thinking about buying a flash...

i want to experiment with using my flash not attached to my camera, so i was thinking a hot shoe cable...however, that is going to limit my distance, obviously.

i have read about cactus triggers online, but i am not sure if that is the best solution.

photography is a hobby, not a profession, to me, so i have no idea what i will be shooting. i may want to experiment with having the flash 10ft away from me and maybe NOT line of sight...

what do you guys think?

http://www.gadgetinfin​ity.com …ctid=16766&cat=​274&page=1

Start with a cable. It's cheap and will work and can always be used as a backup.

If you like off-camera flash, then invest in some triggers. If you don't mind the odd missfire, go with the Cactus triggers. If you want reliable results and a larger budget, go with PWs or Skyports.

martinsmith wrote in post #6050730
Start with a cable. It's cheap and will work and can always be used as a backup.

If you like off-camera flash, then invest in some triggers. If you don't mind the odd missfire, go with the Cactus triggers. If you want reliable results and a larger budget, go with PWs or Skyports.

links to those other ones???

i was planning on getting a cable for that exact reason, a backup.

i might find that i don't want to have the flash to far away from me...meaning, the cable would be a better bet, no sense in triggering if i don't have to.

tomdlgns wrote in post #6050746
links to those other ones???

http://www.elinchrom.c​om/
http://www.pocketwizar​d.com/

lowcrust wrote in post #6050780
http://www.elinchrom.c​om/
http://www.pocketwizar​d.com/

http://www.pocketwizar​d.com/HTML/plus2.asp

how do those connect to the flash?

tomdlgns wrote in post #6050234
i want to experiment with using my flash not attached to my camera, so i was thinking a hot shoe cable...however, that is going to limit my distance, obviously.

i have read about cactus triggers online, but i am not sure if that is the best solution.

photography is a hobby, not a profession, to me, so i have no idea what i will be shooting. i may want to experiment with having the flash 10ft away from me and maybe NOT line of sight...

what do you guys think?

Which flash do you have now? If you use a wireless trigger, the flash will not be able to automatically adjust power for proper exposure. (ETTL or TTL)

Some flashes only fire at full power if used off camera. If the flash power can be adjusted manually, you can experiment, but your exposures will change every time you change camera, flash, or subject position.

Is this what really you had in mind?

The only way to get auto flash exposure is to use an off camera shoe cord or a Canon master/slave flash setup. Both of these options preserve ETTL auto flash exposure.

And it's probably a good idea to have a look on www.strobist.com to get the idea of using off-camera flash.

msowsun wrote in post #6051499
Which flash do you have now? If you use a wireless trigger, the flash will not be able to automatically adjust power for proper exposure. (ETTL or TTL)

Some flashes only fire at full power if used off camera. If the flash power can be adjusted manually, you can experiment, but your exposures will change every time you change camera, flash, or subject position.

Is this what really you had in mind?

The only way to get auto flash exposure is to use an off camera shoe cord or a Canon master/slave flash setup. Both of these options preserve ETTL auto flash exposure.

i dont have any flash now. thinking about getting the 580ex ii.

you make good points, though. thanks!

If you're just gonna be using the flash off-camera, save yourself some bucks and get a manual flash unit. There's no sense paying $400 for a flash unit when you're not taking advantage of the reasons it's $400. Vivitar 283/285s and Sunpak 383s equal the 580EX in power at under 1/4 the cost. There are plenty of other units that would work just as well.

cdifoto wrote in post #6051734
If you're just gonna be using the flash off-camera, save yourself some bucks and get a manual flash unit. There's no sense paying $400 for a flash unit when you're not taking advantage of the reasons it's $400. Vivitar 283/285s and Sunpak 383s equal the 580EX in power at under 1/4 the cost. There are plenty of other units that would work just as well.

well, i don't know how often i am going to use the flash off of the camera and on the camera. since my walk around lens is a 10-22, right now i cant use the pop up flash. so i imagine that i will need a flash to be on the camera at least 50% of the time. i was just curious about how i would setup an off camera flash and i did get some good advice.

And if, like me, you have a short aggravation point, I'd suggest Cybersyncs over the eBay triggers. More money than the cheapies, a whole lot less than the PW and Skyports, with the same reliability if not range.

Why would anyone want to fire a flash 1600 feet away?

Titus213 wrote in post #6052086
Why would anyone want to fire a flash 1600 feet away?

For most photographers, it's a penis thing.

cdifoto wrote in post #6052096
For most photographers, it's a penis thing.

Hahahaha! This made me lose it!

cdifoto wrote in post #6052096
For most photographers, it's a penis thing.

Yup, that's what I figured. And I'm old enough that I don't play those games.