Best camera flashes according to redditors
We found 895 Reddit comments discussing the best camera flashes. We ranked the 297 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 895 Reddit comments discussing the best camera flashes. We ranked the 297 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Professional LOL you can buy an LED ring light for $30 and you can get a flourescent ring bulb for $20
They used pretty much the cheapest everything they could get.
Flash units look about as basic as something like this, some gels from a sample swatchbook, some whatever remote triggers of this kind ... what about this is so expensive?
Yongnuo YN-560 III
and
Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Triggers
and an 8 pack of Eneloops will get you more power than the two Canon's you mentioned. I've been using my Yn-560 v1 for 2 years and it's taken lots of abuse and still fires whenever I need it to. Don't waste the money on a Canon speedlight, really. You can get a pair of these, enough triggers to fire them all and enough eneloops to shoot all day for what you're going to pay for the one, base model canon flash.
These are MANUAL flashes - meaning if you want more light, you dial in more light. If you want less light, you dial in less. I shoot my camera in manual because I like to control the settings I use, I also prefer to light like that as well. The one TTL flash I had was a Canon 550EX and it was shit. The mount was made of plastic and nearly fell apart in the 8 months I used it.
I own version I and III. Have used the old one the most, but love them both. Built well and not so expensive I'm going to be PISSED if it gets broken.
Picture info:
Flash trigger I used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVTSTI8
Flash that I used (On full power):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LEAYXY
Setup:
All in a line:
Tripod with flash on top of it (pointed straight at model with no diffusion) -> trampoline with friend on it -> me with camera -> large wall behind me.
I had my friend (the model) stand where he was going to do the flip, and used the autofocus to lock on to him. I then set the camera to MF so that the focus wouldn't move around from there.
My friend then grabbed two handfuls of snow and did a backflip while letting go of the snow. I took the picture when he came between me and the flash. The light bounced off the wall behind me and lit him up. Without the wall, it would have just been a silhouette.
EDIT: Formatting
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I09WHLW x 2 - Speedlights - $56
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U - Wireless Trigger - $19
https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4 - Light Stands - $29
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Universal-Speedlite-Umbrella/dp/B00JJJR7PY - x2 - Cold Shoe - $22
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0132I34K4 - Octobox - $23
https://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Premium-Shoot-Through-Translucent-Umbrella/dp/B005ODKMOC - Shoot though umbrella - $14
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW - 5 in 1 reflector - $20
That brings you for a full starting light setup that can be used for headshots and starting boudoir for $183. And you even have flexablity in there to use a 1 light setup with reflector or use 2 lights. You would want a few sandbags to keep the gear stable, but I am not including those in the price.
Now for a background setup
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=psdc_3444601_t1_B00MTF6ZVC
Is a good basic stand but hard to fit under your budget with the above lighting gear.
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Studio-Collapsible-Backdrop-1-8x2-8m/dp/B00UWL02PU is also an okay starting backdrop, Grey can be turned into white or black. I will warn you that you will need a fabric steamer to get the lines out, but that is pretty much the same however you go with cloth. Another more expensive choice is to go with seamless paper, I love working with paper, but it is an ongoing expense to use it.
Now if you are going to make this her studio all the time, they make http://www.homedepot.com/p/EUCATILE-32-sq-ft-96-in-x-48-in-Hardboard-Thrifty-White-Tile-Board-HDDPTW48/205995949 that you can use to make a great background. Or to me the better option if you are going to use a room as a full time studio, paint the walls, put down hardwood or laminate, and you have a great studio setup.
I don't think you'll need your tripod/remote other than for potentially a group family photo.
Get yourself a speedlite and you should be fine. Yongnuo YN568EX-II should be a good start. Get your mom to buy it for you since apparently you're not getting paid for it.
This video helped me a lot in understanding how it all works and there's plenty of other guides out there.
I use the yongnuo 560
YONGNUO YN560 IV Wireless Flash Speedlite Master + Slave Flash + Built-in Trigger System for Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Fujifilm Panasonic Digital Cameras https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PGTOX26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZEe9BbWQAM1CS
Neewer TT560 Flash Speedlite $36
Just a few more to add to the list:
18% grey card
Neewer TT560 flash
Neewer 43-inch 5-in-1 reflector
Tiffen Circular polarizer
7 ft. light stand
47" Speedlight Umbrella Softbox
Continuous lighting kit
New camera bag
[EDIT] Added more things to the list, as I think of things I'll continue to expand it.
there's nothing on here that's recommended unless you really need a flash kit for $40, IMO. It's a $15 no-name lightstand, bracket, umbrella, and a $20 used flash.
I can't recommend the Neewer TT850 speedlite enough for a portable kit. So much depends on your needs and budget though.
Macro Extension tubes - ~$60
Yongnuo 560 III Speedlight - ~$70
The speedlight is fantastic and with a set of the radio triggers for about $30 it's a really cheap way to get the flash off camera.
I go back and forth between extension tubes and diopters depending on the shot. Diopters tend to give the images soft edges, but I think they look nicer if all you need is center sharpness. I also like this thing for lighting: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031AQ302/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_IRXfzbX3KBSRW
I do more video though than photography. Great video!
I used to use commander mode when the only flash I had was a SB-700. When I got more into flash photography I bought two of these flashes and two of these triggers. I've had zero issues with the flash or triggers. They have ttl triggers also
The advantage the radio triggers have over commander mode:
I started here. Read his "lighting 101" and "102" entries, then start on his blog. Really good info there.
As for equipment - you can get a huge start with a pair of relatively cheap manual flash-guns and either a cable or a cheap radio trigger. I use the YN and 285HV (notes about the 285HV ), and I trigger them with either optical triggers or these stupidly cheap radio triggers. Side note... the CBS triggers I've had to re-solder a couple of times. Wouldn't recommend if you're not handy with an iron. After that, most of the light modifiers you can fake. Cheap tupperware makes a good diffuser, foil and cardboard make good gobos or reflectors... Paper works reasonably well as a softer reflector.
And, of course, the usual thought and composition reminders. I shot most of these with a single flash bounced off either the wall or ceiling - just a single flash-gun can help enourmously. :D
I'd recommend the Yongnuo 560 TX transmitter. It will let you change the settings on your 560-III from the transmitter without having to physically go to the flash unit.
Soo. I recently did my first paid shoot for a couple friends, which also was pretty much the first time I ever did anything studio related (at least in a serious way). It looks like I did relatively well, as I'm being approached by people who saw the pictures about shooting for them. Which is pretty awesome, but I borrowed nearly all of the lighting equipment for the shoot I did and can't always reliably bet on doing that again. Further, that equipment was full-blown studio strobes and I'd probably prefer something more portable. As I'm also on a pretty tight budget: are YongNuo flashes (like this one) any good? No TTL is fine, it'll only ever be used in manual, but the reviews are somewhat mixed, with them breaking down being a fairly common concern. Should I shell out for that Fuji EF-42 (or the Sunpak one it's rebranded from) instead? It's more than double the price, and I'd rather not if the Yongnuo does it for now.
I wrote an article on intro DSLR kits on Amazon. I wouldn't bother unless you bundled them with your camera.
They're definitely crappy extra toys, but they may help you learn more about photography (by showing you how things make your image quality worse); but they also were kind of fun at the beginning and encouraged me to get out and shake the bugs off and dig into learning how to shoot good photos (and how extra toys don't really help). Everyone takes shitty photos at the start anyway, so you're not missing much; and it's not a ton of extra money over grabbing a body/kit lens/good SD card; but if you already have your camera kit, you can skip it for sure.
DO NOT USE THOSE TRIPODS!
Those are strong enough for point and shoot cameras at most. Especially with a telephoto lens, the tilt arm is likely to fail and it'll fall on sensitive optical mechanics. Those are in the $10 price range. Spend at the very least closer to $30 on a tripod, and a $100-ish tripod will be a safe, and useful tool to use with your precision imaging equipment.
tl;dr - Sure, it's a waste of a little money, but they can be kind of fun toys. Burn the tripod.
Stuff I'd suggest getting:
I found this ring light in one of the bars lol I know my friend uses a ring light from amazon! I think it’s this one Neewer Ring Light Kit:18"/48cm Outer 55W 5500K Dimmable LED Ring Light, Light Stand, Carrying Bag for Camera,Smartphone,YouTube,Self-Portrait Shooting https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXDNNBW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rN25Bb9MHQHRC if I’m not mistaken and I’ve used it to take a few or my photos on Instagram and it’s bomb
http://www.amazon.com/YN560-IV-YN-560IV-Speedlite-Panasonic/dp/B00PGTOX26
> I was gonna go for the Yongnuo, YN-560 or YN-568.
The former is manual-only. The latter supports TTL and HSS. You probably want to decide on whether you need those features first.
https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/wiki/index#wiki_what_is_ttl.3F_do_i_need_it.3F
https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/wiki/index#wiki_what_is_high_speed_sync.3F_do_i_need_it.3F
It's also important to note that you've linked the YN-560 IV and not the original 560. Version IV comes with a built-in radio transmitter and receiver for Yongnuo's RF-603 (non-TTL) radio system.
> Then I need receivers if I wanna use it off-camera
The flash needs a receiver and the camera needs a transmitter.
https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/wiki/index#wiki_how_should_i_sync_my_flash.3F
> something like the YN-622C here.
That's a transceiver. So you put one on the camera and that will act as transmitter; and you put another under the flash and that will act as receiver. And that system supports TTL, which is what you want if you want remote TTL functionality with flashes like the 568. But it's a bit of a waste for flashes like the 560 which don't do TTL anyway.
> But what about this one here?
That's a transmitter with its own screen. You can put that on the camera instead and use it to transmit to a transceiver unit (acting as receiver) that is connected to a flash.
> do I need both, or only one?
You need a transmitting unit and a receiver unit. For remote TTL, that will require two units as described above.
For manual control with the 560 IV, the flash has its own receiver so you just need a transmitter unit for the camera. That would be an RF-603 transceiver or, if you want it to have its own screen and remote power control, there's the 560-TX.
> Anyone know of a beginner friendly but still in-depth intro/guide to flash photography?
We have one linked in the sidebar.
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html
Is this for stills or video? If stills, just get an inexpensive manual flash unit and a way to trigger it off-camera. They provide a TON more power than hot lights and honestly aren't that difficult to learn.
If you want to play with color, flash gels are an inexpensive way to get into that.
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-Cameras-Canon/dp/B01I09WHLW/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1520620988&sr=1-3&keywords=flash
They work great, adjustable power, swivel/tilt head, guide number 33 so they're fairly bright, optical trigger. They even have a pc sync port.
And the voltages are safe to use with a modern DSLR.
I use a backdrop kit that includes stands and muslin backdrops. I replaced the muslin with 9-ft. rolls of seamless paper after viewing this tutorial. Total cost: $300
For lighting, I use speedlites--a 430EX II and two YN-560s. The 430EX II is connected to my camera via a 24-ft. E-TTL cable from FlashZebra. The YN-560s are triggered remotely by the 430EX II. Total cost: $375
For light modifiers, I have a 24-inch soft box, 37-inch umbrellas, and 16-inch beauty dish. Total cost: $150
You can see what some of this looks like at http://clintonblackburn.com/headshots-and-insights-from-peter-hurley/.
Definitely go with the cheaper speedlights these days. A few Yongnuo YN 560 III's paired with the remote power control transmitter (here's a slightly cheaper limited option) will give you everything the more expensive canon/nikon speedlights offer, but hundreds of dollars less.
Brand flashes are some of the most overpriced items in photography. I wouldn't jump straight in with one if I wasn't sure I needed it.
People recommend YongNuo flashes for good reason - they are well built, do pretty much exactly the same job as the brand flashes, but are a fraction of the price.
You can go for a 560iii which is fully manual, or the 565 which is TTL; that is, the flash will adjust itself based on information gathered Through The Lens.
As you can see, the 560 is under £50 and the 565 is under £70, so even if you do upgrade, you haven't exactly broken the bank, and it will mean you just have 2 decent flashguns. Which you go for is up to you. TTL may be useful for parties where you going around taking candid or quickly posed shots in changing light, so if you can afford the extra 20 quid, go for it. If your budget is tight, the 560 will still do a great job - it's easy to adjust on the fly.
You will probably also want to look into light modifiers like softboxes (mini ones for on-camera, larger ones for off camera), umbrellas, light stands, and remote triggers. A more affordable flashgun gives you much more leeway in that regard.
As for learning how to use it, head over to The Strobist. And of course, you can always ask here.
You might as well get one that supports eTTL and high speed sync like YONGNUO YN-568EX II. If you've got a couple more bucks, the YN-600EX-RT II is what I currently use. It's got a built in wireless receiver so if you pick up a transmitter you can go off camera full eTTL/HSS.
Hi,
I am starting to get back into my macro photography and I was looking at flashes. Any advice on whether I should get a macro ring flash or a normal hotshoe flash?
I am thinking that I should get a normal hotshoe flash for my Nikon D7100, but I am unsure what type I should buy. The reason for this is that I read that the ring flashes can make the images look very flat. My current setup uses a lamp in the house and the torch from my mobile phone, but I would like to try and move outdoors as well.
I would be grateful to hear any suggestions from you.
Thanks in advance,
I have the T2i and its great. If you feel like spending a couple hundred more, you could look at the T3i. Its basically the same as the T2i with an updated movie mode and an adjustable screen.
Shopping list.
Canon T3i
Canon T2i - You can get used on Amazon for under $600.
Nifty Fifty
Canon Speedlite 430EX II
You will need a flash, and most likely your on camera flash will not be enough.
You will need an E-TTL flash so that you can take pictures on the fly without having to adjust the power of your flash. You can buy a 3rd party one or a Canon version, or rent one if you want.
You will also want something to diffuse the light. There are simple caps, on-flash soft boxes, and another that seems to be popular is the Gary Fong Lightsphere. I personally use an on-camera softbox as it offers the largest light source, though the lightsphere seems to work pretty well too and isn't as bulky and fragile. These things also should be used in close range, over about 10ft the diffusion quality diminishes and they require too much power to light the subject.
Lookin mighty splendiferous today, if I do say so mahself!
In the box:
Ray-Ban 3025 Aviator Polarized sunglasses
Zippo Slim circa 1960
Nite-Ize S-Biner with County Comm Titanium Widgy Pry Bar / Ti split rings
The camera pictured is my beater/backup, a Nikon D7000 with a Nikon 35mm F/1.8G AF-S DX lens. These were all taken with the camera I use on assignment - a Nikon D800 with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S lens, an SB700 speedlight and a Rogue Small Flashbender.
I leave the D800 at home when I'm not working, but I keep the D7000 in my car or on my person pretty much all the time. Everything else here goes almost everywhere with me.
