Flash Question - DPChallenge Forums

06/17/2010 01:15:23 PM · #1

QUANTARAY QDC 900WA Digital Zoom Flash for my Canon Rebel?

I can get it fairly cheap (30 bucks or so)

Looks to be semi decent but then again I really dont know what I am looking for.

What do you guys think???

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Nikon

06/17/2010 02:49:45 PM · #2

Others may say contrary, but I personally avoid anything that says Quantaray on it. Get a used Nikon/Canon flash off craigslist/ebay. Better quality, better function, better product.
Also, check out this thread. Lots of good info; I try to stay current on any questions/responses too.
Sometimes, cheap is terrible, sometimes it is good. Be wary of "budget" strobes.

amathiasphoto

Nikon D300

06/17/2010 04:00:57 PM · #3

Also tend to stay away from quantaray. I stick with nikon for the most part, but just added a Nissin Di866 flash and have been thrilled with the results. I know that nissin makes flashes for canon as well. Pricey flash, but some good bang for the buck.

Yo_Spiff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

06/17/2010 04:23:34 PM · #4

The quantaray (Wolf/Ritz house brand) flashes are normally rebranded Sunpaks. Overall the Quataray brand has a rep as second rate. I've even been told by Wolf camera salespeople to not buy their lenses. I do have a small shoe mount flash of theirs, an XLF-50, which is the same thing as a Sunpak RD2000. Simple and seems to work well. It's an improvement over the popup flash, but nowhere near as versatile as a larger flash. I don't use it much, as I found a 430ex for a great price just after I bought the quantaray.

A quick web search for the model of the flash you are considering shows it has it's faults, but but it does do the job. For $30, I don't think you can really go wrong. Now, if you were going to pay $150 for it, I'd say fuggedaboutit.

Message edited by author 2010-06-17 16:25:01.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

06/17/2010 04:30:13 PM · #5

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

For $30, I don't think you can really go wrong. Now, if you were going to pay $150 for it, I'd say fuggedaboutit.

unless it fries your camera. I'm just saying...

Yo_Spiff

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

06/17/2010 04:57:51 PM · #6

Originally posted by Citadel:

unless it fries your camera. I'm just saying...

Do Sunpak/Quantaray flashes have a reputation for frying cameras? That can certainly happen with a flash designed for a film camera, but I believe this is one meant for a digital.

06/17/2010 05:03:20 PM · #7

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

Originally posted by Citadel:
unless it fries your camera. I'm just saying...

Do Sunpak/Quantaray flashes have a reputation for frying cameras? That can certainly happen with a flash designed for a film camera, but I believe this is one meant for a digital.

I just figured that if the voltage was too high it could do it. As for reputation? Not sure. I haven't heard of it personally. I'd verify before buying. $30 is cheap until it kills a thousand dollar camera.

edit for a stupid typo

Message edited by author 2010-06-17 17:03:41.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

06/17/2010 05:08:16 PM · #8

Looks like it "should" be fine and I wasn't able to find any horror stories about frying cameras etc. I just think that's a paranoia of mine ...

MinsoPhoto

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

06/17/2010 05:21:08 PM · #9

For $30 you won't be out much but you will end up buying a better one down the line so why not save that $30 and put it towards a better speedlite?

hawkeyefilms

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

06/17/2010 05:57:29 PM · #10

Being economically minded I have bought 3 Vivitar 285HV's for $200. The flash voltage is 6V so it's supposed to be safe for digital SLR's although I haven't been brave enough to try it yet. Anything over 12 volts, as is the case with the original 285 will fry your camera. I shoot them in manual with a wireless flash trigger . I have my eye on the Opteka FE-600 E-TTL $109 for a quick on camera flash when I need it. Having said all this I will end up having a 4 flash wireless set up for less than the cost of one 580EXII

hawkeyefilms

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

06/17/2010 08:22:39 PM · #11

Sorry Carrie,

I know what I said was all outside you budget but I just had to share what I've spent the last month or so figuring out. Basically how to do it good for cheap. In my opinion if you can pick up something more like the Opteka it seems to be similarly featured like the top line Canon 590 EXII but 1/5th the price

Dave

06/17/2010 09:23:10 PM · #12

Originally posted by jminso:

For $30 you won't be out much but you will end up buying a better one down the line so why not save that $30 and put it towards a better speedlite?

