look instead to the bounce card style diffusers, look for rogue flashbender, demb flipit, or lumiquest

gonzogolf wrote in post #14970996
Thats sort of the reason I asked. A stofen style diffuser like that doesnt really do what many people think it does. It doesnt soften light by itself. it helps direct light around the room to bounce off of surfaces like the ceiling or walls. But if you have those surfaces available to you, then you probably dont need one in the first place. Look instead to the bounce card style diffusers, look for rogue flashbender, demb flipit, or lumiquest

Cool. Should I get any gels for my flash as well? If so, which pack or which colors? Anything else that I should have for a flash that you or anyone else can recommend?

EDIT: I'm frequently finding that I can't make fill flash work nicely at all in most lighting situations because the flash color is way off from the light that is occurring in the picture already. (Sun, or artificial, whatever)

TridenTBoy wrote in post #14983864
Cool. Should I get any gels for my flash as well? If so, which pack or which colors? Anything else that I should have for a flash that you or anyone else can recommend?

EDIT: I'm frequently finding that I can't make fill flash work nicely at all in most lighting situations because the flash color is way off from the light that is occurring in the picture already. (Sun, or artificial, whatever)

Sure gels are a nice option to have. I would suggest you start with a rosco sample book. Its essentially a swatch book, but the swatches happen to be the right size to fit over most hotshoe flashes. So you get a full set for just a few bucks. You will need to craft a holder, but there are lots of ways to do that. Just do a search here for gel holder. The most useful colors will be the CTO (color temp organge) to balance flash with tungsten light bulbs and fading sunlight, and the light greens that help balance with fluorescent bulbs.

I want HSS (high speed sync) capability on my hotshoe flashes. I use fill flash for all my outdoor shots (whenever appropriate) and I don't want to be limited to 1/250 second maximum shutter speed because that also limits the f/stop I can use.

If cash is a restrictive parameter, the Canon 430EX (not the ii model) is quite sufficient for most photography. You can usually pick one up in good to excellent condition from between $100 and $150.

In fact I use a 430EX and a 550EX for my flash work and don't consider the 580EX ii or 430EX ii to be worth the extra money to switch to...

However, if I were buying new and cash was not a factor in my choices, the 580EX ii or 430EX ii would be the models I would select...

HSS is something you want to avoid at all costs, you really want to stick to using your flash's maximum base shutter sync speed to maximize the power of it and maximize the recycling time of it. HSS decreases your recycling time and it lowers the power output of your flash drastically. If you really want to go wide on your aperture than I'd suggest a ND filter so that you can go wider on your aperture.

As for ETTL, it's great for on the go flash and photo journalism style because you can set the exposure comp. on your flash back or forward a few stops and get the flash output that you need for fill or general usage.

If you have the time to set up your shots though and are using off camera flash both ETTL and HSS are useless in my book and I'd go with the Yongnuos. If you just need something for fill and or want to light bounce for on the go photography I'd look into a used Canon 580exII due it having ETTL.