With the right lenses, she would be quite capable of taking photos in low light, even without a 5D. e.g. http://i.imgur.com/pQ79X.jpg
From what I've read in this thread, for random wedding shooting, and with an unlimited budget, I recommend that you get the following setup:
Nikon d7000 - 1.5 pounds - $1000
with 17-55mm f2.8 - 1.7 pounds - $900
and a 50mm f1.4 - 9 oz - $400
Also get a speedlight like this one. (But use it sparingly, especially during the ceremony... the photographer being paid to shoot can use a flash, but if everyone in the audience is using a flash, it might ruin the moment.. it is good to have a flash for the afterparty though.)
Also $200 of spare batteries and spare memory cards.
Thanks - I think anything more than hundred dollars on is going to be a hard sell for me on the wife.
The flash is this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LEAYXY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Regarding the conditions, I have no idea what to expect. I assume both indoor and outdoor - weather-dependent, of course.
Thanks for the links - I didn't see the giant list of links on the right. I usually browse via phone. My apologies for that.
I have a couple of YN-560 II's and they've worked great for over a year. I use them with Cactus V5 triggers and they've performed well.
If you're going to do any shooting with a flash on the camera, you'll want to get a YN-468 such as this one because it has TTL metering while the 560 does not. If you're wanting two lights, I suggest one 560 and one 468 just so you have TTL capability if you ever need it.
Eneloop batteries are a great addition with the flashes. They last forever.
This was the setup and this is the flash. Just a cheap Yongnuo
Paper to diffuse the light: I use tracing paper, cheap and effective.
Light source: realize you don't need a continuous light source for shooting stills. You best option is a couple (or more) cheap, manual strobes like Yongnuo YN 560 and a wireless remote trigger like Yongnuo RF-603NII. That will give you A LOT of light allowing you very good photographic results at low ISO and narrow lens aperture.
Check out Yongnuo, for instance this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00BXA7N6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394639311&sr=1-1&keywords=yongnuo+flash+nikon
You'll want to use an off camera flash. As a general rule, you don't ever want to use your on-camera flash. For about $100, you can get a wireless-enabled flash and a wireless trigger for it. Make sure your you select an appropriate model for your camera brand.
You would take a test shot without the flash to make sure everything that isn't covered by the flash is pretty much all black, then with those settings, shoot with the flash until you find an appropriate power output for the effect you're going for.
Why not spend $63 on a flash? Flashes are good.
https://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00BXA7N6A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481695074&sr=8-3&keywords=yongnuo+flash
Shop lights from Home Depot... 37 bucks will get you 1,000 watts. They have cheaper configurations as well, put off a ton of heat tho.
As someone else has mentioned Yongnuo speed lights. I picked up three of the YN 560 III at 70 bucks a pop and have been very, very impressed with the quality and performance.
Those silver sunscreens for car windshields will work as a make shift reflector, then again so would white poster board.
I'm pretty sure rigging up a homemade snoot wouldn't take much imagination, or a homemade honeycomb style grid (straws perhaps? Google is showing me one with corrugated cardboard, clever).
It's getting to be the holidaes, LED christmas lights will be on shelves. Could use them to rig up a ring light perhaps.
This site covers some of what I touched on and more: http://www.popphoto.com/DIYLighting
But at the end of the day nothing works as well as lighting and equipment designed for photography mostly do to how much light you really need to be effective. Just think that the sun throws roughly 1000 watts per square meter, achieving that kind of saturation while still remaining useful can be quite tricky.
No problem. :)
Ok, so flash is pretty easy. My setup might be a bit outdated, but here is what I use currently:
I have 3 of those flashes, they're really pretty great if you aren't too snobby about brands. I believe Yongnuo has flashes now with the transmitter built into them, but I have never used those and the only time I've seen them in action it didn't go super well. I'm sure they're fine, I just can't recommend them.
So basically you put the controller on your camera. You put each flash you want to use off camera on the transceivers. The controller lets you adjust each flash's settings remotely and triggers them. It's awesome.
If you generally don't know what you're doing with flash for the reception, it's generally best to bounce the light off the ceiling. Point the flashes roughly upward and fire away. At receptions with a defined dance floor you can get pretty great results by placing them in a couple of the corners. Your light might come back kinda yellow. If you don't want to worry about using gels on your flashes then just keep an eye out for it and adjust the white balance in Lightroom after the fact.
Aside from flashes you will want some modifiers to place on them. When I was starting out the two that I used are these (these aren't the exact ones, but they're close):
So there are probably better modifiers to use, but these are cheap and they work pretty well at diffusing/directing light. The softbox is great for portraits and I frequently would use the flash bender to direct light gently over a wide area, like when the toasts are going on or the bridal party is entering the room or the dance floor. When used correctly you should get pretty great lighting and avoid hard shadows.
Anyways, how I shot those photos. You're generally right. I love shots like that (probably too much), and so I do them all the time. The general idea is the same for all of them, soft light in front and a bright light in the back. Using the specific equipment I listed above, my usual MO is to put a bare flash behind them, typically on the ground (using these)or on a stand as low as possible to the ground. Point it at the couple and slightly upward (photo 1 is the exception, it was pointed essentially straight up to make the gazebo light up like that).
Set up a flash in front of them. In most of those photos I used the flashbender modifier on the flash pointing at the couple to direct but diffuse the light. It helps it look a bit more natural. Generally you want to position it in a way that the shadows aren't too distracting, so do it slightly off to the side to get more natural lighting. Obviously I messed up in a few of mine but it is what it is and most people don't even notice. We're always our own harshest critic.
Next is the settings. This is honestly the toughest part in my opinion. You need to expose for the background you want and then use the flashes to achieve the lighting you want on the subjects. I don't know how to describe this, but the easiest way is with photo #6 on my website. I exposed the photo for the city behind the couple and got the look I wanted, THEN I added flashes and whatnot. General rule of thumb is the light behind the couple should be one step brighter than the light in front. That way you get the glowing backlight effect.
Thanks for the compliments on the photos! I hope this helps. I'm sorry if I did a bad job of explaining things, just ask me to clarify anything you don't understand.
EDIT: All this being said you don't NEED off camera flash. I've shot entire receptions using on-camera flash. The most important thing to remember is you just want to diffuse the light in some way. When you're using flash on camera you typically achieve this by bouncing it at the ceiling. Practice this at home, it usually works pretty well!
I shoot on the same camera and am flirting with experimenting with this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GE4MNQA/?coliid=IJETWOF5CBRBU&colid=4ARSU5PDTUKO&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Seems there might be some quality control issues, but big value.
I bought one of these a few months ago and it's working out well thus far. It beats $300 for an SB700.
One warning; mine took ~3 weeks to arrive, as it shipped from China.
What triggers are you using? I was looking at either the Yongnuo 560-TX or the RF-603 II
If you can get without TTL there are the yongnuo flashes, I've personally tried the yn560iv and the yn685 with their triggers. As for triggers you should use the YN560-TX. All of these must be the Canon versions (not the nikon ones).
With the trigger you can set your flash(es) parameters from it (without touching the flashes themselves) which is a big advantage once you've set the flashes in place, maybe inside a softbox, etc.
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Don't buy the yn-622c-tx which, while it works on canon bodies, and it even gives you TTL with the yn685, doesn't even fire the flashes on M43 cameras, at least not on the olympus E-M10 and the Panasonic Gx85.
I've tried all of the above-mentioned yongnuo products on both of these cameras (E-M10 and Gx85), I'll add some amazon links to the products, I hope they can be helpful
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PGTOX26/ref=sxts_kp_bs_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=xMKtJ&pf_rd_r=Q1W0BDPWVAHWKBY1N9CE&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00PGTOX26&pd_rd_w=XGvyX&pf_rd_i=yongnuo+yn560+iv&pd_rd_r=1c36158b-ccf3-4d7c-b5e6-2c40cbbb898a&ie=UTF8&qid=1543588353&sr=1
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https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN685-System-Wireless-Speedlite/dp/B0159PJL8C/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1543589021&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=yongnuo+yn685&psc=1
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KM1QZRY/ref=sxts_kp_lp_3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=8778bc68-27e7-403f-8460-de48b6e788fb&pd_rd_wg=xMKtJ&pf_rd_r=Q1W0BDPWVAHWKBY1N9CE&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00KM1QZRY&pd_rd_w=XGvyX&pf_rd_i=yongnuo+yn560+iv&pd_rd_r=1c36158b-ccf3-4d7c-b5e6-2c40cbbb898a&ie=UTF8&qid=1543588353&sr=3
vaxt definitely gave a lot of good advice, but if you want to go the less expensive route, I use a Altura UNV1. It's a really nice on-camera flash kit that has quite a few adjustments and comes with a diffuser!
If it's an indoor location with no windows, you might be hard pressed to get nice images without a flash. The ISO performance on the d5300 isn't fantastic. I would look into possibly getting video lights, or a flash to light your images, you can pick up both from yongnuo pretty cheap.
The best moments to pick up here would be if she had family or friends she's interacting with, you can only take so many pictures of her getting her hair done before it gets boring. Look for laughs and interactions, good luck!
I would highly recommend the Yongnuo external speedlights! You'll also need wireless flash triggers to shoot with your flash off-camera (made for your camera brand) I personally like to shot through a white umbrella for close up portraits. You can find all of this equipment on Amazon :)
Yongnuo Flash: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PGTOX26/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_B3jizbSQH5JC7
White Umbrella: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003PEX8XE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_K8jizbZE9WMJ8
Flash Adapter for light stand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TYDBYQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_m9jizbNDJBSJ6
Light stand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K69A0QY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_79jizb8EEAZAT
I can recommend wirelessly flash triggers too! What brand is your camera?
>just do the dinner at night
So no sunlight. Only overhead lighting, which will cast shadows over eye sockets, nose/mouth, etc (directional lighting, straight down). People won't look very nice and if they're walking/dancing, you'll have a hard time keeping the images blur or noise-free.
If anything, get a flash and bounce it off of ceiling/walls. I think that's your only hope. You can get a Yongnuo YN560 IV for $69.00.
>D3300
Too high of a cost for that kit. Both Canon and Nikon have comparable models (T5, T6, D3300, D3400) refurbished for less ($280-400).
>Neewer flash, Phottix receiver
That flash is bad, you should be getting at a minimum a Yongnuo which run about twice the price, you could also get a Youngnuo transceiver too for similar price and have everything work much better, this is a much better deal for the same price, and this would offer a lot more versatility.
>Stands, umbrellas
You can probably find similar for a bit cheaper, brand really doesn't matter at this level.
Everything else is fine.
Yongnuo YN560-IV
AmazonBasics Flash if you need really cheap.
LumoPro LP180 as the upgrade pick (Wirecutter talks about it).
If you need TTL, not sure what would be best.
At that budget, get some manual offname speedlights, and some cheap 28in umbrellas. They are far from the best things out there, but even the junk has its place, and that place is on shoestring budgets. As for backdrop, go to walmart, and pick up some queen or king size bedsheets of the walmart brand. Get one thats close to middle grey if possible. A middle grey sheet with a speed light and a color gel will become whatever color your gel is. I bought the strobist pack of gels, so my one sheet instantly becomes the whole rainbow. The reality is that $150 is a drop in the bucket of a proper studio, but there are plenty of budget ways of doing things. If you want even cheaper lighting, at the trade off of control, go to your local hardware store and pick up some of the $5 work lights that look like more like a bowl from your kitchen than a proper light. Continuous light can still be plenty useful but can be a little trickier to set up, and dealing with spill can be a pain. $2 foam core project boards make great dirt cheap reflectors and flags. You best bet at that budget is to think more DIY than "what can I buy". Try things and experiment. I have spent almost as much money at HomeDepot making my own lighting modifiers as I have on buying actual modifiers, and the results aren't really much different between my homebrew and the actual gear.
edit: Here's some links!
AmazonBasics speedlight $28 (x2, ~$60)
flash triggers, $15
two shoot-through, two silver reflectives, two gold reflectives, w/stands and carry bag $57
so that puts us at ~$135 right there
grey bedsheet $15
cheap gel kit $8
So add in tax and shipping, and there's your $150 budget plus a few bucks extra.
Now like I said you can do continuous light a little cheaper.
Here are some lights, modifiers, stands, and backdrops for $97
The key here is this is all "junk". That doesnt mean dont use it. I have a bunch of stuff from kits like these. But dont be surprised if an umbreallas silver lining separates off, or a softbox develops a tear in it. They just arnt made to the same standards as "pro" gear, but you can get just as good results with it if you take your time to learn what you are doing, and accept the downfalls of what you are buying and work around them. Work in your budget and develop your skills more. You will either pursue it further and buy better stuff later, or like me, still have the cheap off name junk because it works fine and you would rather spend money on glass than umbrellas.
Canon person, but a Nikon person should come and correct me if I'm wrong. :D It looks like a 18-55mm kit lens. What kind of nature shots does she like to take? More wildlife or landscape stuff? If it's animals, a telephoto would be great. Something like the 70-300mm or the 55-300mm. Those would be in the $300-500 range. Indoor events, it would be good to have either a faster lens (50mm 1.8 is a cheap start, ~$100-150) so that she can take non-blurry photos in dark conditions.
Alternatively, get her a tripod (good for landscapes that require long exposures) or a flash like the Yongnuo to play with for portraits/indoor stuff.
What sort of photography are you working on? Unless you're doing light painting, or desperately need portable hot-lights, flashlights are generally awful for photo work. They're specialized all wrong.
The biggest issue by far is simply brightness. If you're getting good results with a smartphone flash (which is roughly 50 Lumens), then certainly we can improve on things. The Zebralight /u/infinity526 suggests obviously improves on that number quite substantially, although I think this more-expensive variant would be a better option, as it has better CRI and a daylight color temperature.
But for photography, 900 Lumens is nothing. A pretty basic speedlight comes closer to a million lumens. And has variable brightness and adjustable focus.
Aside from having good photography equipment the real trick is getting your flashes off camera. Get a radio transmitter and flashes (two or three is a good start) which work with it. We understand depth through shadow, and on camera flash gives no real sense of depth.
I use this setup:
Yongnuo YN560-TX Wireless Flash... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KM1QZRY
YONGNUO YN560 IV Wireless Flash... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PGTOX26
You'll want a pelican case to transport your flashes and camera gear in as well.
And if anyone is interested, this is a series I shot using the above gear: https://flic.kr/s/aHskSTPDnC
Okay, here is a better list, sorry for the mess:
Flash -- around $65.
Transmitter --around $35
Light stand + umbrella + flash bracket // around $30. I got this one used for $20 on Amazon. There are different ones and with different quality.
Canon 24mm f/2.8 -- around $150
Canon 50mm f/1.8 -- around $110.
