External flash cable


Status
Not open for further replies.

Xanadu

New Member
Oct 10, 2004
68
0
0
46
Hi,

I see some macro photographers position their flashes off the camera, can anyone tell me where to get such cable and what's the difference between using this and using a external flash bracket.

Also I have a hot shoe connecter can I improvise this with an external flash and a flash sync cord to act like a flash cable? Tks...

BTW I'm using an SB800 with a Nikon D70
 

Get the R1C1 modulite system. :thumbsup: No horse run.
 

espn said:
Get the R1C1 modulite system. :thumbsup: No horse run.

Wah this is way off my budget.... just need a simple cable. Also why is it that some ppl mount their flash on a bracket at the side of the camera instead of the top? Any benefit?
 

Xanadu said:
Wah this is way off my budget.... just need a simple cable. Also why is it that some ppl mount their flash on a bracket at the side of the camera instead of the top? Any benefit?

I use to use a hammer head flash by Metz. A flash placed directly over the camera lens tend to give a more flat illumination the scene you shoot. And worst is that flat lighting is not that flattery to women ..tend to make the nose abit flat. heheh..

So with the flash to the side, it just looked better. Also the better flashes that are larger like the Metz and tend to have bigger flash head sizes, it is more practical to be on the side. IN anycase like mty former Metz, it uses large power cells so they incorporated that into a long handle just under the flash head. So it is mouted on the side by incorporating a flash bracket.

I also use an external cord for my flash especially when I was shooting with my F5. Being able to off set the lighting from the side, you get better "3D" to your shot. A flat direct flash tend to lack shadow as the shadow fall directly back of your subject. But with the flash to the side, you get a bit of shadow so your picture or person you shoot does not look so flat.

If you do studio shoot, why do you think they never set a flash directly from where you place the camera alone? When shooting objects or people it is usually not all smooth, straight and 2D but have curves, textures, volume...etc. side lighting setup in combination of maybe 2-3 flash units will offer you many ways to give the object or person more depth (3 dimensional). Sorry mind not thinking 100% so using all the wrong words to explain heheh.

That's what it is for me to have the flash on the side.
 

Ohhhh I C!! thanks for the clarification, so it'll look weird if I use my SB800 as side lighting right wont it look funny... such a small flash...
 

Sorry I made some changes to my last message, I wrote it too fast without checking it over and might has made some wrong remarks like only Metz make large flash hahahahah...sorry dyslecia attack stikes again. Just re-read it abit.
 

Xanadu said:
Ohhhh I C!! thanks for the clarification, so it'll look weird if I use my SB800 as side lighting right wont it look funny... such a small flash...


The SB800 is not exactly a "small" flash! heheh. it is quite powerful. What is more important is getting the shot not how ugly it (your equipment) look or what ever. heh. You think this is bad looking wait till you get into the subject of placing special flash diffuser over your flash head to soften the flash effect. There are some that make your flash look like you put a Tupperware container over it hahahah....But laugh as you might, the results can be superd.

A typical Metz hammer-like flash may come with an L bracket to let you mount it to your DSLRs or SLRs. But they also have L brack mount for you to place your SB800 or something similar to it as well!. IN the older days the syn cord might be a simple trigger cord thus it just trigger the flash but no TTL but auto mode ( set to certain F stops setting) or manual setting. But with those TTL cord like Nikon's for the modern flash, for example, it is able to not just trigger but compute how much flash power you need. So even while firing your flash off from the side, you are still getting a reliable degree of propoer exposure for your shots. I don't use a syn cord anymore since I stop shooting SLRs and sold off all my equipment. I guess one day I would but for now you might have to rely on your own or some other folks her to give you a demo shot to compare.

Seriously, if I want a good shot and even if I have to hand hold the flash further away from me to get a good shot..I will do just that. I know have my share of being radicule before when I do all kind of weird stuff but when the result came out, I shut their mouth. about it. Example, I use a Circular polariser for night shoot. You try to figure out why I did that heheh..

Actually some of the best event photographers I do see something during my work or events I attend, they still have their flash mounted on the side or are using those hammer flash like Metz. For one thing, it is powerful so the can shot from further back if they can not get up to the front in time and the slightly side flashing does give better looking "depth".
 

sammy888 said:
The SB800 is not exactly a "small" flash! heheh. it is quite powerful. What is more important is getting the shot not how ugly it (your equipment) look or what ever. heh. You think this is bad looking wait till you get into the subject of placing special flash diffuser over your flash head to soften the flash effect. There are some that make your flash look like you put a Tupperware container over it hahahah....But laugh as you might, the results can be superd.

A typical Metz hammer-like flash may come with an L bracket to let you mount it to your DSLRs or SLRs. But they also have L brack mount for you to place your SB800 or something similar to it as well!. IN the older days the syn cord might be a simple trigger cord thus it just trigger the flash but no TTL but auto mode ( set to certain F stops setting) or manual setting. But with those TTL cord like Nikon's for the modern flash, for example, it is able to not just trigger but compute how much flash power you need. So even while firing your flash off from the side, you are still getting a reliable degree of propoer exposure for your shots. I don't use a syn cord anymore since I stop shooting SLRs and sold off all my equipment. I guess one day I would but for now you might have to rely on your own or some other folks her to give you a demo shot to compare.

