Nissin Speedlite Di622 HELP FOR NEWBEE

S

somethingreen

Suspended / Banned
Messages
7
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello, I use a canon ES450D with the standard lens. For indoor sporting shots (Karate) I also attach a Nissin Speedlite Di622 flashgun. The problem is that I am struggling to understand the camera/flash settings. Also the flash seems to take ages to reset - could this simply be batteries? sorry to be so vague. Because I want to really try and focus (AF) on the eyes of the subjects I have been shooting in manual mode and adjusting the shots/lighting later in photoshop, but I feel one of the modes would be better. Look forward to any response - please remember I am new to all of this!!! Many thanks.
 
Welcome to TP :)

Batteries is a fair bet :thumbs: I'm guessing you are shooting in a sports hall, where there is no light being reflected back from normal domestic walls and ceilings. You might not realise this is happening, but it adds up to 50% to the light ending up in the exposure. Or to put it another way, without that benefit you are working the flash extra hard. A set of batteries won't last long like that.

The other thing you may be doing is shooting at distance, which really gobbles power, and possibly at a higher f/number or lower ISO than you need. All these things have a big effect on exposure level and the amount of power needed.
 
Thanks for that it makes sense :). Yes it's a sports hall with high ceilings etc. I will buy some decent batteries and have some spares - Would you say an iso of 400 would be acceptable baring in mind the standard lens for the 450d won't go better that (from memory) f/4.5 (ish)?
one other thing about the flash, I'm having to bounce the flash off the ceiling (albiet high) to stop those ugly shadows on the back wall to my subjects, is there a better way of working this?maybe using the defuser filter?
thanks for the advice.
 
I think you're flogging a dead horse trying to use bounce flash in a sports hall - you'd need a small bomb to light that place up properly. Bounce flash is very power-hungry, and bounce flash off a high ceiling is really pushing your luck even with the most powerful guns with high ISO and low f/number.

The problem is that the light is spread over such a vast area and distance that it gets massively diluted - it's just spread too thin. (Check out the inverse square law.) Using the diffusion panel will only make things worse I'm afraid. Best to stick with direct flash in that situation, though you can make it look a heck of a lot better by moving the flash above and to one side of the camera, using a short dedicated cord - they're about £20.
 
Thanks for that - it's starting to make a bit of sense now.
In your opinion would you say the best option would be to buy a better lens which would allow me to shoot in low light but without a flash - which of course would give me better flexibility with sports shots?
 
somethingreen said:
Thanks for that - it's starting to make a bit of sense now.
In your opinion would you say the best option would be to buy a better lens which would allow me to shoot in low light but without a flash - which of course would give me better flexibility with sports shots?
Click to expand...

Very hard to say without a sample pic, but maybe two options.

If you want to go the ambient light route, you are going to need a very low f/number lens to get the shutter speed up to action-stopping levels, say f/1.8, which leads to a nifty-fifty as a possibility - that's a 50mm f/1.8 which can be had for about £80.

Perhaps a better way would be to try and get close and use flash in a softbox. Sync it up with a long dedicated cord to retain E-TTL and pop it on a stand ring-side. Check out the stuff for sale here from Flash In The Pan http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=157807
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top