Also, Yongnuo makes their version of the 50mm ($50), the 35mm ($88) and some others. I can only vouch for the 50mm, I either got a great copy or it is just great.
Hey, I've been shooting some of the cassettes with /u/killallmusic above. Heres some tips. First, as others have said, OFF CAMERA FLASH IS ESSENTIAL. That goes for any product photography. By far, the best bang for you buck is the Yongnuo IV and the wireless trigger to make it sync here. They are fully manual so no TTL (which is a feature of more expensive flashes that auto set the flash output to the available light) but I'm a big fan of learning strobe photography with manual flashes. You'll get way better way faster and there are a MILLION places online to read flash tutorials to get you started and plenty of video guides to get these flashes synced with the controller. On top of that, another absolutely essential part is some sort of diffuser. Softboxes are most often recommended. I use the following with my shots. These are both very nice pieces of gear and you can definitely find cheaper options that will do just fine on eBay and Amazon. You can get away with 1 for sure but I usually end up using two sources, one for a key light and one for a fill to add texture back to the shadows. As for actually shooting cassettes, your biggest problem will be glare. Any light hitting at a 45 degree angle to your lens will cause a flare so just adjust your angle of the tape or flash until you get rid of the glare. Last tip, when it comes to light, the closer a source is, the softer the light will be. That might sound backwards but its true. So get that flash all up in its business as close as you can to the product. Check out the Strobist blog for an amazing flash primer course. Trial and error is the name of the game. You can see some examples at http://killallmusic.storenvy.com. The Coutoux and Jay Pray tapes were shot with the exact gear and method I listed above. Happy shooting!
I started with Yongnuo and half my kit still consists of it.
You go from triggers, to flash, to a trigger made to work seamlessly with their flash.
Highly Recommend espically for a first/beginner set up.
I am getting into flash photography and my first step is buying a flash then heading onto strobist.ive done a little research on cheap flashes that are within my budget and i have narrowed it down to the neewer vk750 ii and yongnuo yn560 iv.The flash would be used for indoor events for example weddings. I would like to know which flash is the best of the two.
I have used this Yongnuo flash on my E-M10 as well as off camera, being controlled by the 560-TX unit you listed.
Do not despair! There are some ridiculously cheap alternatives to expensive gear out there. Specifically in the lighting department. DIY techniques are abundant all over the internet and if you can add some artificial light to your photos, they can skyrocket their level of quality.
Yongnuo makes some extremely practical 3rd-party gear comparable to nikon's and canon's $150-$400 speedlights. I've used their speedlghts and radio transmitters for going on 5 years now and are very dependable and outrageously cheap compared to pocket wizards. 2 speed lights + 1 set of transmitters = $200.
I have the Godox TT350S and the trigger that comes with it when you buy it in a bundle on Amazon and it works well in a studio environment but if you are shooting events/weddings I don't recommend it. It can be slow and the fill in a big open room is really lackluster. If you are comfortable shooting with a manual flash I recommend the Yongnuo YN560 IV because it's cheap and can be used as a trigger if you decide to buy more than one. The only thing is it isn't supposed to be compatible with the hotshoe on Sony cameras but in my experience it works fine. Also, if it stops working you can get a relatively cheap converter for the hotshoe.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PGTOX26/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9M43N2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
[Amazon customer video bug] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yongnuo-YN-560-Speedlite-Olympus-Cameras/dp/B00PIIRO1C/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1464039457&sr=1-3&keywords=Yongnuo+YN-560+IV#customerReviews) You might be able to live with it but if not you may want to consider the older 560III instead. Don't let it put you off Yongnuo they are very good value for money and generally make decent stuff. It just seems this model may be iffy though.
Look at these. Add another YN 560 IV and you'll be all set. Maybe get a stand or two...
https://www.amazon.com/YN-560IV-Wireless-Speedlite-YN560-TX-Controller/dp/B015ZALVI4/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1484707945&sr=1-3&keywords=yn+560+iv
I'm looking to get into flash photography with my sony camera. I have been reading the stobist lighting 101 blog which recommends lp180 s at ~$150 or lp180r at ~$230. But I'm so tempted by kits like these that would give me all the functionality of 2 lp180r + oden remote for a fraction of the cost. ($170 vs $760). I really like the lp180 but there seems to be no good way to use it without an oden and the yonhnuos are just so much cheaper.
I can buy one lp180/lp180r and a transmitter or the yongnuo kit. I'm just a hobbyist so I don't need rock solid durability/reliability. Will the yongnuos be as powerful and will they and/or the lp180 fit my sony "Multi-interface hot shoe"?
here's a link to the 50mm - it's the newer version of the one you found, and the autofocus works significantly better - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143786-REG/canon_0570c002_ef_50mm_f_1_8_stm.html
that's the sigma i was referring to - some people prefer the tamron version of the same lens - they're similar, just make sure to get the canon mount if you decide to go this route. any good camera store or amazon will certainly let you return or exchange it.
here's the flash kit I was referring to - http://www.amazon.com/YN-560IV-Wireless-Speedlite-YN560-TX-Controller/dp/B015ZALVI4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449856325&sr=8-1&keywords=yongnuo+560iv+kit
I have exactly this, and it's loads of fun to play with
After we lost a set of family pictures (and having to pull teeth to get another set) to crappy, non-responsive mommytographers after our second was born, I decided to finally get a real camera and learn some photography basics. We've got our third on the way now, so I'm starting to evaluate the kit I've acquired over the last few years in light of this.
If you're looking to get a flash, just grab the cheap AmazonBasics manual one and bounce it off the ceiling behind you; you'll get 80%+ of the utility of the flash for $30, adding the Cowboy Studio radio trigger gets your flash off camera for cheap as well. Regardless, learning how to use flash is another skill to research (the Strobist is a great resource) and takes a ton of practice. However, babies are slow enough that you should be just fine bumping your ISO a bit and shooting your 20mm wide open.
Really, though, I'll echo what other posters have said: knowledge beats throwing money at kit. What you have is plenty sufficient for good pictures, and buying more kit will barely move picture quality if you don't add knowledge. Practice with mom, practice with a doll, look at pictures of babies, etc. In addition, learn to post-process. Your first attempts will suck, but shoot RAW and practice. You're better off spending $150 on good PP software than another lens, but you can still make do just fine with open source software.
 
We have a similar setup: EM10m2, 14-42 kit, 25mm f/1.8, 40-150 f/4-5.6, 7.5mm f/3.5 fisheye, as well as a smattering of old adapted lenses (most useful is the 50mm f/1.7 that fills the classic "portraiture" role)
you chose two flashes that came with wireless triggers. is that something you wanted, or did you just happen to come across those bundles?
If so, either of those should be fine. If not, you can get a cheap amazonbasics flash and buy triggers later.
the amazon basics flash for silly cheap on camera to trigger is an option... for $£ 25 ish or less usually https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-DSLR-Cameras/dp/B01I09WHLW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509584723&sr=8-1&keywords=amazon+basics+flash
When it comes to macro, depth of field is a major challenge, because it's razor thin at those distances. You can increase the depth of field by using smaller apertures, but the smaller you go the less sharp the image will be (due to refraction). I'd just try different apertures, because you may still find it acceptably sharp. Another way to improve how much appears in focus is to use focus stacking, a post processing technique using multiple images focused at different points, but it can be challenging. One easy tip, since the plane of focus is perpendicular to your camera, shooting straight on will utilize the entire plane of focus.
As far as lighting, as HelplessCorgis said, outdoors can be challenging because the slightest movement can throw things off. If it's bright enough to use a very fast shutter speed, you may be okay. If you're indoors, and the table and tripod are stable, you can even use longer shutter speeds to get the exposure you want.
Ultimately flash is always better for still photography than constant lights, due to efficiency and light output. Even a $28 Amazon Basics manual speelight will do a decent job! Then you'd want a cheap flash cord so you can move the light around (just make sure to get the right one for your camera brand).
Consider trying this Wonderfull manual flash from amazon basic:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-Cameras-Canon/dp/B01I09WHLW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519971690&sr=8-1&keywords=amazon+basic+flash+for+dslr
The Yongnuo is very good flash but only in manual. It is not consistent in the ETTL mode. So why pay the extra for ETTL.
One advantage of the some of the Yongnuo models is they have the radio cont
rol for off camera flash trigger.
So I bought the amazon basic flash. And I'm having trouble with it. All of my photos look really really overblown. All my photos with this flash are really white and blurry. The only time it looks okay is when I do -5.0 Exposure comp and -3.0 flash comp and I use the lowest setting of the flash. What's the point of buying a flash if I'm just going to diffuse it completely? I also use an altura flash diffuser btw. I just want a nice soft light on my portrait's faces. I find it annoying to mess with the exposure compensation etc is there something I'm missing here and not doing right? My goal is to get pictures like this I'm just really frustrated because all of them look completely white or the background looks like night because of exposure compensation.
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Ring-Light-Kit-Self-Portrait/dp/B01LXDNNBW
This is the one I was thinking. There is a $30 off
Coupon. Which one did you buy?
Your lenses are slow, but I wouldn't bother buying new lenses. Buy the 430EX, and learn how to bounce it, sync it, adjust it, etc. You're going to need an off camera flash eventually.
Don't bother with that package, just buy the straight flash from Amazon for cheaper and pick up batteries locally.
Eventually, I'd pick up the 50 1.8 lens. It's a very sharp, decently fast lens for $100. I have $1400 lenses and I still love this lens.
Please don't go buy $300 lenses right now. Your situation will be best served by getting a flash and learning to use it.
I really want/need this one for my 60D. I don't have an external flash and they really make all the difference, and this seems like a great middle of the road one.
Even better would be this beast.
24-105 mm is a great all around lense. Well worth the money if you ask me. it would also replace 2 of your lenses so there is less for you to carry. I also really like the 70-200. If you plan on taking alot of landscape style photos try a 17-40 mm.
If I were you and had $3000 to spend, I 'd pick up a 6d with 24-105 mm lense combo
6d combo
a nice manfrotto or ravelli tripod
A nice flash
430 flash
and a nice back pack.
That's my two cents.
I have a piece of black plastic (a solar filter) I place on my laptop. I put a small black coin easel on it and place the coin (still in the capsule if I can, with one side of the capsule popped off). I have a small cardboard box I place in front of my laptop. My camera is a Nikon D7000, and I use an 85mm macro lens with a light ring attached. I shoot between ISO100 and ISO400 depending on the coin, around f.16, with a 1/60th to 1/100th second or so exposure. I prop the light ring on the small box, aim as best I can to get square on with the coin, and take photos (usually several...). I shoot in RAW format, and compensate for brightness if I need to in Nikon's RAW photo software. Then do further cropping in normal photo editing software, either on my computer or on my phone or iPad (Pixlr).
Got the ring light on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Macro-Ring-LED-Light/dp/B0031AQ302/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382994737&sr=8-1&keywords=ring+light
Got outbid on ebay for the macro lens >_< will have to just buy a new one I think as im not paying within $50 of retail for a used one.
I've been thinking of trying this little cheap one for shits and giggles http://amzn.com/B004LEAYXY
and Im thinking about http://amzn.com/B0031AQ302 for macro.
I have an older flash thats huge, but the cycle time is just TOO DAMN SLOW.
In general, they're right; you should invest in lenses over cameras.
The question you need to answer, before you go on, is "Am I going to upgrade to a full-frame (FX) camera body, or stick with my current crop-sensor (DX) body?". In general, FX has some advantages; larger sensor means you can go wider-angle, and have a higher dynamic range. But it also means you're going to spend 2-5x as much for lenses -- it is much cheaper to manufacture lenses for DX bodies than FX bodies.
In general, for people in your situation, I strongly recommend staying with a DX body for the time being. You will be able to get 95% of the same effect for 30% of the cost.
Your current kit is the two kit lenses, 18-55 and 55-200. If you want to upgrade, I would strongly recommend getting a few fast, high quality primes: the 35mm 1.8 DX is excellent for most "normal" uses (it has about the same angle of view as your eyes), and the 85mm 1.8 is excellent for portraits including for the yearbook you mentioned. Your 55-200, set all the way at 200mm, is also a fine portrait lens.
The other thing that you need, if you don't have one already, is a hotshoe flash like the SB500 or SB700. Better lighting will improve the quality of portraits much more than better lenses will.
You've got good taste in lusting after a fixed tele zoom, and both the FL ED and VRII are great. But for the purpose you described, either of those lenses is like trying to swat a fly with a sledgehammer. And an expensive one, too.
En ce moment tu as des bons prix pour le Nikon sb700 , c'est un très bon flash cobra milieu de gamme, qui sera très bon pour des photos de soirées.
Le sb500, plus récent, a bonne réputation aussi. Mais il est moins puissant, moins complet, et le temps de rafraichissement entre chaque photo est bien plus long (2 piles aa contre 4 je crois).
Pour les autres marques compatibles Nikon je ne sais pas.
Tips : pour du portrait, essaye de faire rebondir le flash sur un mur clair ou le plafond plutôt que de flasher directement dans la tête du modèle. Tu peux ajouter un petit diffuseur avec une carte de visite si le flash n'en a pas d'intégré pour rééclairer le visage et les yeux. Même principe qu'un réflecteur intégré.
Pour les piles je te conseille dans tous les cas les Eneloop Pro noires, elles sont top. Si tu peux avoir un chargeur de pile intelligent qui te permet de recharger lentement tes accus c'est parfait, elles dureront très longtemps.
SB700 in that case: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0042X9L6A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469775835&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=SX200_QL40&amp;keywords=Sb700&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41PBaWYD2dL&amp;ref=plSrch
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-TT560-Speedlite-Panasonic-single-contact/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1398216147&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=neewer+flash
if you want to go the cheap manual route:
get these remote speedlite triggers
you can buy more of the receivers, just set them all to the same code.
get one of these for every receiver you have, or any flash set to manual
and get as many stands as you need for each speedlite/receiver combo. the sky is the limit.
also you'll need a crap ton of double and triple a batteries.
I love these things.
What's the point of taking photographs that suck? Tricks and techniques that require a DSLR are mostly just tricks and they won't make a fundamentally bad photo any good. Shallow depth of field, or creative control of shutter speed won't fix a fundamentally poor composition. First get good.
You can get very good with just a phone. Lots of people spend big bucks on expensive cameras thinking it will let them take great pictures. It turns out you can take bad photos with any camera, and you can take great photos with just a phone. If I were in a photography club with only a phone camera, I would want to learn to take better pictures with it than my uncle/mom/friend/etc can take with their big expensive DSLRs. It's fun to win, especially when you're an underdog.
