Question on Flashes and off camera

[Hippofit]

Hi Guys

Be gentle with me... I'm a newbie and have only just stepped into this interesting world. I have a question I have a 400D, I know not a up to date camera but it will help me learn. I've been reading for hours on this and that and got to the the flashes. I know I can buy a flash gun pop it on and that's easy even for me but then got onto remote flashes. Now reading again... I read a lot, I came across various issues with the camera I have but found that you could use these: Yongnuo CTR-301P Wireless Flash Trigger Receiver. Please feel free to tell me "what you on" but from my understanding this would work

cheers for listening to my ramblings

 

[Phil V]

What is it you want to do (more specifically).

I think you've possibly got hold of the wrong end of the stick. Your camera uses the latest Canon flash protocol (ETTLII)

What flashes do you have? Do you need ETTL control? How many flashes and what are you wanting to achieve?


The trigger you mentioned will work, but it'd be a shame to spend so much on dumb triggers when you might want to invest in something smarter.

 

[Hippofit]

Hi Phil, thanks for the response, not sure yet brand new to all of this and love to read up on everything, can be my downfall. I love the idea of portraits for family etc and was looking at off camera flashes and got myself all confused. Think I'll wait before buying kit but it's all shiny and I want lol

 

[T_J_G]

Start with a decent ttl/hss gun and trigger. Maybe look at Godox tt685 and X1 trigger. About £100.

 

[sirch]

I believe your 400D has a pop-up flash, if it does you can trigger the Yongnuo YN565 or 568 from the pop-up so all you really need is the flash gun. You can put something in front of the pop-up (the exposed end of a piece of old 35mm negative is good) to blank out the light from the pop-up if you don't want any light from the front. You can expand this set up going forwards with Yongnuo 622 transmitter/receivers and more Yongnou guns

 

[Phil V]

Hi Phil, thanks for the response, not sure yet brand new to all of this and love to read up on everything, can be my downfall. I love the idea of portraits for family etc and was looking at off camera flashes and got myself all confused. Think I'll wait before buying kit but it's all shiny and I want lol

There's nothing wrong with that.

You don't need to hold back, just stick to the UK for product specific advice, this forum is great.

Start with a decent ttl/hss gun and trigger. Maybe look at Godox tt685 and X1 trigger. About £100.

This is what I'd start with, if I was starting today.

 

[Alastair]

I have but found that you could use these: Yongnuo CTR-301P Wireless Flash Trigger Receiver. Please feel free to tell me "what you on" but from my understanding this would work

The CT-301P is a decent and reliable enough system, it has the advantage of being largely trigger voltage-independent so works with pretty much any "junk" flashgun you might find lying around. But it is several generations old, and from memory uses an awkward combination of batteries. I still have my CTR-301P set kicking around in a drawer somewhere.

Have a read through the Strobist 101 (http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html) but bear in mind some of the equipment recommendations are up to 10 years old.

Depending on your budget I'd suggest either the Godox TT685 recommended above, or if you've a little more available to spend the Lencarta Atom/Godox Wistro (same system, different branding) with the matching control triggers.

 

[T_J_G]

Good suggestion @Alastair with the Wistro, but with the flash I recommended this can be added later on. And a TTL version is about £400 these days.

 

[Alastair]

And a TTL version is about £400 these days.

I'd avoid the TTL versions as over-kill for the application (pseudo-studio strobist). An AD180 with a multi-group dial-a-level trigger set is less than £200 from that well known auction site.