external flash?

[katt]

so i was going to look into getting another lens as my next purchase for my new camera.

but i am thinking instead about getting an external flash. so i was looking around amazon.

but i am totally lost.

what kind do i get?

this one is much more in my price range, but should i just save up for a while longer and get a different/more expensive one?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KKPN5C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[MikeScone]

katt wrote:

but i am thinking instead about getting an external flash. so i was looking around amazon.

The answer really depends on what kind of photography you do, and, perhaps more important, what pictures are you missing because you don't have the right equipment?

For me, that's always meant lenses - either wider (landscapes, kids and rabbits), or longer (wildlife and airplanes), or lower light (indoor - kids and Scone, again) or closer focusing (flowers, mushrooms etc).

I've never felt a need for an external flash on a DLSR that had internal flash. The Fuji S2/S3 and Nikon D300 are all so good at metering flash that I can't say I've wanted more (disclaimer - I don't like flash much and avoid using it, so that would affect my feelings on this).

An external flash would lessen redeye to some extent, because it moves the flash further from the axis of the lens - have you had redeye problems you couldn't correct in post-processing? You can also tilt it to get bounce flash, which lessens harsh shadows - that's a plus. It might be brighter than the internal flash, allowing you to get further away from the subject - has that been a problem (the one you've listed doesn't look much larger than an internal flash)?

The downside is it's one more thing to remember and charge batteries for, and it makes the camera that much heavier and more awkward.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

MikeScone wrote:

The downside is it's one more thing to remember and charge batteries for, and it makes the camera that much heavier and more awkward.

This is one reason why I don't take my camera out as much (the heavier and more awkward part, the batteries do last a decent amount of time.) The external flash adds a lot of weight to the camera, and so I have to hold it all the time. If I let the camera dangle around my neck it's very uncomfortable.

As Mike said, look at the reasons why you want to get one. For me, I was missing all of Billy's binkies. I really wanted to catch him mid-binky without the massive red eye that comes from the built in flash. I was also having a lot of trouble with the lighting in the apartment, which messed up the color balance of all of my photos.

Another slight downside of external flash is that you have to find the right angle and right wall to bounce the light from. If you don't have the flash positioned correctly, the pictures won't look right. Each time you go to a different room, you have to angle the flash differently.

 

[aurora369]

We have the SB-600, and Ryan (who does all our camera research) says don't buy the SB-400 as it is not really much better than the on camera flash. The SB-600 will give you much better results.

You'll also want to pick up a diffuser to go with your flash. This will make the light coming from the flash softer and look less like "facebook party pictures".

The other benefit of the SB-600 is that if you ever get a flash that can act as a commander for Nikon's wireless flash systems, the SB-600 will work as a slave. So, more expandable and compatible with future growth.

-Dawn

 

[SunnyCait]

I know this is a Nikon question but I recently bought an external flash for my Canon... LOVE IT. It's always on my camera now. It definitely adds weight but at the same time I know it's "good" weight, haha. My only thing with it is NEVER have it pointed at your subject directly unless you are in the dark. Always try to bounce the light. It makes it more evenly lit and more natural looking. The reason I got it was because the on camera flash when I had to use it was horrible... It made them look like Facebook party pics (LMAO Dawn!!!). Of course I take a lot of pictures inside, and at night, so this was an issue for me! For bouncing you can use a wall or ceiling... Works best when said walls and ceiling are white or close to that color. I've used a green wall before and there is definitely a color cast.

This was taken in my basement (dark) at night (darker!). Ignore the composition issues, as this was when I was learning how to use the flash and was on a one track mind haha!

Also an aspect I love of using the external flash is that you more often than not get catchlights (eye pings). Catchlights = love in my books.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

I have the Nikon flashSB-800 but it is discontinued. It is a great flash and I use it for 90% of all my pictures (indoors and outdoors). One great feature on my flash is that I can dial down the amount of light it flashes so I can use it as fill in light. I also have different diffusers that I put on the flash to spread out the light,so I don't need walls to bounce the light.

With a black bunny I had to make the picture brighter.