Anybody who is excels at anything, photography or otherwise, has mastered the fundamentals. There are no exceptions. Fortunately, you don't need fancy equipment to learn some of the more important fundamentals in photography: composition and lighting. It's a rare photo that is good, but lacking in one of those areas.
Composition is easy to learn and hard to master. Google around. Read about the rule of thirds, leading lines, and so on. Learn to do each one well. Take lots of different pictures using each techniques. Combine techniques. Then figure out when to break the rules, and thus learn why they are important. A phone will work just as well as a DSLR here. Your only real limitations are inability to control depth of field and inability to change your focal length, and those aren't so important. At least, it's easy to find situations where you don't need those particular tools.
Lighting is also important, but it seems to get less blog space than composition. You can learn all the important things about lighting with very little equipment. You also don't need to leave your boring classroom as long as you have people and stuff. Do portraits. Do well-lit product photography.
You can study lighting without flash. There's a lot you can do with just a window, or the sun and a wall, or a lamp you can move around. Dig up some scrap cardboard for a gobo. Cover it with white paper and you have a reflector. Cover it with tinfoil and you have a different kind of reflector. Rembrant didn't have a flash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2nNxaBA6ss
On the other hand, if you have even a little money to spend, you could learn about off-camera flash, even with phone cameras. For $40-$60 on Amazon you can get a cheap but powerful hotshoe flash with an optical slave mode that you can probably trigger with a phone's LED flash. Hotshoe not required.
For example:
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-560-Speedlight-Flash-Nikon/dp/B0079M711S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1416351709&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=yn+560+ii
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Speedlite-Panasonic-Fujifilm-single-contact/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=sr_1_federatedaps0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1416351691&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=flash
Add a mirror or your reflectors from above and your one light source becomes two or three. Clothespin a plain white T-shirt or tape a white plastic garbage bag to a bent wire clothes hanger and you've got a diffuser that works like a white umbrella. Attach a black plastic garbage bag to the back and now you've got a softbox with more control over the backscatter, so it doesn't bounce around the room and light up parts of your subject that you don't want lit. Just be sure not to enclose the whole flash body so you get enough light to trigger the optical slave sensor.
Now you can do this: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html
One of the problems with phone cameras is that you don't have much control over depth of field. While you can't really blur out distracting backgrounds, you can use lighting to de-epmhasize them. See, for example, the first photo in the Lighting 101 link above. Can your Aunt who keeps her DSLR in Auto mode do that?
Here is a fairly universal kit I would buy:
It uses a sync cord. She can get radio sync or something else later and really grow this kit. Also point her to Strobist 101 to give her instructions and ideas.
I picked up 2 of these flashes and this wireless trigger, and this(or similar) set of reflective umbrellas and stands. All that stuff is pretty universal and should work on most cameras.
It's nothing fancy, but it's less than $200 for the whole setup and it gets great results. I use the same stuff for portrait work.
The Tokina lens looks great, but unfortunately it's designed for a crop sensor. I can put it on my full frame camera, but it's going to leave me with a big black circle around all of my pictures.
How do I mount a speedlite to my sony a200 which uses it's own proprietary mount?
I recently got into photography with a second hand sony a200, I want to buy a speedlite but I realized that the hotshoe isn't the same on my camera as the ones on most flashes. I realize I need some sort of an adapter to use them but is that all I need? I was thinking about getting these two, keep in mind I'm very new to photography and I don't want to invest far too much money so I don't want to buy a dedicated sony alpha compatible flash that I can't use later in my life.
The speedlite I want
The mount I want
Is there anything else I would need to use the speedlite? Also with this adapter will I be able to use it as a regular flash/speedlite?
Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback! Using a Shoe adaptor isn't ideal but 2 hss flashes that work together for around $200 that both have decent guide numbers seems like a good deal to me; the nissin i40 costs more than this ($250) and that's the cheapest "native" hss flash you can get for mirrorless Sony cameras.
Getting an ND filter costs about the same as the flash, with the adapter that costs $22, that's about the same as a cheap flash so it's a tie in terms of price.
Nice thing is if I ever end up getting a Sony branded flash (Sony HVL-F32M or better), the 3600hs will work as a wireless hss slave.
Looking into getting an external flash finally and here are the options I found on Amazon that don't break the bank...any recommendations on which one to go for? I'm still a beginner and wanna try some flash photography but also will be doing an indoor party shoot where lights will be dimmed down so will need a better flash than the built-in one on my Nikon D5300.
1.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=psdc_3109929011_t2_B00H84WRK2
2. https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Professional-Flash-NIKON/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505793035&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=external+flash+for+nikon&amp;refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_72%3A2661618011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A6461716011
3. https://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00I44F5LS/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505793779&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=yongnuo%2Bexternal%2Bflash&amp;refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_72%3A2661618011&amp;th=1
Did some research, here's I think my bargain basement lighting kit, and good reviews too.
There, you're good to go for wireless flash for ~$100, manual flash power, works with any camera that has a flash shoe.
If you can only spend $50, then just get the flash separately for $30 and the batteries. Then you can get the radio triggers, light stand, and umbrellas later when you have the money to spare.
Also, eventually, you may want to get a larger umbrella - I use an Impact 60" convertible umbrella. Big, beautiful, soft light. I have two of these; they have 4.5 stars on amazon, great umbrella. They are a little unwieldy though; 60" is a big umbrella to deal with.
I am a huge fan of the Neewer TT560 - it is incredibly affordable and you can buy two of them and a Cowboy Studio remote trigger set for under $100. While you're learning about strobes I don't believe there is any reason to get anything fancier.
I don't think it's worthwhile to invest hundreds of dollars in higher end equipment until you can prove to yourself that you need it. Strobes are one of those areas where photographers often overspend by a huge margin.
I don't have a whole lot of experience with the built in flash as when I used it I didn't have much luck with it. It isn't very powerful but I have seen youtube videos showing how you can use it some what effectively. If you are using the kit lens you can use it straight on but if you have a longer lens, such as a Sigma 16mm, the barrel of the lens is so long that it gets in the way of the flash make the built in flash unusable unless you point it upwards and bounce it off the ceiling or such (again i'll refer you to youtube for more research on that). If you are looking for a cheap alternative to the built in flash I highly recommend a cheap $30 flash off Amazon (maybe even cheaper with the Amazon Day deals going on right now) and a cheap LED light for photography for extra light. I personally have this flash (for $30.99) and this LED light (for $34.59).
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There are a few scenarios in which I use these lights.
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I will say if I am taking photos of animals or people I never use the LED light as the constant light source can be overwhelmingly bright on the eyes where as the flash is just a quick, well, flash of light. So shooting stills might be best to use an LED light of sorts in your scenario. Again this is my experience of a hobbyist photographer AND if you want to do it on a small budget, by no means am I a professional and I always recommend people to do their own research on how to use their camera properly as there is great videos and guides out there from known professionals.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004LEAYXY/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
Hi guys can anyone help me? I bought an external flash ( Neewer® TT560 ) for my sony a6000. I use it but it is not synced to the camera shooting, so my photos are black. What should I do?
We have a weekly thread about this stuff, which is why people are downvoting this post.
But you should check out - YongNuo YN-468 II E-TTL
The Yongnuo YN-468 II for $87 has E-TTL support, and as a Nikon shooter is definitely on par with the Nikon flashes, and about 1/4 the price (looks to be 1/5 the price of the 580EX II.
If you're not aware, TTL = Through The Lens, and means that it is able to automatically meter the light and adjust the power of the flash in tandem with the camera to get a decent exposure.
If you've not done any flash photography before, then I'd definitely recommend a TTL Flash.
Otherwise, you can spend even less, and get the Yonguo YN-560 II for $71, which is a manual flash (I bought two to accompany my older YN-467 TTL flash to use as off-camera flashes). I believe the YN-560 II has a longer range (more powerful flash), but I don't think it will impact you in your situation.
You might also try looking at the Yongnuo 568EX or the Yonguo 565 EX which are intended to be direct competitors to the 580 EX2 recommended by /u/arachnophilia but I have no experience with either.
Note there a bunch of Amazon pages for all of these flashes, so hunt around a little and read lots of reviews. I love my Yongnuo flashes :)
I have a gig taking photos of a restaurant and food next week. I have the Canon 700D with 18-55mm lens, and this flash (YongNuo YN-560 III Flashgun).
Is my gear enough to take usable photos for a website? I'm starting out so it doesn't have to be ultra pro quality but decent enough to show the items at their best.
Yognuo makes some incredible flashes for the price - fully compatible with Canon, Nikon, etc. This is a superb flash, and this is the accompanying trigger for Canon 450D. There's a receiver built into the 560, but I don't think you can buy just one trigger.
I am going to buy an external flash soon for my 60D (probably a Yongnuo YN 560 III). I know I should also buy a transmitter so I can bring it off camera but what else should I pick up along with it?
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00BXA7N6A
Get this and start practicing. Play with the power settings on the flash and the settings on your camera for a proper exposure. You're going to want to go with a low ISO and fast shutter speed if your trying to freeze an active child. By the way, I'm also a m43 user and I love the system. If you're not on mu-43.com already, jump over and browse the forums, lots of very knowledgeable folks over there discussing these same topics.
The Yongnuo flashes are very well rated, reliable flashes, but if you shoot Nikon, you'll get more flexibility out of the sb-600. Be aware, however, that the sb-600 lacks a flash sync port. If you wish to use radio triggers you'll need a hot shoe adapter or modify the flash to add a sync port. Check out the YN 560 III as well.
Yongnuo 560 IIIs are pretty cheap and are often suggested.
You can get a refurbished with the 55-200mm lens and the wifi adapter for $400. Just got that exact kit myself and love it. Get that, a extra battery (12 on amazon) a cleaning kit (10 on amazon) a few memory cards, a http://amzn.com/B00BXA7N6A for a speedlight and a http://amzn.com/B01E56NBH8 50mm prime lens to round out your 600 bucks
I have two Yongnuo 568 EX II flashes, and they are quite good, and inexpensive. This model has TTL metering, which you might want, though if you can live without TTL you can get a cheaper model probably. Amazon Link
I also got a tripod + umbrella setup to use with this flash, which I recommend for studio work; this kind of setup is pretty cheap on amazon as well. You can use flash slave mode, by using your on-camera flash at 1/128th, though you may have to get a remote and receiver pair for better results.
Is a cheaper Yongnuo TTL flash just as good as the more expensive Canon flashes? I'm looking at this: Yongnuo YN-568EX II 4-Channel TTL Flash Speedlite for Canon E-TTL/E-TTL II Cameras https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DB21TCM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9dx0xb3RBF50Y
I would buy 7DII over a 6D in a heartbeat hands down more versatile. But I encourage you to buy an older camera since you're just starting out the
BUY THIS 7D with a low shutter count only $600. Still a hell of a camera to start with, lenses are more important.
Canon 10-18mm lens $300
Canon 50mm f/1.8 $120
Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 $650 OR buy a 70-200mm f/4 IS L lens USED off FredMiranda, or buy a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS mkI L USED off FredMiranda I got my f/2.8L mkI for $1,300 last year the MKII goes for $1,900 or so used but wasn't worth the $600 for me.
Card reader $18
Then get some Sandisk 16gb or 32gb cards
___
Other stuff to think about:
Canon 85mm f/1.8 $360
$130 Flash
Tripod $200
Canon 50mm f/1.4
---
Big purchases way down the road
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS mkII L $2,200
A 300mm f/2.8 or even f/4 wouldn't be a bad thing to shoot for either if you really want to do wildlife but not spend over $6,000 on a lens
Canon 1.4 teleconverter $500 this only works with L lenses buy this way down the road if you need more reach.
Canon 16-35mm or 17-40mm L lens
Do you want a RF trigger or to run it off your camera via a flash-based system?
EDIT:
Looks like the "cheap" part is going to require you to get an RF trigger and run it manually. You can get a few different kinds of manual off-camera flash for under $40, but a $60 Neewer TT860 will work great manually and you can use it with TTL on the camera as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer®-Speedlite-Camera-High-Speed-Cameras/dp/B00E3K94T6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1420084596&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=E-TTL+flash
A Cowboystudio dual trigger is going to run you $27 and works pretty darn well. Just keep stuffing dollar tree AAAs.
http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-NPT-04-Speelights-extra-receiver/dp/B005IQRMN4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1420084639&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cowboystudio+trigger
If you want a really nice flash unit without breaking the bank, take a look at this. This is what I use along with a shiny cover of a tracker boat catalog lol. Works REALLY well. Look through my post history for examples. $50 and does an amazing job.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer%C2%AE-VK750-Speedlight-Series-cameras/dp/B00GE4MNQA
I'd definitely pick up a speed light. If they choose right in front off the Windows and it's bright out, you're toast without it. Something like Altura Photo Professional Flash Kit for NIKON DSLR - Includes: I-TTL Flash (AP-N1001), Wireless Flash Trigger Set and Accessories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_j0a-ybVCZGCG4 Will get you ittl and a remote trigger for not too much money. Since you're traveling, worst case scenario you make your bf hold it, but you might be able to get away with it on camera bounced of the ceiling. I might grab something like this Flash Diffuser Light Softbox 6x5” by Altura Photo (Universal, Collapsible with Storage Pouch) for Canon, Yongnuo and Nikon Speedlight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ERRQ802/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_e2a-yb78Y3G53 too, just to be safe
I am thinking about buying this one in my next trip (looks the same but for the brand):
https://www.amazon.fr/Neewer-lED-bague-blitzleuchte-transparent-blanc-pour/dp/B00JO64MY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1521646101&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=flash+ring
If you already have a good 50mm lens, I would suggest this combo to get started:
Decent set of extension tubes
Ring Flash
Optional:
Tripod Macro Focusing Rail
Autofocus systems can struggle doing macro with extension tubes so I would suggest manual focusing. Also, try and run a fairly small aperture (f/8 to f/16).
I've been searching for an external flash for my canon rebel T6. I came across this one but read a review and discovered it lacks a good Assist Focus and that is very important in low light photography for me. Does anyone know a better option? My price maximum is $100
The cheapest ways to do studio lighting is probably with large continuous bulbs, if you havent worked with lights before, this can be nice because you can see where the light falls, and get instant feedback on what it looks like when you move a light. The other option is strobes (rather than continuous), you can get into this relatively cheaply as well if you look at off brand, all manual flashes, and some radio triggers to hook them up to your camera. If you are planning on eventually working weddings and events, you will definitely need to learn how to work with on camera flash, and off camera is a plus as well. I would recommend buying some cheap manual flashes to play with if only because you want to do weddings, and you can use the same lighting set up for studio work and weddings if you use flashes rather than continuous.
Here is a link to a continuous lighting kit for cheap, its pretty basic, but get you some brollys and light stands to start with so you can play around!
