Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH?...

A T H E N S P H O T O G R A P H Y G U I L D - J U N E 2 0 1 6

B Y W A D E S H E L D O N

CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH

WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH?

• On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light

• “Snapshot” look

• Flat/featureless light

• Hard shadows

• Reflections, red-eye

• Light fall-off with over-bright foreground, dark background

• Bounce/tilt and diffusers help, but limited flexibility

• Off-camera flash lets you control direction and quality of light

• Easier to use modifiers

Syl Arena (Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to

Craft Light with Canon Speedlites)

OFF-CAMERA FLASH OPTIONS

• Wired flash cords

• Wireless flash

• Non-dedicated triggers

• Dedicated transceivers

• Dedicated controllers

• Built-in flash controller

• Accessory flash with controller

• Accessory controller (without flash)

• Combinations

• Wired connection to transmitter plus wireless receivers

WIRED FLASH CORDS

• Benefits

• Easy to use

• Dedicated models work like

attached flash

• Cheap ($15-$45 3rd party)

• Various lengths (3’-33’)

• Downsides

• Camera brand-specific

• Limited distance from camera

• Clumsy (tripping/knocking over)

• Best uses

• Flash brackets

• Studio (softboxes/umbrellas) Vello OCS-C33

(image: www.amazon.com)

WIRELESS TRIGGERS

• Transmitter on camera, receiver on flash

• Benefits • Generic - not brand specific

• CHEAP! (<$30)

• Simple

• Can use for flash, strobe, accessories

• Downsides • No camera communication

except “FIRE”

• Manual settings everywhere

• No HHS - stay under sync speed

• Best uses • Tabletop, white-box

• Studio lighting (set once) CowboyStudio NPT-04 (image: www.amazon.com)

WIRELESS TRANSCEIVERS

• Transceiver on camera, transceiver on flash

• Benefits

• Dedicated flash communication

with camera (auto/manual)

• Work like wireless cord

• Affordable (<$100/pr)

• Fairly simple

• Can mix flash, strobes, accessories

• Downsides

• Brand-specific

• Fiddly button settings

Yongnuo YN-622C II (image: www.amazon.com)

BUILT-IN WIRELESS CONTROLLERS

• Controller on camera (“master”)

• Receiver on flash (“slave”)

• Benefits

• Dedicated flash communication

with camera (auto/manual)

• Works like wireless cord

• Control with camera menus

• Multiple flashes, groups

• FREE (2007+ models with popup flash)

• Downsides (Canon)

• Need 90EX flash for 5D, 6D, 1D series

• Optical wireless (LOS limits placement)

• Limited range (~30’)

Canon Pop-up Flash

(image: www.imaging-resource.com)

ACCESSORY WIRELESS CONTROLLERS

• Master flash or dedicated controller unit

• Receiver on flash (“slave”)

• Benefits • Dedicated flash communication

with camera (auto/manual)

• Settings from master flash or

controller AND camera menus

• Multiple independent flashes,

groups

• Optical and Radio options

• Long distance radio (~100’)

• Downsides • Line-of-sight (optical wireless)

• Expensive ($200+ for controller)

• Complex (lots of options)

Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and ST-E3-RT

(http://www.bhphotovideo.com)

CANON FLASH SYSTEM

90EX (optical

controller) 270EX II (optical receiver)

320EX (optical receiver)

430EX II

(optical receiver), 430EX III-RT

(optical+radio controller/receiver)

600EX-RT, 600EX II-RT (optical+radio

controller/receiver)

ST-E3-RT (radio controller only)

(Note: Yongnuo has cheaper knock-offs)

CANON FLASH AND TRIGGERS

• 90EX/270EX/320EX lack manual on-flash settings

• Need 430EX/600EX for

non-dedicated triggers

• Can use older models

with manual controls

(very cheap used!)

• 420EX, 430EX I

• 580 EX, 580 EX II

• Can use cheaper Canon knock-offs (Yongnuo)

430EX II (optical receiver),

430EX III-RT (optical+radio

controller/receiver)

600EX-RT (optical+radio

controller/receiver)

ON-FLASH MENU

430EX II 600EX-RT

ON-CAMERA FLASH MENU

Cameras WITH flash transmitter

(7D, 60D, 70D, 80D, Rebels)

Cameras WITHOUT flash transmitter

(5D, 6D, 1D)

(Syl Arena’s “Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition)”)

ON-CAMERA FLASH MENU

• External Flash Menu Changes with Flash Mode

• Varies a little by camera & flash model (RTM)

(Syl Arena’s “Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition)”)

ON-FLASH MENU – GROUP MODE

• Group Mode (Gr) ideal for multiple speedlite setups

• Assign each flash to a group (A-F; set in flash menu)

• Can control flash mode and power independently

• Can turn individual flashes on/off

• Can change settings from controller/master or camera menus

• Great for setting levels of each flash one at a time in M mode

600EX-RT / ST-E3-RT

GETTING STARTED

• Start simple and cheap

• Use built-in wireless (or cheap transceiver pair)

• Start with 1 flash with manual controls

(buy used/older model or borrow to save $$)

• Buy/borrow an inexpensive flash stand umbrella kit

• Add a 5-in-1 reflector or foamcore board to

bounce light for fill

• Watch online tutorials or buy a book and

try out the basic lessons with your set up

• Practice shooting in M mode and using FEC

• Experiment with umbrella (shoot-through, bounce, positioning, feathering)

• Add additional speedlites, modifiers as you

advance (and need them) Westcott 43" Umbrella Flash Kit

($72 at www.bhphotovideo.com)

LEARNING RESOURCES

• Camera and speedlite manuals!

• Canon Digital Learning Center Quickguides • http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/quick_guides.shtml

• Strobist Lighting 101 • http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

• Syl Arena tutorials and books • Website: http://pixsylated.com/blog/

• Books:

• Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition, 2016)

• Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (2013)

• Youtube:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5byuHJ9uBns

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gmgN8l7UFg

• YouTube tutorials

USES - PORTRAITS

USES – MACRO WHITE-BOX