Flash Guns

IanC

IanC

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Hi All,

I'm looking to get a flash gun for my D90 possibly depending on what you guys say.

What advantage do they have over the standard built in flash?

What flash guns are the best to go for as there seems to be a few options in the Nikon stable at least.... Is the below any good?

Yongnuo 560-III http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=150984082529

Thanks for any help, I am a flash rookie :)
 
IanC said:
Hi All,

I'm looking to get a flash gun for my D90 possibly depending on what you guys say.

What advantage do they have over the standard built in flash?

What flash guns are the best to go for as there seems to be a few options in the Nikon stable at least.... Is the below any good?

Yongnuo 560-III http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=150984082529

Thanks for any help, I am a flash rookie :)
Click to expand...

The first flash I got for my d90 was the sb900. I got it as it was ttl and cls compatible, whilst also being powerful. I only use the built in flash to trigger other lights. I quickly added three further lights - 2 nissins and another sb900

Getting the flash off camera (ie not mounted on the camera) makes for more interesting pics.

Have a look at the strobist website and also a couple of books - speed lighters hand book, light science magic.

If you're on Flickr have a look at the strobist group.

Hope that helps

Shaheed
 
The advantage of an external flash, is flexibility. The built in flash fires in one direction only, and whilst you can get bouncy adapters etc, they're really inadequate.

An external flash will allow you to control the light source, and techniques such as flash bouncing, diffusing, off shoe triggering etc, open up so many creative options to you. Some of them are techniques you can use in pretty much any close situation - I very very rarely use my flash directly at my subject (although the Metz MZ5 handle flash that I use is bright enough to be seen in space, so it's always a good idea not to fling it at subjects!).

Overall, the more light on your subject, the more detail you can get into your show - an external flash puts out a whole lot more light, properly metered (if it's talking to your body) than an internal flash.

I'd actually argue that after lens and body, a proper external flash is the most important thing you can buy for your SLR
 
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Thanks guys, I'm convinced. Is the the Yongnuo a good one to go for or should I stick with a Nikon variant?
 
Will the Yongnuo 560 attach to the hotshoe of my D90?
 
IanC said:
Thanks guys, I'm convinced. Is the the Yongnuo a good one to go for or should I stick with a Nikon variant?
Click to expand...
If you have the money and if you're certain, it'll be used a lot, why not?
My initial plan was to get either a Nikon SB-700 or SB-910, but as a beginner, I preferred to spend a little less.

Now that I've used it for some time, I think, I actually prefer manual... but this decision is of course based on what I shoot. Static scenes, close-ups, macro...

IanC said:
Will the Yongnuo 560 attach to the hotshoe of my D90?
Click to expand...
Yes, the hotshoe is designed to a standard, and is brand-independent.

If you like to read :D maybe Neil can inspire you? http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/
 
IanC said:
Will the Yongnuo 560 attach to the hotshoe of my D90?
Click to expand...

Jan K. said:
Yes, the hotshoe is designed to a standard, and is brand-independent.
Click to expand...

Well, most flashguns will fit most hotshoes (the main exception being the Konica Minolta/Sony shoe which is different...) but to retain full compatibility, you'll need to make 100% sure that any 3rd party flash is Nikon dedicated.
 
Will it fire automatically when I trigger the shutter release, I'm confused with people saying its manual?
 
Get the 565ex, thats what im going for, ive spend like 3 hours tonight reading up and asking for advice on this subject.
 
IanC said:
Will it fire automatically when I trigger the shutter release, I'm confused with people saying its manual?
Click to expand...

Yes it will. When talking manual with flashes, this means you must set the power output yourself, the camera will not tell the flash what it needs.
Non manual in Nikon terms is called ITTL or just TTL.
Manual flash is fine if you are prepared to learn, just don't expect the light to be perfect straight off the bat.
 
IanC said:
Will it fire automatically when I trigger the shutter release, I'm confused with people saying its manual?
Click to expand...
Of course it will follow your triggering! :lol:


The manual thing only means, you decide flash settings, like strength and zoom.

Automatical means the camera decides based on scene recognition and chosen lens...

More or less of course! It's not for nothing google comes up with 33,4 million hits, if you search "manual vs automatic flash" :D


/edit: claiming the price for being slowest typer on tp! :D
 
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So am I right in thinking that the yongnuo 560 won't talk to my D90 to tell it what settings to use, it has to be set by me?


TCR4x4 said:
Yes it will. When talking manual with flashes, this means you must set the power output yourself, the camera will not tell the flash what it needs. Non manual in Nikon terms is called ITTL or just TTL. Manual flash is fine if you are prepared to learn, just don't expect the light to be perfect straight off the bat.
Click to expand...
 
IanC said:
So am I right in thinking that the yongnuo 560 won't talk to my D90 to tell it what settings to use, it has to be set by me?
Click to expand...