Here is a link to a manual flash that may be a good fit for you starting out, it has a radio receiver built in so you don't have to add fiddly triggers to it. It's the Canon version, but there is one for Nikon as well. The trigger goes on your camera and tells the flash when to fire.
Here is another transmitter option for the above flash, it will let you control its power from across the room so you don't have to walk over and adjust it all the time. Again make sure you figure out if you need Canon or Nikon.
Here is a valuable research to teach you a little about the principles of lighting (both with flashes or continuous lights) if you aren't there already.
I would say that a FX camera would be far off for me... very, very far off lol
I am a partially disabled old man so on a very tight budget and, if not for this truly great offer from my neighbor/friend, I would probably be decently far from even having a DSLR at all.
For the flash, I did see this on Amazon that I thought might be a good investment (other than lenses of course) but, again, I know nothing about what is good, bad, or mediocre.
I will have to play around more taking a ton of pics at both 35mm and 50mm to see what I really like and would want to use for general picture taking. There is a yearly art show here called "ArtPrize" and so it would be nice to finally have a good camera for taking pics of everything.
My goal, in the future, is taking pictures like this and this but, as a newbie, no idea how to get from here to there and am just excited to learn as I go. (and then figure out what equipment I need hahaha)
Yes, there are a few decent options out there. For my personal, non-funded work, I use Alien Bees lights. They are actually very good quality for the money. In general, I've found that monoblock lights have a wider range of inexpensive options, whereas the power pack style lights are very pricey.
You can also invest in several small hot shoe flashes and syncs. Ebay and amazon sell very cheap version of the Canon Speedlight (and others) that are quite good quality. I've heard from several people who use the knock off brands and are very happy with them.
Cowboy Studio offers reasonably priced equipment of good quality.
Once you learn how to properly use studio lighting, only the most well trained eyes will be able to tell the difference between cheap equipment an this.
EDIT: Here are some lower priced power pack kits. I've never used novatron, but Elinchrom is a solid product.
Get an external flash. If I'd bought one of those I likely wouldn't have had a strong urge to upgrade my two kit lenses as fast as I did. This plus these and you're set. I recommend buying rechargeable batteries, you'll need 4 AA for the flash, and 2 AAA per wireless transmitter.
Thanks so much...
I was looking at this flash . I assume this is an on-camera flash, why did you suggest an off camera flash. Thanks
Thanks for the pointers. I meant to ask earlier, how can I tell if the flash is TTL? I assume the Canon 430EX is but I don't see TTL anywhere in the product name or description.
Thanks for the pointers - I'm already having a lot of fun!!
get a speed light, and maybe a shoot through umbrella and flash stand
yongnuo canon Nikon
I am looking for some input on a cheap umbrella lighting kit versus a decent add-on flash for my DSLR. I was looking at getting a lighting kit like this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WLY24O/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3BEPADCNG466L&amp;coliid=I3QAC42G79T1CA&amp;psc=1
However, I saw some comments saying I would be happier with the more versatile add-on flash that costs a fair amount more.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CCAISE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3BEPADCNG466L&amp;coliid=I2T75QSPRHX8UX
That camera has a 1/2.5" small noisy sensor. It is pretty much useless over ISO 200. The optics are also nothing spectacular. It hasn't happened to mine, but that camera seems to be pretty prone to lens error faults that render the camera unfixable and unusable.
For what it is, it is fine, an 8mp superzoom advanced point and shoot from 2007-2008.
Adding a tube to put a UV filter over the lens is not going to really be worth the effort. Any optics that you add are going to be adding to the distortion the built in optics already have, so I'd say that's not worth it either.
Here's one thing you could do. Get yourself a canon external flash and a off camera flash cord. That camera has the standard canon hot shoe and having a flash that can be taken off the camera is going to do a lot more for any pictures you take than any crazy lens tube adapters.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Speedlite-II-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001CCAISE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1292870603&amp;sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Off-Camera-Cameras-Speedlite-Equivalent/dp/B002B8ZYPK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1292870658&amp;sr=1-1
Something like those will actually be useful when you get rid of the S5 and move to something else in the future.
The great thing about photography is that things like SLR lenses and flashes can outlive camera bodies and be useful for a long time.
Just to compare, here is a selection from the Canon side of things with Amazon used prices:
Canon 7d - $990
Tamron 17-50 2.8 - $340
These two are a great basis to work off off and get you to $1330.
If you want to spend some more you could add the following:
Canon 50mm f/1.8 - 100
Canon Speedlite 430EX - 235
But to be honest, if your wife is just starting out and money is a bit tight, don't go out spending $900 or more on a body. As most people will tell you, picture quality is mostly due to lenses. Canon t3i, Canon t4i or 60D as well as Nikon 3200 and 5100 are all excellent bodies and have more than enough features to keep her happy. If you get either of those bodies and a decent 17-50mm lens as well as a 50mm prime she will have great tools to learn on with space to grow.
Just like daegon I would recommend to buy used. Most Photographers look out for their things quite well and most of these lenses and bodies are made at quite good quality levels. I hope this helps.
Are you asking about other speedlites (small flash guns)? Or are you looking to upgrade to monolights?
If you're sticking with small flashes, it might depend on your camera system. Probability suggests you're either shooting Canon or Nikon.
With Canon people really like the 430EX
With Nikon, the SB800 gets a lot of love.
These are not the top of the line flash for either system, but they appear to have a balance of cost and features that people like. Buying on-brand flashes also means you benefit from the full functionality the system. e.g. I have a bunch of YongNuo flashes and a Nikon D610, which means I can't use the camera menu to group and control the flashes. As for the power you're looking for - these are as powerful as you might ever need a small flash to be.
Both of these will work on rechargeable batteries, and your request that your power lasts "all day" really depends on what you're shooting. Just buy and carry a few few extra cases of batteries. (I have 48 Eneloops the last time I counted)
If you're thinking the solution to your power problem involves an upgrade to a monolight, and money isn't really an issue, then you should look at something like the Profoto B1 500 AirTTL
These are fast becoming the go-to flash for professional photographers on the move. They're powered by battery packs that slide right into the body, so there are no cables to deal with. The consistent quality of the light and the feature set in general are hard to beat when you the portability in account.
I have a Yanguno YN-560II and a Canon 430EXII that I shoot with Yanguno C-603 wireless triggers. As others here have said, the 560II is manual only, but I find myself using manual modes exclusively on my 430EXII. I should mention that I usually don't use flash from the camera shoe, and the C-603 triggers don't transmit ETTL. The most rounded option imo, is the YN-565EX you linked. Since it has ETTL, it would likely come out to be more useful to you in general.
I'd look into the Yanguno wireless triggers that I linked as well. They become highly useful if you want to get a little more creative with your flash placement, or if you want to quickly adjust angle. I found that the marginal cost increase of the wireless triggers like the 603C's is worth every penny.
my fiance maintains a blog for her cooking and baking. she uses my old canon rebel and a couple of these lowel ego lights for her photographs, but they can be a pain to set up in our tiny nyc apartment with ridiculously limited counter space. i was wondering if this speedlite 430EX would be a good gift, something that could replace those ego lights. it's probably important to note that we don't have space for a proper light box, she takes all her photos right on the counter. thanks!
While everyone suggests a 35 or 50mm f/1.8 lens, let me suggest a flash that isn't on top of your camera. I'd get at least the 430EX flash (http://amzn.com/B001CCAISE) so you can swivel and tilt the head of it. Pair that up with a good diffuser (http://amzn.com/B000CLNHXY) and you can take some great portraits. Flashes are great to have even in bright sunlight to soften shadows and add catch-lights to eyes, and are invaluable in other types of photography and situations.
Also, a RapidStrap is nice to have (http://amzn.com/B002WR7VSS), as it will get your camera off your neck and onto your shoulder. It's a hell of a lot more comfortable to carry it around during hikes like this.
My most wanted items that have 3 or fewer left:
I realize the above items are kinda pricey so here are a few under $10 that also have a small amount remaining:
Oops! silhouettes! Thanks for the contest! :D :D :D
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0031AQ302/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1511654500&amp;sr=8-5&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=ring+light+macro&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51bZr3GeI%2BL&amp;ref=plSrch
You’d need to get an additional step up ring for it to work on the 30mm macro though
I finally want to invest in a flash for my Nikon D90. What are your thoughts on the Nikon SB-700? I am an amateur photog and I want something that I can grow into.
Well it's on my other wishlist (where I keep all the pricey stuff and gift ideas for my kids). A Nikon Speedlight
Not sure about best but I found out that this works for an AE-1 Program if you pair it with a radio receiver. You kind of have to guesstimate when you meter the light from the flash tho.
I use Nikon lenses whenever I need a long zoom or macro (2 of the Nikon mount lenses I have). Tamron 90mm macro for food photos, Sigma 70-300mm for city photos from far away. These are not top of the line lenses, but I already had them so why not utilize them. Those modern lenses do not have an aperture ring, so you should get an adapter with an aperture ring. There are tons of them on Amazon and on eBay. I got one with aperture ring AND a tripod mount so it's more secure and easier to handle when mounted on a tripod with a big lens. Fotodiox is one common brand, but there are many similar products under different brands. One I have says "NI G-NEX" on it with no brand.
For old manual lenses, you can pretty much get any adapter since the lens itself has the aperture ring. Just make sure it can focus on infinity (read the reviews if possible)
You will have to do manual focus with these adapter. As far as I know only some adapters for Sony Alpha and Canon mounts can have autofocus (slow). And they are at least $75 (cheapest one I found on amazon for Canon)
As for the flash, I got 2 of these. They are NOT TTL. You can either connect them to your camera, and let it fire whn you press shutter. Or, you can use them externally, and fire them with camera's internal flash (mode S2). Either way, it works fine. I am not a professional photographer, so I cannot compare these flashes with other brands, and tell you how good or bad they are. But they are #1 seller on Amazon, got very good reviews.
That will be more than suitable enough! I do also reccomend picking up an external flash such as this . I use it personally and it works so much better than the stock flash. You have to use manual though when you use this flash though. So you will need to learn how to shoot in manual.
I don’t see anything about Sony compatibility for the Amazon Basics model. However, Neewer has this one with good reviews:
Neewer TT560 Flash
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_npl-BbC5RFY29
Just to make sure you’re looking for the right piece of gear, what do you want to do with the flash that you can’t do with the built-in one?
External flashes are awesome, I just want to make sure you’re looking for the right tool!
(This was orignally a post, but got removed by a mod because of the sub's rules)
Hey,
First off I'd like to state that even though I've been shooting for 5 years on the regular and know how to operate a camera and frame a photo, photography wise, I still see myself as one hell of a beginner.
Post-processing (heavy composites) have always been more of my thing, and a decent camera has always been essential to having good material to work on for later in PS.
What I presently own :
What I'm looking for :
I'm still looking to do some studio-type photography and get better at it (might be keeping my Canon for that), but as of now, I'm looking to get into street photography. I live in the heart of Toronto and there's a lot of nice things to shoot here!
My budget :
My budget is between $1000-$1200. I'm okay with buying used.
My research so far :
I've started going through this sub 3 weeks ago, doing lots of research. It got me a little intimidated (hence this post's 1st paragraph), until I started to feel the community's love for the Fujifilm X100S. Reading on it, I started to like a lot of things about the X100S, but as time went on, I began to feel pretty underwhelmed when I saw the photos it produced (and I saw a lot). It just felt like... the feel of the photos (35mm lens maybe) wasn't the right fit for me(?). Can't put my finger on it.
Shortly after, I started to read up on the Fujifilm X-E2 and that's when I started to really love the vibe and feel of a Fuji camera, even with its 18-55mm lens. So as of now, this is what I'd like to go with.
I'm reading a lot about full-frame cameras and a lot of people suggesting to invest in new glass, and as much as I agree, I'd really much like to go with a new camera completely.
Question :
So, with that said, I come to you and ask; what the hell should I be buying? Stick with Canon, get my hands on a Fuji/Nikon...? If it's of any help, my Instagram account might give you a better idea of what I like to do shoot for now: http://instagram.com/justinleduc
Thanks!
I'd recommend one of these suckas, especially if you think she might combine cooking & taking photos. Photography is all about light, and one of these speedlites is an awesome and affordable way to get a better understanding of that. Read the reviews to get an idea of how kickass these things can be.
Alternatively, I learned photography by taking pics of the night sky. It was the most interesting thing to me and is what drove me to learn more about taking photos. I bought one of these, which allowed me to take pics with crazy long shutters on my T2i and also do cool stuff with star trails. I remember being so damn pumped when I took that photo with my T2i, the stock lens and a $10 shutter release.
Coupling the release with the tripod is a nice combo. The flash is great for indoor stuff.
If you're feeling SUPER crazy, consider the famous "nifty fifty." My biggest frustration with the kit lens when I had my T2i was that it was practically useless handheld in low light, and it was hard to achieve any shallow depth of field, which are two pretty big draws to DSLR photography. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II changed that all.
It can be had for under $100 used on Amazon, but I'd check your local Craigslist. Everyone Canon shooter has owned this lens at one point, and I've seen them for as low as $50 on NYC CL.
I would go for the 50mm lens and a tripod, throw in the shutter release and flash if you're feeling super generous. It would set her up for a very long time if she is serious about photography. If all the stars align, you could probably get the lens + tripod + shutter release + flash for under $150 but it's not very likely.
Lower left thing looks to be flash for the camera. Something along the lines of this
The flash that I have is the Neewer TT560.
I use two Neewer TT560 they are really good as off camera lights.
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-TT560-Speedlite-Digital-Cameras/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333487022&amp;sr=8-1
Unanswered question from the previous megathread
Author /u/ddharani4 - (Permalink)
Looking into getting an external flash finally and here are the options I found on Amazon that don't break the bank...any recommendations on which one to go for? I'm still a beginner and wanna try some flash photography but also will be doing an indoor party shoot where lights will be dimmed down so will need a better flash than the built-in one on my Nikon D5300.
1.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=psdc_3109929011_t2_B00H84WRK2
2. https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Professional-Flash-NIKON/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1505793035&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=external+flash+for+nikon&amp;amp;refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_72%3A2661618011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A6461716011
3. https://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00I44F5LS/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1505793779&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=yongnuo%2Bexternal%2Bflash&amp;amp;refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_72%3A2661618011&amp;amp;th=1
That's a great body, the only issue I have is I can't seem to find the same adapter I use on my nikon setup for canon. How I do mine in a nutshell is I have an adapter that mounts the lens backwards on my camera, with new lenses tho since they're digital you need a way to control the aperture, so you have this nice little handy adapter that lets you control it. Here is the kit I use, it comes with pretty much everything need to reverse mount a lens. Your next best and cheapest bet would be the 2.5 50mm Macro lens built by canon, it seems to be a great lens for the price of around 200 used. The next thing you need is a shoe flash, any cheap manual flash that fits canon cameras will do. The last thing you need is to build a good flash diffuser, I built one for about $15, here is how I built it. After you get everything up and runing you go out take pictures and learn to experiment with different aperture settings and flash values.
