Help: Buying Flash


I would like to buy a Flash, but i really have a tight buget constrain for next month. What i can spend is only less than $300 for a flash, and i really need the flash as i would go on a tour.

Can you guys recommend some brands and model of flash, which is under $300? As i don't really believe what saleman intro me, but i really believe in you guys. Please help me, your help will be greatly appreciated by me thank you so much.
(if possible, please incule the price, Brands and Model. I'll check the spec online.)

Thank you so much for spending time reading this.:lovegrin:
 

hi speedfactory,

i do not understand why you need a flash because you are going overseas.

if you were covering an event, i might understand.
 

anyhow, if you must have a flash, then i suppose if you up your budget a bit, the af360 will be a decent choice.
 

another option near your budget (i think, not sure) will be the sigma ef-530 dg st.

the trouble is that sigma flashes tend to be quite erratic, from what i read and have seen posted by the pentaxians here before.
 

another option near your budget (i think, not sure) will be the sigma ef-530 dg st.

the trouble is that sigma flashes tend to be quite erratic, from what i read and have seen posted by the pentaxians here before.

Hey thanks for your reply, i'll look into the spec and think about it.
 

I would like to buy a Flash, but i really have a tight buget constrain for next month. What i can spend is only less than $300 for a flash, and i really need the flash as i would go on a tour.

Can you guys recommend some brands and model of flash, which is under $300? As i don't really believe what saleman intro me, but i really believe in you guys. Please help me, your help will be greatly appreciated by me thank you so much.
(if possible, please incule the price, Brands and Model. I'll check the spec online.)

Thank you so much for spending time reading this.:lovegrin:


If you can increase your budget a bit to about $460 thereabouts you can get the Sigma EF530 Super version
 

hi speedfactory,

i do not understand why you need a flash because you are going overseas.

if you were covering an event, i might understand.

True, the first thing that I'll leave behind when I'm packing for a trip is the external flash... yes, ahead of the 70-200 f/2.8 lens :bsmilie:
 

True, the first thing that I'll leave behind when I'm packing for a trip is the external flash... yes, ahead of the 70-200 f/2.8 lens :bsmilie:

ot, but you should buy a bigma 50-500, can use to shoot birds

i see someone's planning to sell one soon. :devil:
 

how abt manual flash ? I got 1 for 100 only from mass sale artwork

But it's manual lah . So far so good :)
 

You can look out in the BnS or post a WTB there. I recalled that someone was selling a AF360 for about $200+ maybe a week back.

Alternatively, I bought a Sigma530 Super package from Adorama ( http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/SG530PXKA.html ). Landed in Singapore for about S$350 total. There are inherent pros and cons from buying on-line and overseas. So decide carefully
 

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Alternatively, I bought a Sigma530 Super package from Adorama ( http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/SG530PXKA.html ). Landed in Singapore for about S$350 total. There are inherent pros and cons from buying on-line and overseas. So decide carefully

all in, inclusive shipping and gst? :sweat:

they're selling it in london for 200 pounds. :bsmilie:
 

MHO, you'll need a tripod more than a flash if you are on a tour.



You can look out in the BnS or post a WTB there. I recalled that someone was selling a AF360 for about $200+ maybe a week back.

Alternatively, I bought a Sigma530 Super package from Adorama ( http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/SG530PXKA.html ). Landed in Singapore for about S$350 total. There are inherent pros and cons from buying on-line and overseas. So decide carefully

Must have been me. Sold already.



How about the Metz 48 ? its should be cheaper than the sigma IIRC
Its about $420 if I am correct. Its a better flash than a AF360 for the swivel head, but the downside is no Auto mode which I've found to be more reliable on the AF360 than PTTL. Anyway, I use M mode most of the time.
 

MHO, you'll need a tripod more than a flash if you are on a tour.





Must have been me. Sold already.




Its about $420 if I am correct. Its a better flash than a AF360 for the swivel head, but the downside is no Auto mode which I've found to be more reliable on the AF360 than PTTL. Anyway, I use M mode most of the time.
is having no Auto mode a big down side for the Metz 48 or can easily live without it? i was also considering 48 but now quite unsure if i'll maybe have a hard time working with no Auto mode..
 

there was a big rush for Riva3000 flash a couple of years back. I think we wiped out the entire stock based on words of mouth in this forum. I have been using one since then and so far, i encounter no problem beside the noise during charging and slow recharge time. No prob for me as i am not an event shooter. BTW, the Riva3000 was going for $88 without GST.
 

is having no Auto mode a big down side for the Metz 48 or can easily live without it? i was also considering 48 but now quite unsure if i'll maybe have a hard time working with no Auto mode..

Sorry can answer for you 100%, but mho is that PTTL is fine most of the time. Yes, it does get quirky sometimes and decide that it wants to go dimmer (~0.5 to 1 stop; maybe its just trying to give fill effect). This is especially the case it bounced flash from my limited experience. Its no big deal if your task at hand is not mission critical since all you need to do is review from the review screen and compensate the Flash EV. Worst case, just pull up the exposure in PP.

I shoot mostly in manual mode anyway, so it has never been too much of a pain to me. Its not as hard as most ppl think and in fact you don't need to constantly adjust the setting either. You'll notice that you are generally taking some sort of picture format (eg. half body, full body, chest to head) type shots. To do that you will be standing a relatively fixed distance from your subject (say 35mm lens is 3m from subject for chest to head shot). So the fact is the flash to subject distance does not change too much as well. Maybe you will be 0.5stop off, but no show stopper. You can also always move the flash bounce to be roughly the same distance to subject, so exposure won't change too much.
 

there was a big rush for Riva3000 flash a couple of years back. I think we wiped out the entire stock based on words of mouth in this forum. I have been using one since then and so far, i encounter no problem beside the noise during charging and slow recharge time. No prob for me as i am not an event shooter. BTW, the Riva3000 was going for $88 without GST.

Yeah and mine died after a while, no warranty.

Better to go for sets with full warranty, in the end save more money.
 

True, the first thing that I'll leave behind when I'm packing for a trip is the external flash... yes, ahead of the 70-200 f/2.8 lens :bsmilie:

mmm, but what if you wanna take night shot for porati? Don't you need flash to do this?
(Please forgive me if my question sound stupid, as i'm still a noob and trying my best to understand and learn as much as i can from you)
 

all in, inclusive shipping and gst? :sweat:

they're selling it in london for 200 pounds. :bsmilie:

Yes....about S$315 price after conversion+ S$30+ (Borderlinx/DHL shipping to Singapore) . No GST as less then $400. The strengthening SGD helped in this case. Came with a Sto-fen diffuser and some OEM rechargeable batt for this package.
 

MHO, you'll need a tripod more than a flash if you are on a tour.

i comfrim will bring my tripod. So does this means that i wouldn't need a flash, as i had no expriance in taking photo on tour. i wanna take the photo to keep it as a memories for my GF when we are old. So i don't wanna mess up this.

Any tips i can get from you guy before i go for this tour? and i'm going to either Bangkok(if the fighting is over), or Sibu.

And how can i do portriat at night, or during low light? When i only have a 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, the other will be tamron 70-300mm f4.6-5.6?