Yes, the d90 won't tell the flash what power to use so you'll have to set it manually. I don't know about that particular flash however. I used a Nissin di622 successfully on several Nikon bodies though. It's not hard to set the flash power and soon becomes very to accurately guess, but ITTL is very usefull when working fast, just fire and forget pretty much.
 
Are there any third party flash guns which automatically set their own flash power? I would be using it for people shots indoors so wouldn't want to be fiddling with a manual flash.

TCR4x4 said:
Yes, the d90 won't tell the flash what power to use so you'll have to set it manually. I don't know about that particular flash however. I used a Nissin di622 successfully on several Nikon bodies though. It's not hard to set the flash power and soon becomes very to accurately guess, but ITTL is very usefull when working fast, just fire and forget pretty much.
Click to expand...
 
IanC said:
Are there any third party flash guns which automatically set their own flash power? I would be using it for people shots indoors so wouldn't want to be fiddling with a manual flash.
Click to expand...
Then it's iTTL you're looking for...

Like Yongnuo YN565 og YN568
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yongnuo-YN5...pt=Digital_Camera_Flashes&hash=item2580e94276
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yongnuo-YN-...pt=Digital_Camera_Flashes&hash=item2a262b2b4c

And just for good order, the flash is controlled by the camera... :)
 
Which is the better option out of the 565 and the 568?

Would a Sb800 be better than both of them?

Thanks
 
I have the 568 and very pleased with the results,
did consider the Nikon but for the amount of time I use flash and the very large difference in price
really a no brainer!
 
IanC said:
Which is the better option out of the 565 and the 568?

Would a Sb800 be better than both of them?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you have the money I would say go for a used sb800.
 
For value for money go for the YN568EX, it will work off camera using CLS, and has high speed shutter sync.
If you don't need the latter, then get the YN565EX, which is a little cheaper.
 
How does the YN568EX compare with the SB800 in terms of recycle rate and power?
 
What does high speed shutter sync mean?

Bumbler said:
For value for money go for the YN568EX, it will work off camera using CLS, and has high speed shutter sync.
If you don't need the latter, then get the YN565EX, which is a little cheaper.
Click to expand...
 
IanC said:
What does high speed shutter sync mean?
Click to expand...
If your camera is capable of high speed sync, it means that the flashgun will sync at up to 1/8000" (Depending on your camera.)
If it doesn't, then you'll be limited to about 1/250".
Can be useful for fill-in outdoors when you want a shallow DOF, and hence higher shutter speed, amongst other things.
I have an SB700 and a couple of 568's. Sure the SB700 is better, but its not worth twice the price of the 568.
 
Thanks for the explanation but this all this flash talk goes way over my head :(

Bumbler said:
If your camera is capable of high speed sync, it means that the flashgun will sync at up to 1/8000" (Depending on your camera.)
If it doesn't, then you'll be limited to about 1/250".
Can be useful for fill-in outdoors when you want a shallow DOF, and hence higher shutter speed, amongst other things.
I have an SB700 and a couple of 568's. Sure the SB700 is better, but its not worth twice the price of the 568.
Click to expand...
 
If i were you i would look at a secound hand SB-800 or even a SB-600 you dont need to keep upto date with the latest flashes, i bought my SB-800 5 years ago and it phemoninal.
i also have 3 Yongnuo 560ii which are excelent value for money, but the TTL is invaluable.
 
Before you buy anything - read the speed lighter handbook by Syl Arena. Best £15 you will spend on Amazon. Also read the strobist 101 ( search google). It will take an hour but it is Iluminating (bad pun). Then you will know the basics of off camera flash and what some of these terms mean. I am only just ahead of you but have come a long way in a short time. It is really difficult to make an informed decision what to buy if you can't understand what you want to do and what some of these flashes can do.

I have an sb700 and yn622n triggers for my d7K - but I wanted a choice of ttl and manual to see the difference. I also wanted to be able to control multiple flashes (for a course I have just done in off cmera flash) from the camera (hence the sb700 master mode). I also wanted my triggers to remotely control powers in manual mode wirelessly and I was gagging for high speed sync for exterior portraits - hence the choice of trigger. You may joy not want or need those features, but if it is all Greek to you then you won't know.
 
Basically all I will need it to do is work independently with my D90 to choose its own settings. I will be using it for portraits indoors, on camera, so won't need it for any off the camera work.

With regards to the model below am I right in thinking that this will have a far greater recycle rate (3secs) than the built in flash on my D90?

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=150753484679

I'm trying to justify the expense of buying a flash.
 
If you are worried about recycle time you will also know that your onboard flash will drain the battery quicker than George Best at a wedding bar!

I do not have that model but it is iTTL and therefore can work out the power for you.

May I also point out that the quickest way to get 1000% better flash pictures is to move your flash off the camera. Please read The strobist 101 document it is a game changer.
 
Oops - a quick afterthought. Spend a bit more on the sb700 and your d90 flash can trigger the sb700 off camera ((all iTTL) and you can take interesting portraits with interesting shadows. If you keep the flash on camera it will look flat and dull.
 
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