Would you recommend something like this Neweer cheap speedlite for a beginner?
May not be much help, but I bought this flash for 40 dollars, and I must say I really enjoy it. I think it's a great flash especially if you are starting out (like myself).
When you're just getting started, best buy is alright, but it's when you get more into it you start to need specific gear. For example, none of the ones I've been to lately sell neutral density filters, these pretty much just make it darker, which you would want if you do video, or especially for long exposure.
Also a lot of their off brand stuff is just rebranded gear that is sold for twice as much. Ex, this flash, compared to the same one online
(I wish they showed the backs of the flash so you could see, but you just have to trust me that they are the same :/ )
They don't carry much accessories for video with for a DSLR, like a glidecam, gimbal, or fluid head. They carry the basics, just not any of the more specialized gear.
I would highly recommend buying one of these bad boys
Alright, I picked up a couple of the Neewer TT560 from Amazon ($37 each). Works AMAZING. I can't believe the quality of these for the price. They work perfect out of the box wirelessly with my SB-700 and D7000, and the photo quality is great!
Thanks for the recommendation!
Here's an Amazon link if anyone needs it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LEAYXY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwplasmaglow-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B004LEAYXY
Thanks!
I used two of these and this set of colors.
Easy results for
under $100.around $100.EDIT: Oh yeah, and this for my off-camera triggering system.
https://amzn.com/B004LEAYXY
Here you go. Reliable, cheap, and it works. Don't forget the batteries!
Yes, it's a manual flash. Best kind. Works off camera via optical triggering.
Any of the cheap flashes like this one http://amzn.com/B004LEAYXY (sorry $30) in manual mode will work on the Nimslo.
Are you using some super old Vivitar flashes? Do they work on other cameras?
I don't know anything about using flashes, do you think it would be better for me to get something that has TTL? I have been looking at this: http://www.amazon.com/YongNuo-YN-468-E-TTL-Speedlite-Display/dp/B00660H6KU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Because it has manual, TTL, zoom, and can swivel around. However, I don't think it has high speed sync...is that important?
Here's the amazon link.
...and here's a shot I took the other day by simply firing it upwards and behind me for some bounce.
I think I'm pretty much "done" building a basic camera kit and just wanted to run this item by you guys. I have a Canon 60D (that I bought used for a great deal, I am the definition of a crappy weekend shooter), EF 50Mmm, EF-S 18-135mm w/ Hood, and some generic other stuff (wireless shutter release, crappy tripod, etc...) I was looking for an entry-level E-TTL-equipped hot shoe flash, and found these two items:
http://www.amazon.com/YongNuo-YN-468-E-TTL-Speedlite-Display/dp/B00660H6KU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1415663362&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=E-ttl
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer%C2%AE-Speedlite-Camera-High-Speed-Cameras/dp/B00E3K94T6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1415663362&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=E-ttl
These appear to be the two main beginner-level (and cheap) E-TTL capable hot-shoe flashes for my 60D, anyone have any experience with either, or suggestions as to which might be better? Thank you!
+1
YongNuo YN-468II - cheap, ok-good light output, supports E-TTL and optical slave modes.
Get some Eneloop XX batteries (and charger) to go with it
I have this flash and love it!
It is full manual however and if you are looking for TTL capabilities there are some options for that:
http://www.amazon.com/YongNuo-YN-468-E-TTL-Speedlite-Display/dp/B00660H6KU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1369074530&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=yongnuo+flash+ttl+canon
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-565-Flash-Speedlite-Canon/dp/B005KQ2NP4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1369074530&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=yongnuo+flash+ttl+canon
Late to the party today!
Ok, I have a pair of the Yongnuo wireless transmitters RF-603 II C3 and the YN-468 II E-TTL speedlight. I'm wanting to add 1-2 of the YN560 IV flashes. The YN560-TX transmitter looks like a great value, but I'm wondering what my options are to keep my older flash in the mix.
Set it to slave mode and hope for the best? Doesn't LOOK to me like the two setups can talk to each other.
I use this with my Canon T2i. It works fine.I did get mine on Ebay. You will need to get some LiOn batteries. Don't use alkaline batteries in it. I suggest you read the first few reviews at the bottom of the Amazon page in full. Have fun.
Photographer friends! I'm finally going to buy some lighting equipment, so I was looking for any recommendations. My budget is around $500 for a two light setup. I usually shoot costume photography (at conventions and outside of them) and portraits.
I would like to go with Yongnuo for the triggers (YN622) and flashes themselves (probably 1 565EX and 1 560).
I have no idea what to go with for the stands (Maybe Manfrotto Nano or Lumopro Compact?), swivels, and umbrellas, except that I'd love for them to be small and light (I'm weak!).
I'm also not sure what modifiers to pick up for using an on-camera flash, like a softbox (LumiQuest Softbox or Lastolite Ezybox?), the Gary Fong Lightsphere that everyone has, or something else (LumiQuest Quik Bounce?).
I will put some good rechargeable batteries (Eneloops?) into my budget, but is there anything else that I'm missing?
Also, I'm not in a hurry to pick any of this up, so are there any sites to keep an eye on for sales?
Thanks!
Ha, sorry about that.
TTL stands for "through the lens." In this case, a TTL flash will work with the camera meter to adjust the flash power according to the scene you are shooting.
A "non-TTL" flash will not adjust automatically, YOU have to make all the settings on the flash yourself. This is a much slower way of shooting, but you will learn a lot through trial and error. I highly recommend getting a TTL flash. (e-ttl if you are shooting Canon-see below)
In your case, that flash does not appear to have TTL ability. This one, that is slightly more expensive, looks like what you want. http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-565-Flash-Speedlite-Canon/dp/B00844N5OC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1394934593&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Yongnuo+ettl
i-ttl is specific to Nikon cameras.
E-ttl is specific to Canon cameras.
In my case, I use several on stands, set up in various areas and at different flash power to create different lighting effects, then fired with a trigger that makes all 3 of my flashes fire at the same time.
I have a Canon T3i / 600D. I'd like to start using an off-camera flash, and I've read the Strobist 101 guide.
I'd like to use the wireless flash trigger built into the T3i, but my budget probably won't stretch to a Canon speedlight just yet. I'd like one of the sub-£100 Yongnuo flashes but I can't work out which ones are compatible with the T3i's wireless function.
Would something like this Youngnuo YN-565 unit work? Essentially I'd like to stick the flash on a pole with an umbrella, and trigger it using the native wireless function on my T3i.
Are there any better options around the £100/$150 range?
HEY! Thanks for the links! I took a look. It I want something to be more automatic, and basically just have the flash and camera figure it out for me, would you recommend the this, or this? Thanks again!
Yup, correct. It's a fully manual flash. They offer TTL versions (ttl = through the lens metered flashes, they figure out exposure for you) for both nikon and canon cameras, but those are more expensive and I don't really think they're necessary either. This is one of them, the same one /u/FreeCreativeName was talking about. :)
Flash for my camera
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00844N5OC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_8?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A3A14HZTSVPRLX
I just recently bought the 60" umbrella and a second flash, so most of my portraits are with one light only. I did some shots with a small softbox + lightbulb so that I can use my flash to get the background pure white (you see the rectangle shaped catchlight in these cases). Although the lightbulb light wasnt even close to a flash regarding the power (and therefore theses shots are at >100ISO) it was pretty good for learning to see light and shadow....because...yeah, you actually see this stuff with a continuous lightsource :)
Most of the shots are with the smaller shootthrough-umbrella, but since I was lacking a second flash I had some extra work with lightroom / photoshop to make the background pure white.
Oh, and last but not least: Go and buy a 5-in-1-reflector if you havent already, this little thing is a godsend! This portrait was shot with the small shootthrough and the 5-in-1-reflector, as you can see in the catchlights.
Next step for me would be a third flash (man, these things are cheap!) to get rid of the need for someone holding the reflector when one flash is busy with making the background white.
I have a Yongnuo YN 560 III. It has all the same features as the high-end name brand flashes for only $70.
Be aware in order to get ETTL support, you need to buy their ETTL triggers.
60mm micro - $200
d7000 kit - $700 (look for a kit so you get extra lenses for other lifestyle work)
Yonguno Flash - $75
Wireless kit - $35.
You're $10 over your limit but you'll probably make that up with a smart purchase on the 60mm or d7000 kit.
I'm gonna say you can do it with what you have. Maybe if you wanted to, get a longer lens (maybe 55-200? I know they make cheaper lenses -- and if you buy used, you can save more money. All of my lenses are used). But the important part is to just move around a lot, get up high, put the camera on the ground, zoom in and zoom out, focus and recompose and have fun with it.
The only thing I do think you'll definitely need, is this
a flash is important for interior shots. Just keep your ISO at a solid 1,000 to 1,600 (yes even with with 5300, it will be fine!) and aperture as low as it will get (but not lower than 2.8 if it does go lower, and just keep upping the flash power if you need to, to get a nice, well-lit, shot.
Just have fun. If she knows its your first time, but sees that you studied and really wanted to do a good job, it should all turn out fine. And if not, then maybe you aren't to blame! You'll only need one battery, but maybe buy a backup just in case.
Don't bring the tripod.
Thank you so much. I wish I had seen this before. So much knowledge!
Could you help me on this though; it recommends the YN-560 III flash gun because it" comes with a radio receiver that is compatible with the RF-602 and RF-603 radio systems."
However when I view the flashgun on Amazon, I don't see an adapter/receiver. https://www.amazon.co.uk/YONGNUO-YN560-III-INT-YongNuo-YN-560-Flashgun/dp/B00BXA7N6A
Could you help me find where I buy the adapter it mentions?
I am about to get into flash photography and, wanting to hit the ground running, I will buy three flashes and related equipment off the bat. I have decided to go with the cheap Yongnuo flashes.
The Yongnuo is up to version IV, but I can purchase some used version III's for a bit cheaper. The difference between them is that the IV has a transmitter built in that can communicate with the other flashes remotely. If I am understanding correctly, this would eliminate the need to buy a separate transmitter (called the TX for Yongnuo).
Is there any benefit to buying three IV's or is it fine to buy one IV and two III's? The latter seems fine to me, but as I am new to all this, I thought it best to ask the more experienced in case I am missing something. The savings are minimal, but as I am about to buy quite a lot of photography gear, it should contribute to substantial savings overall.
I may purchase from a similar cheap flash company if I can find a better deal. If anyone knows and even more cost-effective way to get into flash, please let me know.
Link to the IV
Link to the III
Of course! Links at the bottom
I use a canon version YN-603, but Nikon should be fine too, just the central pin is used. It would also be possible to use the 560-TX, in order to remotely control the speedlights, but it's too big to fit comfortably on the 500. The 560-TX is really great on a camera with a hotshoe though.
And since the trigger doesn't accept PC-sync input (only out), a hama hot-shoe adaptor with pc sync cable to the lens.
This triggers a couple of YN-560 speedlights. All in all a starter kit at less than 200 USD!
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-RF-603CII-C1-Wireless-Flash-Trigger/dp/B00HVT34FG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1416957202&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=yn-603cii
http://www.amazon.com/Hama-Hot-Shoe-Adaptor-Cable/dp/B00006JAII/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1416957278&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0&amp;keywords=hama+hot+shoe+pc+sync
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00BXA7N6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1416957414&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=yongnuo
http://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN560-TX-Transmitter-Compatible-Receivers/dp/B00KM1QZRY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1416957546&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=yongnuo+560tx
I'm looking to buy my first set of flashes, and i don't really understand what it is i need to get started.
I've got a Canon 700d.
I want to shoot skateboard photos, so i need to at least be able to shoot at 1/1000 shutter speed and I want 2 off-camera flashes.
I'm thinking about buying these:
But I got no idea if this is what I need. Got any suggestions?
I want some budget gear to start out with, as cheep as possible, maximum 350$
huh! may I recommend this one? http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Professional-Speedlight-Flashlight-Olympus/dp/B00BXA7N6A
I've always been a Nikon guy but this guy can do amazing things for a 10th of the price. And if you're going to use it off camera, just get one of the cheap wireless yongnuo remote triggers off ebay for like 30 bucks, the speedlight has an integrated wireless trigger. Besides it's twice as bright as an SB-600.
Two of these and an umbrella are all I need for a professional lighting in any situation.
Yongnuo YN-560 ii or YN-560 iii. They both have commander mode and the iii has a radio frequency transmitter option.
I always think that a tripod is a good thing to have. When I didn't have one I never thought I needed one, but once I finally got one I found that I wanted to use it all the time. You do not need to get an expensive one, I have 3 and I have gotten them all from thrift stores and yard sales.
If you want something which will help you take different kinds of photos I would recommend an off camera flash. These are a little more on the expensive side, but there are great options out there that do not include the $500+ Canon version. I have two Yognuo's and they are fantastic. These wireless flash triggers are an awesome addition to the flash.
Hi
I mainly use my camera (Canon 700d) to take pictures of people holding fish, i.e. short range portrait shots like these (http://imgur.com/a/RBJCs / http://imgur.com/a/IMuik). In the day all is well but at night I need to use some sort of lighting. People have steered me away from using LED lighting like those lamps used for video and advised I use a flash. My question is, which of these flash would be best for my needs?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BXA7N6A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3SDpybFEQVF73
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Speedlite-270EX-Flash-Unit/dp/B004MKNBUK
Thanks!
am no pro so YMMV but I feel 90% confident saying
> Yongnuo YN-560
Will below fit right on my a6500?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/YONGNUO-YN560-III-INT-YongNuo-YN-560-Flashgun/dp/B00BXA7N6A
I love the Canon brand flashes, and will often rent them for larger events. However, for every day use and budgetary reasons, I carry a Yongnuo 600ex-rt
Honestly, for the price, the quality is quite good.
You can also save 40 or so dollars and go for the Yongnuo 560 III
I would love to get a flash recommendation for my Canon 60D.
I've been lurking on Amazon and looking at Yongnuo flashes:
and the Altura:
I'd like TTL and to remove the flash from the camera and fire remotely. I'd also like to stay below $150 so Canon flashes are out.
Has anyone had experience with either brand and is willing to provide to feedback and guidance?
I have a Panasonic GX7 and am wanting to buy a speedlight for shooting in dimly lit situations. So far I've narrowed it down to:
Neewer TT850
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GJMD08M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATJ1HHEILSBYQ
or
Yongnuo YN 560 III
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BXA7N6A/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A1WCSKG2O1T7Q8
Any suggestions? Here are some pics I've taken! http://www.flickr.com/photos/58109121@N00/
Thanks for the reply!
