First time using flash... i'm scared!

I have always avoided using the flash because everytime I tried it looked like complete crap. So I made sure to have a fast lens (50mm 1.4) and shot in plenty of light and had a camera that did well at high ISO’s (20D ).

Well.. I'm gonna have to learn how to use a flash now. Someone is going to pay me for a photo shoot of an event. They saw my pictures I took of last years event that I did for fun and they said they looked WAY better than the pics from the guy they paid to take pics did. Well I only took outdoor photos that time..

The event is in June so I got some time to learn. I don't have a flash besides the pop-up on my 20D. All the shots will be closeup portrait style photos, do I NEED some kind of extra flash if I'm closeup and using my 50mm lens? Can I get away with bouncing it or getting a diffuser? (I saw some diffuser that works on pop-up flashes the other day)

If I need an extra flash, what is the best bang for your buck that will work on my 20D/50mm f1.4? I can't spend a lot right now...

I have been fooling around with bouncing the flash with a folded up piece of white paper and taping it to my pop-up flash.

Here are the results I got:

No flash:

omg the on board flash is useless...

I really urge you to invest a few bucks into a used 420ex or something off ebay. You can get one for about $150 seems to be the fair used price... It will make a world of difference to your photos.

If you are using the onboard flash, im not going to get crazy and tell you, you need a 580ex. You just need something thats not that pop-up flash. Sigma Super, or an entry level speedlight should do you fine.

eh.. I wish I had extra cash for that. Could I get away with some cheap flash like one of those $30 sunpak's I keep seeing when I search for "cheap flash for 20D"?

for your second photo, did you use auto setting? I usually use manual and setting it at about 1/50 or 1/30 and a fairly low aperature and high iso and use the onboard flash. This will keep the ambience light.

FrankTheSpank wrote in post #2717048
eh.. I wish I had extra cash for that. Could I get away with some cheap flash like one of those $30 sunpak's I keep seeing when I search for "cheap flash for 20D"?

Sunpack flash is not ETTL... so id stay away from that....

Best thing I can think of for you is renting a flash unit. My local photography store does 580ex rentals for $20 day....

Search 420ex or 430ex...

Next thing I see you doing is using such a high ISO... there really isnt a need for that with a decent flash unit. ISO 200 is what i use as my standard... See if you can rent, its a world of difference.

If not, buy and return a 430ex from your local best buy... test it out, see if you like it, and while you have it, use it for your shoot.

When you have a speedlight like a 420ex or 430ex, the camera and flash do all the work for you... there really isnt a reason to be "scared" It makes flash photography is easy its not even funny. No metering required. I guess only think to be scared of is a price of a new unit.

stjhie wrote in post #2717058
for your second photo, did you use auto setting? I usually use manual and setting it at about 1/50 or 1/30 and a fairly low aperature and high iso and use the onboard flash. This will keep the ambience light.

Every shot was taken the same, in manual, f2.0, 1/100, ISO 400

StealthLude wrote in post #2717103
When you have a speedlight like a 420ex or 430ex, the camera and flash do all the work for you... there really isnt a reason to be "scared" It makes flash photography is easy its not even funny. No metering required. I guess only think to be scared of is a price of a new unit.

Man.. the more you talk about it the more I realize I need a real flash like this.

I'm seein' new prices for around $180

Searching around I did find this:

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If you are going to be paid, then you really should be properly equipped. The best bang for the buck in E-TTL flashes is the Sigma EF-500 DG ST ($150). It has power, bounce/swivel, and a focus assist light. Alternatively, a used 420EX or 430EX will suffice. After you acquire a flash and take a few thousand practice shots in various situations, you'll understand the importance of all of those capabilities.

Curtis N wrote in post #2717483
If you are going to be paid, then you really should be properly equipped. The best bang for the buck in E-TTL flashes is the Sigma EF-500 DG ST ($150). It has power, bounce/swivel, and a focus assist light. Alternatively, a used 420EX or 430EX will suffice. After you acquire a flash and take a few thousand practice shots in various situations, you'll understand the importance of all of those capabilities.

Oh I understand the value of having good gear, I just wish I could afford it right now. I was in a car accident a few years ago (rear ended at a stop light) and I haven't been able to work since then and I haven't gotten my settlement because the insurance company keeps stalling so I'll take their low ball offer. I'll be on a lot of Vicodin to get through this shoot.. lol

As soon as I get my settlement I'll keep this cheap flash as a backup and get a nice speedlight along with a great big white lens

For now it looks like it could do the job. It does bounce, swivel and has a focus assist light, only thing that it seems to lack when compared to the 420ex is power and all those advanced features.

Curtis N wrote in post #2717483
If you are going to be paid, then you really should be properly equipped. The best bang for the buck in E-TTL flashes is the Sigma EF-500 DG ST ($150). It has power, bounce/swivel, and a focus assist light. Alternatively, a used 420EX or 430EX will suffice. After you acquire a flash and take a few thousand practice shots in various situations, you'll understand the importance of all of those capabilities.

I agree with this... if you can’t afford the Canon,

The Sigma EF-500 is the next best thing.

I hate to admit it but this is another one of those hobbies you get what you pay for. The flash is a very important part of your setup, maybe even more important than you first thought it might be. The flash unit you posted examples of might work, but still wont give you the versatility of the Sigma or Canon in terms of power, and features you "think" you will never need. The flash units are simple yet complex all at the same time.

Also, other important things to look at when you are picking out a flash is how efficient battery life is, recycle time (which IMO is pretty important), power output, Canon and I think sigma as well change in inside reflector size depending on the focal length of the lens used, to make it more efficient... Some of these features are HUGE when you actually put it into real life…

There isn’t much difference between the 420 and 430ex, or 550 and 580ex, but recycle time was one of the main reasons I upgraded. The “features” you never use is always something you learn and grow into, and then realize “how could I ever have lived w/o it”

I know money is tight, but I also believe in that saying do it right the first time or don’t do it at all.

