580EX II vs a bunch of tiny flashguns

fleaz

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Am I right to presume a bunch of tiny flashguns (say 3 X Nikon SBs) are more powerful than a single 580EX II?
 
Yes and No. When you group lights, you have to remember the Inverse Law (?) For every two flashes you use, you will gain one stop of light. So two will be one stop, four will be two stop and so on. NB, i'm not 100% on the name of the law, but i think the principles i have outlined are fairly correct:thinking::lol:
 
yeah i think its inverse square law, you have double your number of flashes for every stop increase
1 flash
2 flashes = 1 stop more light
4 flashes = 1 stop more light, twice the original
8 flashes = 1 stop more, 3 times the original.

so financially and moreso practically a bigger, more poweful flash makes much more sense than multiple flashes.

i think thats correct
 
Only way to be sure is to try it. The other way, and it's far from reliable, is to use guide numbers.

Just doing it in my head, if you had three guns with a guide number of around 32-35 with the flash heads set to 105mm, you'd be close to one 580EX. Guide number of 580EX is 58 ISO100/metres at 105mm.
 
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