I have 2 Yongnuo YN 560 III flashes currently. Along with 2 pocket wizard 801-329 Plus X.
Works great, but not TTL or HSS. And from what you say, I cannot optically slave the 2 old flashes off a new Yongnuo YN685. ?
Cool. Would this be a good flash to get with my nikon d3200 and those triggers?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BXA7N6A/ref=pd_aw_sims_1?pi=SL500_SY115
Get a Yongnuo yn-560III. They can be found on amazon for 70ish and used on eBay for around 50.
Look into [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BXA7N6A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1418076641&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SY200_QL40) one. I own two and I think they work marvelously for the money you pay.
Also, "my husband, (male, 26)" made me chuckle.
I just got this flash [YN 560 III] and am in love with it! especially for the price. I'm thinking about getting two more for a portable lighting kit.(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BXA7N6A/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1)
Thanks! Seems like my flash does not support HSS, bummer. I'll have to pick up this one sometime in the near future then.
The flash I have has built-in wireless capability, my understanding is that using this would mean I would not need an additional receiver unit.
link to my flash
I guess I would need a wireless flash receiver for the 568 flash though?
link
The wiki is pretty vague about a specific suggestion. Is that because it's not that important what you get?
Like the wiki says I don't need high speed sync but it's a difference of £59 or £67 for the yongnuo version so is it worth it to spend that little more for a feature I don't think I need at the moment?
I guess I am looking at this one though.
The YN560II is a manual flash only. It will not support E-TTL. If this is your first flashgun I'd pick one which supports TTL. The YN560II only has one pin at the bottom to communicate with the camera opposed to 5 pins which full function flashguns have.
The Yongnyo 568IIEX does that I believe.
http://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN568-Flash-Speedlite-Speed/dp/B00DB21TCM/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452083815&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=yn568ex+ii+canon
The 560II is excellent as a slave flash but very limited as first choice.
This is the one I have. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1403803-REG/neewer_10081788_nw670_ttl_single_flash.html/amp
This is the one I’m looking at getting for the primary or secondary flash. https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Speedlite-Camera-50DT3I-Cameras/dp/B00E3K94T6
Yes I see what you mean. I assume jumping to a 7DMII after a few years would still improve on the performance of the T1i .
I actually did purchases an external flash, I'm receiving the package sometime next week. It's one of these, the Neewer 680
I can definitely afford the $150-$200 loss, I'm not sure if I'd even call it a loss because then I'd have used the lens quite a bit. I suppose what I wonder at this point is, which one is a better long term decision and after reading your message I feel I should stick with my current body and pick up either the sigma 18-35 f1.8 or a new prime.
Get a NEEWER 680, Has E-TTL .... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3K94T6/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
Hey :) I am looking to buy a speedlight/flash. I don't have much money as a student and this will be my first experience with a flashgun, so I'm trying to stay pretty low budget. I have been looking at the Godox TT685N (which for me is at the high end of my budget), but also the Neewer 750II TTL (which is a lot cheaper, but it almost seems too good to be true?). My budget either way is around 50-100, max. 120 (euros).
Does anyone here have experiences with these flashguns, or does anyone have any other recommendations or tips for buying a cheap flashgun? Thanks in advance :)
( https://www.amazon.de/Godox-TT685N-Blitzger%C3%A4t-Speedlite-Autoflash/dp/B013HZ2AVG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=godox+tt685n&amp;qid=1562887740&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-3
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-750II-Speedlite-Display-Cameras/dp/B00GE4MNQA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=neewer+ttl+nikon&amp;qid=1562336226&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=neewer+ttl&amp;sr=8-3 )
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-VK750-Speedlite-Display-Cameras/dp/B00GE4MNQA# the last image you can see the PC sync port.
I'm not 100% sure it will work, but I've been looking into doing the same thing for a yashica TLR from the same era and am fairly confident, but haven't tested it yet
You can get some TTL for very affordable prices, certainly good enough until you've found your way and can justify more expensive equipment.
Example: Neewer 750II TTL Flash Speedlite - It won't be the quality of a brand name TTL, but it has some pretty good reviews. I have this, and it does all I need. I built a diffuser for macro photography as well. Only complaint is that it chews through batteries pretty fast, and rechargeables don't really work well on it.
Just a tip, might look towards getting a flash. A newer flash for only ~$50 gives a lot of control. I use 2 for real estate photography. here.
I don't know anything about prices, just wanted to give you that tip. Good luck
Hey guys, I am looking to buy a external flash that I can use on my camera (nikon d7000) and as well as on a tripod by its self for when i take pictures of hummingbirds. So far I found this flash. Will I be able to set this on a tripod and trigger it remotely? Or do you guys recommend any other flashes for under 100$.
Yes it is, it's one of these that I've been trying out with a wireless hotshoe as well
I also came across the Neewer and Altura brands which seem to look good, which come with a receiver and transmitter as part of the kit. Any particular reason Yongnuo would be the better option? Or at that price point, they're pretty much the same?
https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Professional-Flash-NIKON/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1485187367&amp;sr=8-4&amp;keywords=wireless+flash
Thanks for the other umbrella recommendation. Is this more to do with projecting a soft light?
So I’m looking at the IV version on Amazon (can’t find the x) and it says its a master and a slave, does that mean I can use it off camera without any addition gear?
This is the other one I’m looking at
http://Altura Photo Professional Flash Kit for NIKON DSLR - Includes: I-TTL Flash (AP-N1001), Wireless Flash Trigger Set and Accessories
If you are deciding to do indoors, the 50 f1.8 and 24-70 would be your best bet. If you have the time, I would swoop down to your basement with your gear and do some test photos with those two lenses to see how much of a person you can fit in frame. In studio, aperture wouldn't mean as much as she would be close to the backdrop. Focal length and compression can flatten out the face in a flattering way, to an extent but since you aren't going beyond 135mm, I wouldn't worry about that.
Saw this decent flash kit, has a flash, wireless transmitter and a hard diffuser.
Altura Photo Professional Flash Kit for NIKON DSLR - Includes: I-TTL Flash (AP-N1001), Wireless Flash Trigger Set and Accessories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_X15FDbTBVZVVD
If your walls are a nice white, you can possibly use bounce flash as your diffuser. If not or if you don't like the look, you can get a softbox or umbrella to shoot through.
A lot of people use Yongnuo, and they're going to be my next purchase. I currently have 2 Altura flashes and triggers, and I like them, though they are very cheap indeed.
Good Morning All I currently have a D7100 with a 35mm f1.8 G and a 18-105mm lens, I got it 5 years ago, used for back then for vacation pictures (me and wife), then we had 1 kind then another and haven’t used the camera for the pass 3 years… But now that I don’t have to carry a million things to fulfill my kids needs I can actually start taking my camera to places, So again I just want to use the camera for taking pics of family at places like zoo, beach, aquarium etc so I have few questions
If 1 = NO Then
3a) As far as flashes go I see many recommendations for the SB-600, how does it compare with something cheap like: https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Professional-Flash-NIKON/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550680497&sr=8-3&keywords=d7100+flash
I got mine on amazon for $99 with the remote trigger and a diffuser. Was a great deal.
http://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Flash-NIKON-D7100/dp/B00H84WRK2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419951234&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=altura+flash
I'm very satisfied with this one: https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Professional-Flash-NIKON/dp/B00H84WRK2/ . It includes the speedlight (which has several modes: TTL, strobe, slave1, slave2, manual), a drawable built-in diffuser, a removable diffuser cap, a small stand to mount the speedlight (for when you want to use it as a secondary light source and as a slave to the camera's built-in flash), a bag for the speedlight, a two-piece radio wireless trigger, and batteries. Be sure to select your camera make and model below the description.
Should I invest in an 85 1.8? I already have a 35 and a 50, but since I mainly do portraiture I'm going to give the 35 to my mom. Also, does anyone use the Altura flash off of amazon? It's got great reviews on there but I've heard nothing about it on reddit.
I doubt this would fit but ? Neewer 48 Macro LED Ring Flash Bundle with LCD Display Power Control,Adapter Rings and Flash Diffusers for Canon 650D,600D,550D,70D,60D,5D Nikon D5000,D3000,D5100,D3100,D7000,D7100,D800,D800E,D60 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JO64MY6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dxElDb3XK57DF
Has anyone had experience with a flash ring like this? What are your thoughts? How well did it work for you?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JO64MY6/
Great info, thanks for the response! My main interest in having a flash is to use it wireless. If I were to get THIS flash to use wireless, could I get a cheap off-brand flash trigger to pair with it? Or what would you suggest?
Great. One last question. When looking at 565EX II on amazon it doesn't tell me if the diffuser cap and charger cord are included.
Do you know what this comes with in the box?
As a complete newbie at off-camera flash would you suggest going TTL or just jumping right into it? I feel like most of the time I would want to just be able to pick up and go, but I'm not a stranger to working my camera in manual.
Could you recommend me a couple good flashes? (one manual one that has TTL)
Actually I've found this flash: https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN-565EX-II-Speedlite-Number/dp/B00JQ4HZPO
I do not know where you are, but I guess your best bet would be a Yongnuo unit from Amazon... it can be quite unexpensive HERE.
Also, consider looking for a fisheye lens... It's a gem in nightclubs with flash... ;)
So then if that's true, follow up question. Why does the following YN560-TX transmitter list two different models for Canon and Nikon (with two different prices)? Is that just marketing?
Amazon link
Edit: found the answer on pentax forums. It's for flash wake up, which is specific to the manufacture. The transmitter itself works find with any standard hotshoe.
Hello, kinda late to this thread but wanted to ask a question regarding flash. I want to purchase the Yongnuo YN560 III and I'm not sure whatelse I'm supposed to buy with it. This transmitter or this wireless remote? Thank you for your time.
I use this to shoot my yongnuo flash off camera if you don't want to rely on slave mode.
what do you think of this?
https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-AP-UNV1-Bundle-Speedlite/dp/B00LNN13S6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1503640437&sr=8-5&keywords=speedlight+flashes+canon
Whats the best flash setup for the a6300? I have this basic flash https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LNN13S6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1 currently, but I would like to upgrade or buy an additional flash. I dont know much about HSS and TTL but , this flash does fire when i set the shutter to 1/4000 so idk what HSS would do differently. It would be nice to have TTL too from what ive read.
Hello reddit! I got a cheap full manual flash with strap on soft box to do some photobooth type shots with my t2i. I noticed an s1 s2 and m mode with intensity and all that. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LNN13S6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1420972464&amp;sr=8-2&amp;pi=AC_SY200_QL40 that is the flash I have. It is super bright and so far I like it. My question is should I use a bright setting with low iso or a lower setting with a faster iso in case people are moving? Also I read somewhere that certain batteries charge the flash better than others. Is there a way to "plug in" the flash maybe so I don't have to change batteries? Also there is a flip down plastic piece I'm not sure about lol. I was thinking of using the flash box with the flash for the booth. Still learning and always used the "wonderful" built in flash and was always disappointed lol. Thanks for the help!
Hi guys I just have a quick question
I'm looking for a budget flash and I saw this Flash kit
Would you recommend this for someone who has a Canon Rebel T5i? or should I invest in a better one.
Agree w/ /u/fuqsfunny (I think I keep doing that w/ you heh, I'm new here) that they don't look that grainy or underexposed. The easiest solution is to do what you're doing, shoot raw, big aperture, and add noise reduction if necessary. Nothing to learn and spend. For a website you probably don't need super high res so the noise won't be as visible.
If you do want to go flash what kind of gear do you have? Assuming a canon or nikon DSLR a yongnuo yn560 IV for $70 is an affordable way to start with built in wireless triggering (to fire the flash off the camera). It's manual though so if you want TTL (where the camera choose the intensity of the flash for you) the YN568EX is $100 and the cheapest way to go. There's definitely a learning curve so prepare for that. I don't know if you're on some kind of deadline for this. No doubt a flash would give you more options if they're moving like stopping a jump in mid air but to make it look good it's not as easy as popping it on your camera. But, if you're already committed to photography in general you can't go wrong buying a flash even if you don't use it much on this project. It's an investment you'll use elsewhere for sure.
All that said, you're in control of the shoot right? This is as opposed to only observing a class and taking pictures. I say that because you may have the opportunity to pose them. If they could hold a position you could lower your shutter speed and ISO to get cleaner shots. I mean, this won't work for everything like the jumping or trying to get some real emotion during a spar but something else to consider.
Hello, relatively new Canadian here. I am planning on buying the Yonguo 560 IV! for about $100 in hopes of taking better portraits. What controller works best? the YN560 TX! for $60 seems to give me wireless controls but it requires batteries so I don't know how reliable that is, there is also just a simple trigger! for $40 dollars. Is there anything else I should be looking into when purchasing? Thank you.
As the other commenters mentioned, it should really depend on the situation and you should be making these kinds of decisions on a case-by-case basis. 4 speedlights in the corners could potentially work, but it would depend on the room. Additionally, you want to think about the type of light you are creating - do you want to point everything at the ceiling and have light everywhere, or do you want to have a kicker or two to shoot into to create some depth to the images?
If you only have one speedlight, on-camera bounce can provide decent results. However, if you're going to add additional off-camera units, my advice would be to invest in flashes with triggers/tranceivers built into them, such as the Yongnuo YN-560 IV line. They're incredibly cheap, reliable, and work perfectly for this sort of application. By doing this, you'll be able to trigger the flashes remotely (and reliably), with the additional benefit of being able to balance your output with the ambient light in the room, so as not to completely overwhelm it. Your batteries might have to be replaced once every 2-3 hours, depending on how bright your flash is set to. Buy some rechargeable batteries. You'll save hundreds.
My personal preference is to use a master flash on the top of my camera to light my subjects, and use it to control other off-camera radio slave units for additional fill or edge lighting (kickers) as the need arises. You get the flexibility of on-camera bounce with the look of multiple off-camera lights. It's the best of both worlds, I think.
Also, to your question about the light temperature, bare flash will show up as blue light in an image where the white balance is set to match most ambient indoor lighting, which is far warmer (usually tungsten). This will definitely create some weird-looking shots. You can easily get around this by gelling the flashes to the ambient light in the room, and I would definitely recommend it, no matter what lighting setup you go with. Just pick up a couple of gel kits off Amazon that include some CTO (orange) gels, and you'll be golden. In terms of bang for your buck, this will be the most effective way to improve the look of indoor images shot with speedlights.
Good luck with your shoot!
Here are a couple $70 ones to check out:
You could also look for a used Canon-branded flash, like the 430ex ii, used on Craigslist/Ebay, but since you're considering switching systems eventually, you may just wish to go with the cheaper off-brand flash for now.
