First flash - what else should I get

[znelbok]

Hi all

I bought my first flash the other day - a Nikon SB-700.

This is the first real flash that I have owned so i have a lot of practice ahead of me but it has me wondering is there anything else I should be looking at for the flash.

Do you recomend a softbox, gels, remote triggers - something else?

I don't have a particular preference to a style (portraits etc) but macro and landscapes are higher on the list.

Thanks

Mick

[Seabee]

Hi all

I bought my first flash the other day - a Nikon SB-700.

This is the first real flash that I have owned so i have a lot of practice ahead of me but it has me wondering is there anything else I should be looking at for the flash.

Do you recomend a softbox, gels, remote triggers - something else?

I don't have a particular preference to a style (portraits etc) but macro and landscapes are higher on the list.

Thanks

Mick




My advice is BUY it all..............lol, but I am a maniac when it comes to light modifiers and gadgets!
Only because i like to try every type of photography I can get my grubby little hands on......a favourite genre eventually shines through!

Best thing to do is pick something you want to replicate and work from there!
I would definately first up get remote triggers! Get that flash off the camera.

After that its really up to what you want to shoot.
I love my stobe softboxes and they can be used in a lot of situations, studio, portrait, macro (I had one set up beside a bush when I was shooting some bees) dont know about the methodology but it seemd to work lol!

Snoots I tend to use alot as well...........and a few gels in the bag wont go astray!
But they can all be gathered one at a time as you discover other uses for them.

No point buying thigs that you will never use!

[znelbok]

Thanks Cindy

I love the advice in your first line. i hate wanting to do something and not having what I need there. I tend to get more than what I require and even if i use it once I feekl I have my monies worth (up to a point though).

What is the recomendation for a wireless trigger. The SB-700 can be triggered by the camera, but there are also many RF triggers available. Ebay has a lot on offer (e.g. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/30m-Radio-Wireless-Flash-Trigger-PT-04-f-Nikon-SB910-SB900-SB700-SB600-SB80DX-5R-/270930505221?pt=AU_Cameras_Photographic_Accessories&hash=item3f14b76e05)

What shoud I be looking at for a trigger?

I'll start putting together a shopping list.

Thanks

Mick

[Seabee]

Triggers lol.................well I have 2 versions of the cactus triggers and a Yongnuo version.
Dont know WHY i have ended up with this many, but there you go lol.

Most of the time I use the Yongnuo, but when I do water drops and things I find it easier to just have a cord from camera to 1 flash, the other flashes are set to slave and voila.
I have 3-4 flashes going and no triggers in sight! Just a $10 pc to pc cord.

[Rattus79]

"Strobism" is one of the few areas that you can actually use a bit of DIY to find out what you like before buying the expensive brand name gadgets. (triggers excepted)

I highly reccommend getting a polystyrene foam vege box and some fine white material (white paper or grease proof will do at a pinch) for a diffuser, cut a hole for the flash head and have a go at making a softbox before dropping the cash on one. -

A broom handle (or similar) in a tin of cement (or similar) makes for a handy dandy light stand.

A clamp with a quarter inch bolt drilled in the handle makes for a great DIY Bowens Super clamp to attach to the above light stand.

the best part of all this is all it cost you was some yummy tomatoes, a spare broom handle which was lying around and you may have to shell out for the clamp.

***Warning***
None of the above items look even vaguely professional, so I dont reccomend hiring Miranda Kerr (or similar) to do the shoot with. I'm sure your niece or significant other will do just fine :D

[RMPhoto]

I love buying gear - hence my Wife imposing a ban on me and eBay at the moment. However, that being said I also advise to work what you have got to the absolute death and then look at what you want to add. Rather than buying 100's of different things right now, start with the basics:
- The D80 has the gift of the Nikon Creative Lighting System, meaning you can trigger Remotely without too much hassle, I use CLS for almost 90% of my off camera lighting needs, most of the time I have good line of sight to my flash units so I don't worry too much about Radio Triggers. This is so handy for you, because you can just get out there and try things with the CLS.

That said, this is what I picked up off eBay to start playing with:
- Light Stand (just a cheapish one about $20-$30)
- Flash Mount (again cheap like $5)
- Reflector Umbrella (again cheap like $10)
- Cheap Nikon Flash Cord (just a knock off one on eBay, again $10-$20)

*I have found that if I sneak eBay purchases home for less than $30 the wife doesn't notice the Credit Card Transactions.......*Not that I would ever advocate lying to your loved ones :cool:
Not as much fun as a room full of gadgets but it is better to build slowly once you learn your craft then you will know how to use every piece of kit in your bag.

Ross...

[maccaroneski]

My advice would be a stand, flash mount, shoot through umbrella and a reflector. Shop around and you could pick up that set for about $60 or $70. The Nikon CLS system works pretty well so I wouldn't spend up yet on triggers until you have reached the limitations of that system (you could hedge your bets with a cheap cord as suggested above). Then you can build from there depending on what you feel is lacking.

For example, if the triggering is an issue, move to that. If you feel you need more directional light, then a softbox (there are some decent ones that are designed for use with speedlights). If you want to get a different quality of light from portraits, then a beauty dish (there is a small one for speedlights by Lumodi).

So in summary I agree with Ross above... although only small purchases, I have wasted a bt of money on gadgets that I don't need.

[broomage]

Thanks for the 'start cheap and work up' advice. I'm going through the same strobe start up process and am torn between the shelling out on all the stands/mods/more flashes route v start with one flash and a mod and flog the heck out of that before spending again. cheers