canon 550d party picture help

colined

colined

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Colin
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Hi all,
I am taking some pictures for a friend at their party and wanted some advice on flash?
I currently dont have a flash gun and not sure if i will need one? What do you recommend? It will be low light so does anyone have this camera know if the built in flash is strong enough? I know i should just test it out but if you can recommend a flash gun?

Also im buying a new memory card to do some video too.
Im looking at sd card 32gb class 10 30mb/s is this the best one out there? CNt seem to find better?

Many thanks
 
There is no AF assist on the 550D, it fires a series of preflashes to focus, then a main flash for the photograph you take.

Also its direct and low down so it will give a harsh light in the photo. It's probably powerful enough, but it won't give great results and the preflashes for AF can be seriously annoying at any event.

If you want a good flash, get a canon 430 EX II and a diffuser, they are about £200 on amazon and are briliant. The two lesser versions are not really worth the money, I think the 230 EX II is £94 and the 320EX £160, neither have AF assist and only limited bounce and control but the 430 does all this for £40 more and has full comms with the camera.

Also, flashguns eat batteries so take some spares just incase :)

Class 10 cards are generally the best and suitable for HD video capture.
 
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Jessops do a reasonably priced flash http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/67557/show.html which will do the job nicely.

You can bounce it off the ceiling, use the built-in bounce card or get a diffuser http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/50441/show.html

You really don't want to use direct flash as this will probably give you worse results than using a P&S camera :lol:

If you have a bit more budget, the Nissin 866i is a cracking flash for £200, I also use a Gary Fong Lightsphere diffuser which gives cracking results too.
 
I have the same camera, I would not use the on board flash, I used to until I tried the 230 EX, it only rotates upwards so it is good when bouncing off a white ceiling. Once you use a flash gun you will notice a massive difference to the quality of your images. After using the 230 EX I now want to upgrade, so save yourself the trouble and just go for the 430 EX ii, it is a brilliant flash.
 
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colined said:
.....I currently dont have a flash gun and not sure if i will need one? What do you recommend? It will be low light so does anyone have this camera know if the built in flash is strong enough? I know i should just test it out but if you can recommend a flash gun? .....
Click to expand...

The Canon 430 EX is worth an investment - you can pick up the mki for a good price 2nd hand, occasionally the mkii comes up from people who are upgrading. When you have access to the classifieds, it's worth keeping an eye open as they do pop up :thumbs:


colined said:
.....Also im buying a new memory card to do some video too.
Im looking at sd card 32gb class 10 30mb/s is this the best one out there? CNt seem to find better?

Many thanks
Click to expand...

I use Sandisk or Lexar cards and am very happy with them. Check if there is a limit to the max size your body will use.

I've not got video function on my body so don't have the need for very large memory card, but I prefer to stay with 4 or 8GB cards and have a few, rather than 1 large card - I suppose it's just the worry if it developed a fault / became corrupt and apart from possibly loosing all your shots (rather than just those on a smaller card) there is the cost factor as well - it's a more expensive card to loose.

Hope this makes sense...
 
I bought a Nissin Di622 flashgun for the wife when I gave her my 550D after I'd upgraded. It's about the same power as the 430EX II and has very similar features, but it's available for around £100 new which is around the same as a second hand Canon flash.
The card that andyred above found looks to be a great card for a great price. I've got some similar spec Duracell cards from www.7dayshop.com and they work very well in the 550D.
 
I have a 550D and use a Canon 580EX with great results in low light. But it is worth noting that the 550D can give acceptable results at 1600 ISO and a slowish shutter speed. You may find that not all of these are ok because of movement blur but the ones that do work should be great as they will capture the natural colours of ant disco lighting etc.

Try with and without flash on the night- good luck

Glenn
http://www.gmatherphotography.com
 
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