I'd recommend the Yongnuo 560 IV: All the features (and power) of a Canon 580 EX, but at 1/7th the cost.
http://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN560-IV-Speedlite-Panasonic/dp/B00PGTOX26/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1456863143&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=560+iv
You can also read this site (I have no affiliation with whoever runs it):
http://improvephotography.com/gear/recommended-flash-photography-kits/
Hello, i come back with an other beginner question,
So i am buying my first flash for my Nikon D5200 and i came across this seems to be Chinese brand that offers good flashes (according to many reviews on youtube)
and i was willing to buy the Yongnuo YN-560 IV
so i have to questions:
1- what do think about it, do you recommand it?
2- is it compatible with my Nikon D5200?
thank you once again lovely subredditers :3
cc u/MrSalamifreak
Honestly, I think you’ll be unhappy going cheap in the beginning. You’ll probably want to upgrade later on, so you might want to save some extra money for better equipment. But if that’s not an option right now, I totally understand!
You really can’t go wrong with the Yongnuo flashes. Check those out to see which one fits your needs and is in your price range. These triggers are pretty decent. You’ll want a nice bracket for your umbrella and flash. These stands are also fairly decent.
Can someone explain to me the difference between these two flashes? YN560 - III & YN560 - IV. I'm trying to buy a flash I can use off camera. Will both of these do that? In another comment someone mentioned the need to buy a trigger separately to make that work. Is that the case for both of these flashes?
Hey folks -- looking for any advice on getting started with Flash. I have been thinking about picking up a YN 560iv because they are cheap. I have a Nikon F3 and an SB-16 flash that I am experimenting with right now for portraiture, but hoping to get more control and ease of use with a modern flash. Any reading material would be appreciated!
Hi there, so I'm a flash newbie, but I want to buy a yongnuo flash to work with my Canon 5d classic. I also want to be able to attach the yongnuo to a tripod and fire that with a wireless trigger on my 5d in certain settings. I'm wondering what flash equipment I would need for this to work. I'm considering this, but I'm not sure it would work? Would I need something like this for it to fire the flash wirelessly? Is it simple enough to buy the yongnuo YN560-TX, attach that to my 5d's hot shoe, dial in the settings, attach the yongnuo YN560III to a tripod or wherever, then press the shutter button on my camera to activate the flash? Thanks for the help!
What are your thoughts on getting 2 YONGNUO YN560 IV's or 2 YONGNUO YN568ex ii's as slaves for my Canon 580EX ii? Do these flashes work well together? Can I set the power levels of the Yongnuo's from the Canon? I have not used many off camera flashes, and this seems like a cheap way to learn.
This or a Pair of them and This with a radio trigger setup.
I'm interested in getting a flash to start learning with and I'm ideally looking for one that I can fire remotely off something like a light stand. I'd prefer to stay around $100, and so far I've narrowed it down to these two but can't really tell the difference.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PGTOX26?psc=1&amp;redirect=true&amp;ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&amp;smid=A1NZ7IEFV816B1&amp;pldnSite=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OUU7W8O?psc=1&amp;redirect=true&amp;ref_=ox_sc_act_title_8&amp;smid=A6EGA15UEFYEQ&amp;pldnSite=1
Any help / recommendations?
I have a Canon T3i btw.
Another commenter mentioned the Yongnuo 560 IIs which is in my price range. How does this differ from the IV?
I also found this
Is This the flash?
> It won't have anything like TTL, HSS or rear curtain capabilities, but they're cheap and cheerful, and work.
I don't need TTL or any automated features. Manual mode is all I need. I'm in Ireland so Amazon UK is my usual place to buy gear. Would this flash with this trigger work? I know the trigger will set off the flash for sure but don't know if when the trigger is mounted to the GH4 hot shoe that the camera shutter button will set it off.
I'm considering dipping my toe into the waters of flash photography, and have been reading the Strobist articles. I've looked at the suggested gear, but unfortunately most of it is unavailable here in the UK. Could someone take a look at my list and make any suggestions on additions/alternatives?
Strobist kit: http://strobist.blogspot.sg/2006/03/lighting-101-traveling-light.html
My List:
Neweer light box https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PIM3I6I/
3m Stand https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MOM61AA/
Yongnuo YN-560 IV https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PIIRO1C/
Yongnuo YN-560 TX https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00M1BVYYM/
Stand head https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006VTJQT0/
Flash
Flash Controller
Flash Holder
Stand
Octobox
> https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Rotatable-Aluminum-Adjustable-Photography/dp/B01CHQ8Z7Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qf2ooD3alA
This is the look I'm going for.
If I had all the money in the world, I would buy 1 big octagon modifier and 1 professional speed light which would work.
But I dont. I'm caught between buying 4 of these: Which I still need to find a way to attach them to stands, and what stands to buy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I09WHLW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1510881560&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=amazon+basics+speedlight&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41NIpT%2Bjt5L&amp;ref=plSrch
The idea came from here: I really like the last photo. But this takes up a LOT of space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRU5x8DWq_k&amp;t=530s
And a recommendation a redditer made:
https://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-560IV-Wireless-Speedlite-Controller/dp/B015ZALVI4/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dpID=51jDyWBhEoL&amp;dpPl=1&amp;keywords=yongnuo&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;qid=1510935752&amp;ref=plSrch&amp;ref_=mp_s_a_1_5&amp;sr=1-5
Ok how's 3 tiers?
First tier is very basic. Any kit like this should do the trick. You would most likely put one light on either side while your product is on a table, then have the 3rd light pointed at a wall behind the table.
A step up from that would be a basic set of speedlights like this paired with one of these or an umbrella (two if you're feeling ambitious one on each side, then snag another flash for a BG light) Flashes are better vs continuous lighting from the first link as they allow you more control and let you modify the light easier (with softboxes and other various things, this would allow you to get softer light, harsher light, more focused light, etc etc) You can also bounce them off a white ceiling at higher power which would act like a big softbox overhead.
Top tier for someone starting out would be a set of alien bees Paired with a couple of softboxes and a background light. They take up more space and I wouldn't recommend them if you're just getting your feet wet. (mine are set up all the time and I shoot stuff like this and this with them. )
Yongnuo on amazon. See link below. I bought two speedlites and the trigger for $178.00 out the door. The trigger sits on the hotshoe of your camera and triggers the speedlites.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015ZALVI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
For a starter set, I went with yongnuo speed lights and cheap stands and umbrellas from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015ZALVI4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1453912336&amp;amp;sr=8-2&amp;amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;amp;keywords=yongnuo+560+iv&amp;amp;dpPl=1&amp;amp;dpID=51z85GnO1DL&amp;amp;ref=plSrch
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005FHZ2SI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1453912456&amp;amp;sr=8-3&amp;amp;pi=SY200_QL40&amp;amp;keywords=light+stands+for+photography&amp;amp;dpPl=1&amp;amp;dpID=51fq2%2ByrrcL&amp;amp;ref=plSrch
I bought the flash and trigger separate but since found this deal for two speed lights and the trigger, saves you a few bucks. They are quite good for the price. Keep in mind they are manual flashes
Also, there is a "frequently bought together" suggestion with the speed lights. You'll need the hot shoe adaptor to put onto the stands if you plan to do it that way. The little diffusers are helpful when I don't have an umbrella and can't bounce the flash off a wall or ceiling.
The stands are pretty cheap. But for the price I can't complain. The only real issue I have is if you are outside you will probably need something to hold them down as they are pretty light.
Hope that helps get you started.
The advantage of a flash with a trigger is that you can take a couple with it, click the transmitter off, and take a couple without it...
I use a flash on a very low stand for exit photos, generally - but if something wrong - for example, if I can't get into the right position to put the couple between me and the speedlight for some reason, I want to be able to click it off remotely and still get photos! Of course you can handle that with a signal to your husband to switch off that light, so you'll be fine there!
That said, there are cheap flashes that are absolutely fine. You can buy a manual only flash for $30, or one with TTL for $50-60. In addition to the 622's, which are what I use most of the time, you can also get the super cheap 'dumb' transmitters that just pass the trigger signal for under $20. If you're really not going to use this stuff again, they'd be fine.
So something like
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524622121&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=flash+trigger
And
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-Cameras-Canon/dp/B01I09WHLW/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524622217&amp;sr=8-16&amp;keywords=yongnuo+flash
That flash will actually trigger as an optical slave to any flash... so you COULD skip the trigger and just use your diffuse fill flash to trigger it while your husband holds it.
Are those great products? Nope. Would I shoot paid weddings with them? Nope. But I think there's a 95% chance they'd do what you need them to do - all for under $50.00.
If you'll use off camera flashes again... invest a little more in the YN-622c's and/or the godox flashes. But if not, cheap out and you're probably okay.
Whatever you do, make sure to get out there 10 minutes before the exit and test your setup! Sparkler exits have everything a photographer hates - bright lights, darkness, fast movement, and a narrow window of opportunity!
Also, coach your couple! Tell them to come out, kiss, move to a certain spot, stop and waive, wait for your signal to move to the end of the line... kiss again. They tend to just RUN for it and it's easy to miss the whole thing, especially if you need two seconds to adjust a setting or switch on or off a flash trigger. That's more important than the gear! The sparklers really DO give enough light to get a shot with ambient only, or ambient and a little flash fill.
Oh, and if you are using front fill, gel it warm!
I also wanted to experiment with flash units for portraits. I bought a couple of these: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-Cameras-Canon/dp/B01I09WHLW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1542945415&amp;sr=8-1-spons&amp;keywords=amazon+basics+flash&amp;psc=1
It's fully manual and rather close-range (the guide number is only 33), but you can trigger it remotely with your onboard flash, and for the price, it's great to just have fun and experiment with. And they've improved my indoor photos dramatically.
The AmazonBasics flash is ~$30 and is just a rebranded Neewer model. It's full manual, but if you're shooting off camera with speedlights, with the A6000 that's the only game in town anyway. (If there's a TTL wireless transmitter/receiver out there for the Sony multi-interface shoe, I'm not sure).
For stands and umbrellas, when I started off Cowboy Studio stuff was inexpensive and relatively good quality to price. I'm not sure if it's still that way, but if you're looking to keep it cheap to start with, it's not a bad way to go. Same with their wireless transmitter, but Neewer has one for $16 on Amazon right now that comes with 2 receivers.
(The one thing to keep in mind is that the hotshoe on the black A6000 is painted/coated, so the transmitter may have issues grounding, but I haven't had one of these in hand for several years, and I'm having difficulty remembering if the transmitter required a ground spot in the first place, as it's just a simple "pop the flash" affair. You should be fine though.)
So for a starter kit to learn off camera stuff, I'd say go with 2 of the AmazonBasics Flashes
This umbrella/stand kit
And the above mentioned trigger set. That's around $130 and two lights should be plenty to get you started. Maybe even consider getting some softboxes while you're at it.
Since you're just getting started with it, I wouldn't dump too much money into it for now. Those two flashes with umbrellas/soft boxes will be plenty to just get the basics down, learn the different lighting styles, and decide if shooting with flash is where you want to go.
From there, shelling out for some PocketWizards, Profoto strobes, and all the high end kit is up to you!
Yeah they do, I just ordered one
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I09WHLW?aaxitk=zlaEm5ltNU6i0nO6cGRx7Q
Word's out its promising, and dirt cheap. No auto modes (TTL), but it'll be good for learning.
probably not, but why risk it? Amazon sells a manual flash for 28 dollars..
The harsh bit of information is: you're not going to be able to get good results with no experience and a £100 budget.
Basically, for that level, you'll only have full manual flashes, so will need to understand how and why you're adjusting the settings (which will be limited) on that budget.
However, in the UK, look to amazon, for the brand Neewer.
You will want the following items:
An example set up of this can be a lighting kit of the stand, umbrella, and mount at £25, a full manual flash for £26, and very basic transmitter and receiver for £11
Be warned though: this kit is not brilliant. But can be a reasonable starting point to get an idea of what to do.
The other alternative is to find and see if you can have the scene naturally lit, and use some form of reflector (large bit of white cardboard can help for cheap) to add some fill in the shadows.
So I couldn't get a decent reflector here without it costing more than £15 so I was gonna leave the reflector for now. However, I just saw this on amazon it looks really decent since its super basic and it could help a lot. Thoughts?
I have purchased the Opteka E-TTL AF Dedicated Flash (IF-980) for my Canon t6i and am looking to purchase a wireless triggering system that would work for it. I'm trying to stay under $100 CAD. Would I need something that compatible with ITT-L? Any suggestions?
I just want to make sure the system I purchase will work for this and a cheap AmazonBasics Electronic Flash if necessary even though it does have a slave function.
u/Tashawn - for the 4K resolution and lightning-fast autofocus seen in your example video with a $1000 total budget for camera and lighting, I recommend an $848 Sony A6300 with the 16-50 kit lens plus a $109.99 Neewer Ring Light [Referral Links].
Here is the image quality this camera can produce at 4K in a home studio setting:
With 4 times the resolution of something like a Canon 80D or SL2, this setup will get you closest to the image quality and autofocus speed you're looking for.
Hope this is helpful and good luck finding the right camera for your needs!
I take food photos for a blog. Currently I'm using a home made light box. However, I'd like to step the photos up to the "next level" as well as have the freedom to take photos right on the stove top or dining room table. I've been debating getting a softbox like this one on Amazon but I know a lot of other bloggers use a light ring for their photos. Any recommendations for one or the other? Thank you in advance.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXDNNBW/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Octagonal-Speedlight-Photography/dp/B00PIM3I6I
https://smile.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Premium-Shoot-Through-Translucent-Umbrella
https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Universal-Speedlite-Umbrella/dp/B00JJJR7PY
https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Portrait-Product-Photography/dp/B00L4YR0BS
https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-DSLR-Cameras/dp/B01I09WHLW
https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U/
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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly&nbsp;bot
Hi there! I personally use a tripod mounted ring light for interviews, YouTube videos and the like. Here is the one I have: https://amzn.to/2oSFpAG But it sounds like you want one mounted to the actual lens. I have seen these during wedding shoots with photographers and asked them about which ones they use. Brand doesn't seem to be the issue for these but they said a cheaper alternative would suffice like this one: https://amzn.to/2CEgHNX
(All input based on real experiences. Some links may be affilate links, generating fees at no extra cost to a customer)
That's because it has been discontinued. Some vendors like to jump prices when that happens. In case it becomes a precious collectible, I guess. Barely anyone sells it anymore.
There's a link to the new one.
http://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN560-TX-Transmitter-Compatible-Receivers/dp/B00KM1QZRY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1420055583&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=yn560tx
get one of these
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: Yongnuo
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.