Columbusrat
Leading Member
I've borrowed a friend's Speedlite 430EX to try on my Canon 250D. They seem to sync OK, but I'm not (yet) getting the results I'd really hope for. I was hoping that being able to have a speed faster than 1/200 sec would make the photos sharper, but...
It's OK, but if I wanted to crop tightly, it's not quite there. I thought it might be that the extra weight was making me less steady, but on some photos I can't find any area that's spot on.
Now, this was taken with the flash pointing at the subject, with a mesh diffuser, so has issues similar to using with my built-in flash & diffuser. I really need to diffuse/reflect the light, but here is maybe my main issue...
I have dodgy shoulders and I'm not generally very strong (5' tall, arms like sparrow legs, fibromyalgia), so as it is I'm finding the camera/flash combo a bit heavy and cumbersome. Adding something on top of that and I'll feel like I've got the Taj Mahal balanced on top of my camera. And for me, the most important bit of my photography is probably the enjoyment of mooching round the borders and going into quite a Zen-like state. But of course I do still want to get the best photos I can, given my limitations.
So, questions - would sticking some old tights over the flash diffuse the light more and give better results, or would I need to find a way of bouncing it? I know I could build a reflector for my built-in flash, but then I'm limited to no faster than 1/200 sec, and on sunny days I'm not sure the flash freezes the motion sufficiently (if I manage to focus on a flying bug, the wings are a blur). And why isn't my focus quite there, or is it more an effect of the harsh lighting? At hubby's suggestion I did try a wider aperture, but it didn't seem to help - and depth of field of course became more of an issue.
I had wondered about a ring flash, but hubby says they tend to give a more bright flat light - good for identifying details of bugs, but not for artistic shots (I do love bokeh). And I'm not sure if the added weight right at the end of the lens would make it awkward. Are there more compact external flashes that would be compatible with my camera? (Bearing in mind Canon having altered the hotshoe so so anything other than Canon is unlikely to work.) Would a change of body help - are there cameras that allow you to have faster speeds when using the built-in flash? Anything else I could consider?
Oh, one more thing - the time taken for the flash to recharge after a shot is a real pain when I'm trying to photograph a hoverfly that gets into the perfect pose just after I've taken a photo, and then flies off before it's recharged. If anyone has a solution to that that doesn't involve yet more bulky equipment, that would be great!
It's OK, but if I wanted to crop tightly, it's not quite there. I thought it might be that the extra weight was making me less steady, but on some photos I can't find any area that's spot on.
Now, this was taken with the flash pointing at the subject, with a mesh diffuser, so has issues similar to using with my built-in flash & diffuser. I really need to diffuse/reflect the light, but here is maybe my main issue...
I have dodgy shoulders and I'm not generally very strong (5' tall, arms like sparrow legs, fibromyalgia), so as it is I'm finding the camera/flash combo a bit heavy and cumbersome. Adding something on top of that and I'll feel like I've got the Taj Mahal balanced on top of my camera. And for me, the most important bit of my photography is probably the enjoyment of mooching round the borders and going into quite a Zen-like state. But of course I do still want to get the best photos I can, given my limitations.
So, questions - would sticking some old tights over the flash diffuse the light more and give better results, or would I need to find a way of bouncing it? I know I could build a reflector for my built-in flash, but then I'm limited to no faster than 1/200 sec, and on sunny days I'm not sure the flash freezes the motion sufficiently (if I manage to focus on a flying bug, the wings are a blur). And why isn't my focus quite there, or is it more an effect of the harsh lighting? At hubby's suggestion I did try a wider aperture, but it didn't seem to help - and depth of field of course became more of an issue.
I had wondered about a ring flash, but hubby says they tend to give a more bright flat light - good for identifying details of bugs, but not for artistic shots (I do love bokeh). And I'm not sure if the added weight right at the end of the lens would make it awkward. Are there more compact external flashes that would be compatible with my camera? (Bearing in mind Canon having altered the hotshoe so so anything other than Canon is unlikely to work.) Would a change of body help - are there cameras that allow you to have faster speeds when using the built-in flash? Anything else I could consider?
Oh, one more thing - the time taken for the flash to recharge after a shot is a real pain when I'm trying to photograph a hoverfly that gets into the perfect pose just after I've taken a photo, and then flies off before it's recharged. If anyone has a solution to that that doesn't involve yet more bulky equipment, that would be great!