There are many other factors that make these flash units so expensive, it blew my mind spending like $370 on a 580ex unit, but after I did I can see why it cost a lot, and glad I did it.

Buying Canon is like buying Sony, you are paying for the name, which is why I feel for you, the Sigma would be the best band for your buck. I know money is a big factor in your decision, but I would advise you to do a little extra research before you waste money. The units we talk of also hold their re-sale value very well, and if you plan on making money with your gear, consider it more of an investment rather than an expense.

If you are willing to do the least little bit of actual thinking, then I would recommend using a Sunpak 383 or the current release of the Vivitar 285. They do not use E-TTL metering, but use a sensor on the flash. This works in about 99% of the situations encountered except macro work. However, you have to set the camera's aperture and shutter speed manually based on the ISO chart on the flash. The chart gives you several options at the ISO you enter for adjusting the sensitivity of the sensor to match an aperture recommendation for the camera. I don't know if what I just typed made any sense, but it's much easier to do than to describe. The only thing to watch out for is a zoom lens that changes maximum aperture when zooming. You will need to adjust the flash to work within the "minimum" maximum aperture range. For instance, if the zoom was had an f/4-f5.6 maximum aperture, then you would want to make sure you were using at least f/5.6 as your flash setting.

I'm not too crazy about the idea of renting a flash or taking one out for a trial run on the big day. Any flash takes some practice and experimenting to gain reliability. You won't get that with a trial run and by the time you've rented a flash a few times to practice with, you will have spent almost as much as you would have buying a good inexpensive thyristor flash, but you won't have the flash to keep.

Disclaimer: I am an old geezer who spent many, many years using manual equipment so it doesn't scare me.

Someone mentioned a rental for about $20. Sounds like the best bang for your buck if you need to get it right on such short notice.

Jim M wrote in post #2719220
If you are willing to do the least little bit of actual thinking, then I would recommend using a Sunpak 383 or the current release of the Vivitar 285. They do not use E-TTL metering, but use a sensor on the flash. This works in about 99% of the situations encountered except macro work. However, you have to set the camera's aperture and shutter speed manually based on the ISO chart on the flash. The chart gives you several options at the ISO you enter for adjusting the sensitivity of the sensor to match an aperture recommendation for the camera. I don't know if what I just typed made any sense, but it's much easier to do than to describe. The only thing to watch out for is a zoom lens that changes maximum aperture when zooming. You will need to adjust the flash to work within the "minimum" maximum aperture range. For instance, if the zoom was had an f/4-f5.6 maximum aperture, then you would want to make sure you were using at least f/5.6 as your flash setting.

I'm not too crazy about the idea of renting a flash or taking one out for a trial run on the big day. Any flash takes some practice and experimenting to gain reliability. You won't get that with a trial run and by the time you've rented a flash a few times to practice with, you will have spent almost as much as you would have buying a good inexpensive thyristor flash, but you won't have the flash to keep.

Disclaimer: I am an old geezer who spent many, many years using manual equipment so it doesn't scare me.

I totally agree. I'm a younger geezer and use older manual flashguns daily. They are cheap (Ebay is your friend), and with a bit of practice produce top class results. I use a Sunpak AZ3600 hammerhead which has bounce/swivel/Auto & manual outputs from full to 1/64, I bought it on ebay for £20 and is safe to use on a 20D. E-TTL is a nice luxury to have but can wait till you are financially sorted. I own a canon 430EX and it is a fine flashgun but to say I couldn't live without it would be a lie as I use the sunpak more often.

Good luck!

FrankTheSpank wrote in post #2717591
If anyone has tried one of these flashes or knows anything about then I'd love to hear it.

I own the Bower SFD35C. It is definitely an improvement over the built-in flash (but then what isn't?). It only does fully automatic basic ETTL and offers no manual options nor advanced features like high speed sync, second curtain, modeling flash, etc. though it does support FEL. On the downside, the first unit I received did not function at all in ETTL mode -- if you decide on one of these flashes and the flash's ETTL indicator light isn't lit up when mounted to the camera, the flash unit is defective. The second unit I received was fine. The unit is also somewhat underpowered and typically requires an ISO of 400 for consistant results. I also tend to have to adjust the camera's flash exposure compensation depending on the location. Flash charge rate isn't too bad with NiMH batteries -- you'll definitely want a couple NiMH sets of 4 AAs and a charger (yeah, it might not seem cheap but you'll save piles and piles of money in the long run). You can actually get some nice shots with the SFD35C using ceiling bounce and a rubber banded white card for a catch light. My take is that the SFD35C is an (barley) adequate budget ETTL flash but if I knew then what I know now, I would have gone for the higher powered and more feature ladden Sigma 500.

I also agree with Jim. I have a Vivitar 285HV, and when used with a flash bracket and bounced with white foam piece attached, will yield results just as good as a ETTL Speedlite. The main point is study and practice. Soon you will take one look at those children in those white dresses against that white background and say to yourself, damn if I don't change something with my camera, flash or both, I will be UNDEREXPOSED! Yes, later on, when you have more money, you can get a speedlite that will give you more options. By then, you will be more knowledgeable and skilled, and you may prevent that expensive camera and speedlite from making a very bad decision, on your exposure, and ruin your shot.

Another source for cheaper equipment is Pawn Shops. They will usually let you try it out and if they have had it in stock awhile you can make them an offer for less and they will often take a lot less than the marked price. Most people think of these as cheezy operations but they often offer value buys - especially in jewelry and photo equipment, if you are knowledgeable about what you are looking for.