Seriously, if I want a good shot and even if I have to hand hold the flash further away from me to get a good shot..I will do just that. I know have my share of being radicule before when I do all kind of weird stuff but when the result came out, I shut their mouth. about it. Example, I use a Circular polariser for night shoot. You try to figure out why I did that heheh..

Actually some of the best event photographers I do see something during my work or events I attend, they still have their flash mounted on the side or are using those hammer flash like Metz. For one thing, it is powerful so the can shot from further back if they can not get up to the front in time and the slightly side flashing does give better looking "depth".

Thanks man... now I know, will just go get a bracket. Also which is better:

1. Using Omni bounce
2. Usign a large white reflecter
3. Using the SB800 diffuser
4. Bounce off ceiling, will the power automatically increase if the ceiling is high?

thanks.
 

sammy888 said:
The SB800 is not exactly a "small" flash! heheh. it is quite powerful. What is more important is getting the shot not how ugly it (your equipment) look or what ever. heh. You think this is bad looking wait till you get into the subject of placing special flash diffuser over your flash head to soften the flash effect. There are some that make your flash look like you put a Tupperware container over it hahahah....But laugh as you might, the results can be superd.

A typical Metz hammer-like flash may come with an L bracket to let you mount it to your DSLRs or SLRs. But they also have L brack mount for you to place your SB800 or something similar to it as well!. IN the older days the syn cord might be a simple trigger cord thus it just trigger the flash but no TTL but auto mode ( set to certain F stops setting) or manual setting. But with those TTL cord like Nikon's for the modern flash, for example, it is able to not just trigger but compute how much flash power you need. So even while firing your flash off from the side, you are still getting a reliable degree of propoer exposure for your shots. I don't use a syn cord anymore since I stop shooting SLRs and sold off all my equipment. I guess one day I would but for now you might have to rely on your own or some other folks her to give you a demo shot to compare.

Seriously, if I want a good shot and even if I have to hand hold the flash further away from me to get a good shot..I will do just that. I know have my share of being radicule before when I do all kind of weird stuff but when the result came out, I shut their mouth. about it. Example, I use a Circular polariser for night shoot. You try to figure out why I did that heheh..

Actually some of the best event photographers I do see something during my work or events I attend, they still have their flash mounted on the side or are using those hammer flash like Metz. For one thing, it is powerful so the can shot from further back if they can not get up to the front in time and the slightly side flashing does give better looking "depth".

Thanks man... now I know, will just go get a bracket. Also which is better:

1. Using Omni bounce
2. Usign a large white reflecter
3. Using the SB800 diffuser
4. Bounce off ceiling, will the power automatically increase if the ceiling is high?

thanks.
 

Xanadu said:
Thanks man... now I know, will just go get a bracket. Also which is better:

1. Using Omni bounce
2. Usign a large white reflecter
3. Using the SB800 diffuser
4. Bounce off ceiling, will the power automatically increase if the ceiling is high?

thanks.

The SB800 diffuser is very very minimum in effect but mind you I am talking from experience with older Nikon Flashes. I have yet to buy one of the newer Digital compatible flashes as I seldom have a need to use one then the pop up flash on my D70 now. I do alot of product shot but for those I use available lights and other electrical light sources with bounce white board..etc.

Bouncing off wall tend to be abit dark. What I mean, for my use previously, as you are bouncing off a wall, it might not be accurate enough even with TTL if the TTL is reading the flash from a difference spot of the picture. I tend to push up the exposure by an EV compensation of +2 stops. You can make your own white board like compress styrofoam so that is not much cost to you. The omini bounce is .,...well..yes you need to pay abit more for it. I have a few types with me but no flash to use it on but I guess I will keep them for future use as it would fit most of the dimension of Nikon Sppedlights I use to own and it does fit the SB800 too. Bouncing off the wall cost you nothing and the SB800 diffuser comes with your flash? So..you want to know thw answer? Simple: Practice,Practice,Practice,Practice and more Practice. That was how I discover the good and bad points of each method. And when I was shooting alot of flash stuff, all of them are part of my arsenal of technique. Depending on what you want to shoot they each have some slight variable that makes it relevant for me to use them all. You can not take anyone of them out of the learning curve and then hope that one single cheap or easy method will solve all your shooting problems. That is why after shooting so much with it earlier on, I know the fundemantal well enough to do product shoot without incorporating even a single Nikon Speedlight but use forms of light source and learning how to bounce light to an object and know how my D70 will reacte to the lighting..etc. There are 1001 and beyond ways to the same problem..you have to find it out for yourself what works for you. What worked for me is due to a selection of circumstances leading up to it but it might be totally not workable for you. If you really am keen..try them all out one at a time. IN time you will find out there is no right or wrong way and there is also more then one way to reach the same solution.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.