Using a flash with 70D

[DAVEBUCK]

I just got the canon 70d and for my purposes which is basically for friiends family and for vacations, this is the perfect camera. I have my Canon 15-85mm lens and the Tamron 70-300mm for the rare occasion when I may need it.i was thinking about getting a flash as often I have abit of a problem balancing lighting when I am taking a photo of my family in an outdoor scene particularly.

i am not sure if it is the way I take my photos or what. this happened a lot with my T3i. I am not sure if things will be better. I never have used an external flash, just the one attached to the camera. I would like some advice.

thanks

 

[Limburger]

Getting a 430EXII or equivalent would be an option.

You can use it on and off shoe. Off shoe you already have three sources of light to play with (ambient, pop up and off shoe).

But do some reading on flash before buying anything.

 

[davel33]

The 430EXII is a darn good flash but take a min and check the 320EX. It has something that no other flash has and it just might make a difference on the 70D. It has an LED video light that can be set on auto to turn on when ever the 70D needs more light for video but the cool thing on a 70D is its also the focus assist for LV. The 70 Can not use a flash for focus assist in LV, it can only use the LED on the 320EX. So if you do any flash work in LV you may need the 320EX.

If your not ever going to need focus assist in LV then forget the 320EX and get the 430EXII the IR focus assist is so much better

Dave

 

[sleibson]

If you want to learn about taking excellent flash photos both indoors and outdoors, and that is a very good idea for the "compleat" photographer, you cannot do better than to study the tutotials at http://strobist.blogspot.com/.

Then, you will be able to better select the right kind of flash for the photography you choose to do.

 

[zhak]

fwiw, I've been doing a lot of test shooting with 3 different flashes on the 70D over the weekend: speedlites 580EX II, 420EX & sigma EF-500 DG Super. In all instances I've gotten decent results (& I don't usually need a flash at all for the sorts of photos I would normally take, so I'm no expert).

& because I know I'm no expert I've been doing a bunch of reading & I think I'm going to buy the 320EX because it seems to be the best match for the 70D (& if it isn't, it can always be used as a slave flash or in those instances when space is a priority). It reasonably priced, too, imo.

From my test shooting, best results for darkish indoor flash use were obtained with bouncing the light from ceilings or walls, and a surprising amount of extra light was bought just by pulling down the wide-angle bit over the flash. & a small inexpensive diffuser gave nice results as well. I still need to do some tests with those setups using people, though, so I can gauge skin tones & hopefully avoid washed out looking faces.

In the end though, any decision comes down to learning as much as you can before you take the plunge & buy.

Good luck.

hth a little,

zhak

 

[Kidson]

You may want to have a look at the Yongnuo YN565EX Speedlite

I have had mine for over a year - very reliable and excellent value for money

I have just placed an order for a 70D

 

[zhak]

You may want to have a look at the Yongnuo YN565EX Speedlite

I have had mine for over a year - very reliable and excellent value for money

I have just placed an order for a 70D

Thanks for the tip.

I think I have much (all?) of the same lighting ground covered with my sigma EF-500 DG Super. (The speedlites I've been fooling about with are loaners, and I'm pretty sure eventual pressure will be brought to bear to return them. Hmph.)

I should also have mentioned that a helpful booklet about flash photography came with my 70D, it might be worth a look at least.

& finally, from my tests, I have 3 consecutive shots showing the sigma flash with normal bounce, wide-angle bounce & diffuser-aided bounce. It gives a decent idea of the light differences in a general way but of course, it is specific to the sigma flash.

cheers again,

zhak

 

[DAVEBUCK]

Thanks,

the yungnuo is 1/3 the price of the Canon. The 565EX compares to which Canon? I dont really want to spend more than $125. does anyone know any simple website comparing Flash types. Other than diffuse and angled flash i really dont know much about the different types and which features are most important.

 

[Kidson]

I think it compares with the Canon 580 EX-II.

 

[DAVEBUCK]

Thanks for the input. I figured rather than break the bank and buy an expensive flash, i went to Amazon and bought a cheap Neewer TT560 for $40. Worst case scenario, I throw it away after a few months. Meanwhile I have an opportunity to play with a flash and according to the reviews, I really can't go wrong. Now I know all the purists are probably vomiting at this time. However, I am going to start out using it on Slave mode and work my way up from there. In a few months who knows, I may resell it on E-Bay for $20 and then work my way up!!!