Flash For Canon EOS 40D

[Gas Man]

I am looking at getting an external flash for my Canon EOS 40D & would like to know people's opinions on what to look at but also at a decent price range as well.

Should I also look at getting a defuser, as well as a bounce card ?

Also, is it just worth getting a 'rip off' flash off of eBay like a Nissin or a Yongnu ? I'm not right into using a flash at the moment, but it is something I would like to play & experiment more with.

[DAdeGroot]

It really depends how you intend to use it. If you want on-camera bounce/fill flash that works solidly with your camera, either the 430exII or 580exII are the go. Personally I opted for the more powerful and feature rich 580exII as it has a PC-sync port and provides more light.

However, if you're doing off-camera flash work, manually metering, etc, then there's no need for an eTTL capable flash. I'd then recommend a Nikon SB26 or SB-80dx as both have optical slaves built in.

[Gas Man]

Sorry mate but some of the lingo I am not too familiar with at the moment, haha, still new to this all & trying to learn this & that...

What does 'on camera bounce' & 'fill flash' mean ? also 'off camera flash' & 'manually metering' mean ?

I realize I have alot of what some would think stupid questions, haha.

[David]

Mate judging by your questions and your current kit the 430EX II suggested by Dave below is probably the go for you. Im a newbie to flash and got the 430 EX II Speedlite for my Canon to get me started into flash photography and its nuances.

The advantage is you can keep it and use it later to back up the more expensive one Dave mentioned so it wont be a waste of money invested and you can upgrade later when you know abit more about what flash photography is all about.

Id be wary of buying anything sus or dodgy or cheaper etc without getting good advise about compatibility etc first from experienced people here in AP.

My 20cents worth from a newbie perspective.

[DAdeGroot]

Ah no probs :)

On camera bounce refers to having the flash mounted on the camera and bouncing the light from it off another surface. This is an effective and cheap way to get directional, soft light from a single flash.

Fill flash is when you use your flash to bring up the shadows rather than to act as a main light for your photograph. i.e. you expose for the ambient light, and just add a little flash to make the shadows less dark. Canon's eTTL system works well for this (use Av mode on your camera, turn on your flash and voila!).

Off camera flash is when you take the flash off the camera and trigger it somehow. Canon's eTTL system allows you to use another device (either a 580exII or an ST-E2) on your camera to trigger a flash off the camera remotely via infrared signals. You can also use cables (PC-Sync cables) or radio triggers.

When using PC-Sync cables or Radio triggers or even your popup flash as a trigger for an optically triggered remote flash, you have to use manual mode on your camera and work out the flash power yourself. That's manually metering, instead of letting your camera meter the scene and calculate the correct exposure and flash power.

[Gas Man]

Oh OK then, no worries, cheers all & yes I do realize I sound like a dumb shit, haha.

[DAdeGroot]

Oh OK then, no worries, cheers all & yes I do realize I sound like a dumb shit, haha.

Not at all. I just forget sometimes that not everyone has been doing this as long as I.

[negatron]

if you can find them i think sigma EF 500 DG Super works ok too!

[chrisprendergast]

well i use a 580exII on my 5dmkII no problems with it yet and good results

[JM Tran]

If I were you I would just spend 50 bucks on a brand new Yongnuo YN460 flash, experiment and learn with that for a while and see if u want to be more serious about flash photography

then get the 580EXII if u decide to go further

2 out of 3 ppl who buy a 430EX or EXII will always upgrade sooner or later to the 580 series, as they crave more power, faster flash recycling time, master slave control and etc