Flash >Noob question<

Tallon

Right, so I bought this flash.
Works 100% with my a200
I've tried a couple of shots, with the flash at different angles, lenghts etc and It's amazing the difference it makes.

Anyway, just wanted to know, when and where should I be really using this?
Gigs?
Night portraits?
weddings?

Mycroft H

Tallon wrote: »

Right, so I bought this flash.
Works 100% with my a200
I've tried a couple of shots, with the flash at different angles, lenghts etc and It's amazing the difference it makes.

Anyway, just wanted to know, when and where should I be really using this?
Gigs?
Night portraits?
weddings?

Feck you anyway, i was looking for a cheap flash myself and you snap one from under my nose :mad:

Whenever you need it i suppose!! Try and get a diffuser for it, so portraits wont be all blown out (you can use the top of a plastic milk bottle)

Never been to a gig but i'm sure AR will be round to advise you on flashes and gigs......

sineadw

just that! whenever you need it i've been using mine as fill a lot in the sunny weather. Mine is always with me. Just play

And yep - diffuse that baby!

pete4130

Flash isn't to light subjects, its to fill them in or highlight them if possible. Obvisouly if its pitch balck then its for lighting subjects.

gloobag

landyman wrote: »

Try and get a diffuser for it, so portraits wont be all blown out (you can use the top of a plastic milk bottle)

This will not diffuse light. It will merely make it omni directional, and cost you up to 1 fstop of light and prescious flash battery power in the process.

In order to diffuse a light source, you have to make its size relative to the subject larger.

Think of the sun. On a clear cloudless day, the sun is a small, harsh circle of light in the sky. Doesn't make for great photos. Now, think of an overcast day. The suns light is being pushed through a blanket of translucent cloud before it gets down to our level, and in the process has become a larger light source. Much more flattering light.

The same principles can be applied to flash. This why we shoot through soft boxes and umbrellas.

mrmac

Tallon - here's a small thing I try to remember when using flash - it's not always about what you CAN see

I think you'll start having more fun with it once you take it off camera. Does it have a PC sync port?

sineadw

In effect though an Omnibounce will do exactly that - it softens the light and reduces shadow on your subjects. I wouldn't be without mine (although I've been using a LumiQuest Softbox recently too - still not sure which I prefer. The Stofen is less ridiculous looking though :rolleyes: ). The omnibounce is only useful in situations where you have a reflective surface you can bounce off. Otherwise yes, they drain batteries and kill the range of your flash. They're incredibly useful though!

One thing I've read about the DIY versions is that the density of the plastic may not be correct. Worth a try indeed, but you might have to play around a bit. I picked my Stofen up in Gunns (I keep losing the bloody things) for 21 quid last week.

sineadw

Oh, and you can stick a white card on the back with an elastic band around the flash and point it up and that works a treat too

mrmac

gloobag wrote: »

This will not diffuse light. It will merely make it omni directional ...

In order to diffuse a light source, you have to make its size relative to the subject larger.

sineadw wrote: »

In effect though an Omnibounce will do exactly that - it softens the light and reduces shadow on your subjects.

gloobag is right, a plastic yoke stuck onto the flash, will not diffuse it, but makes it omni directional, like a Stofen Omnibounce.

An Omnibounce does not soften a light source, but instead of a flash beam going straight at your subject, it send the lights in all directions, therefore only about 60% of the light is now heading straight at the subject. This give the appearence of a softer light, and you are also getting reflective light bouncing back from your flash. This is better than a straight flash, but can still look harsh. In fact if you put on a omnibounce, and point the flash at the ceiling, therefore most of the light is going up and reflecting back, i.e. using the ceiling as a light modifier and increasing the light source, you'll get a much softer light.

An onmibounce is great at filling a room with light, and reducing shadows.

However, as mentioned, the best way to give a softer light, is to increase the light source relative to the subject, by using some form of light modifier - umbrella, softbox, fill card, wall or ceiling.

HTH.

Mycroft H

mrmac wrote: »

Tallon - here's a small thing I try to remember when using flash - it's not always about what you CAN see

I think you'll start having more fun with it once you take it off camera. Does it have a PC sync port?

all the alphas have wireless flash capabilities built in. try take off the flash and change the flash mode to wireless and see if it works

I read in a camera mag that a plastic milk bottle could be used as a diffuser , but that theory seems to have been proved wrong :rolleyes:

Tallon

landyman wrote: »

all the alphas have wireless flash capabilities built in. try take off the flash and change the flash mode to wireless and see if it works

I tried that already to no avail, anyone any ideas?
There is an infrared thing on the flash, there is also an LED on the back that says 'Auto OK' but it has yet to light up

What is the main difference between a ring flash and the normal one?

Skittle

A normal flash can be bounced by turning the head up, or to the side. A ring flash can't be bounced since they are normally attached to the end of the lens. I've seen ring flashed used in fashion photography to give circular specular highlights in the eyes of models. But the main use for ring flashes is for macro or product photography. As when you are doing macro photography, the lens can be so close to the subject that it can cast a shadow when a normal camera mounted flash is fired.