Bingo. I think it's easier to learn with a better strobe to begin with, then once you know what you're doing, you can easily multiply them with cheapo models.

Originally posted by hawkeyefilms:

Anything over 12 volts, as is the case with the original 285 will fry your camera. I shoot them in manual with a wireless flash trigger ...

This is not true. The voltage that cameras can handle varies by manufacturer. For instance, Fuji's are VERY resilient, Nikon's relatively, and Canon least. This has nothing to do with quality or anything, simply how they're built. Regardless, the sentiment is dead on... be wary of old flashes. Here's the best listing of flash trigger voltages I know of, but I wouldn't take it as gospel, just a starting point.

If there were a "cheaper" flash I would say is worth considering, it would be the LP160. You can buy it new, it's backed by mpex, and it allows for lots of flexibility later on. I don't own one yet, but it's something I've been considering once I get some quality radio triggers.

06/17/2010 09:51:51 PM · #13

Okay. Thanks guys. Ill just have to wait I guess. :(

MinsoPhoto

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

06/17/2010 10:03:07 PM · #14

Originally posted by JustCaree:

Okay. Thanks guys. Ill just have to wait I guess. :(

If I may offer a suggestion. Take that $30 and buy a reflector to start with. Like this. You can do alot with daylight and a reflector starting out and it will help you get an idea of how light works with the photos.

Olympus 14-42mm f.3.5-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

06/17/2010 10:15:31 PM · #15

Originally posted by jminso:

Originally posted by JustCaree:
Okay. Thanks guys. Ill just have to wait I guess. :(

If I may offer a suggestion. Take that $30 and buy a reflector to start with. Like this. You can do alot with daylight and a reflector starting out and it will help you get an idea of how light works with the photos.

I do a lot of indoor stuff... the reflector wouldnt be as handy as a flash... thanks for the suggestion... ill just have to stick the 30 in my piggy bank and save up...

e10icus

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

06/17/2010 10:16:48 PM · #16

I've posted this in other threads, but...

From the Strobist forum, I found some good info on older equipment that does a nice job. Strobists also have a ton of forums on Flickr.

I ended up finding a pristine Nikon SB-20 on ebay that I paid 30 dollars for, with shipping included, and I couldn't be happier with it for learning basic lighting "off the camera". But since the trigger voltage is 6 volts, I can mount it to my (digital) camera's hot shoe if I want.

Although the flash head does not rotate, it does change angles from -7* to +90*, so you can bounce the flash.

The flash is adjustable - 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and full power.
Also, the head has different settings for wide angle, normal, and zoom (controls the intensity or concentration of the flash).

I get a butt-load of flashes out of rechargeable AA batteries, so I can use it outdoors if I want to, without having to worry about finding a place to plug into A/C power.

It came from a very reputable manufacturer. It's just their older stuff.

I'm not saying this is THE flash to get, but if you do some research, it could pay off.

P.S. - My camera is an Olympus, so this flash is not "dedicated" to my equipment. However, I found that using manual settings with a PC cord is not that difficult to learn. Especially in a "studio" environment.

06/17/2010 10:29:43 PM · #17

Originally posted by JustCaree:

Originally posted by jminso:

Originally posted by JustCaree:
Okay. Thanks guys. Ill just have to wait I guess. :(

If I may offer a suggestion. Take that $30 and buy a reflector to start with. Like this. You can do alot with daylight and a reflector starting out and it will help you get an idea of how light works with the photos.

I do a lot of indoor stuff... the reflector wouldnt be as handy as a flash... thanks for the suggestion... ill just have to stick the 30 in my piggy bank and save up...

Sure it would. Window light is unbelievably awesome in the first place, since it's basically a giant softbox. Pop a reflector in and you fill in any shadows. As

e10icus and I noted earlier, you can definitely get used stuff off ebay with relative ease. The key thing is though, before you just get something because it's cheap, you evaluate how much real use you'll get out of it. $30 is only $30, and yeah, if the product is versatile and good for what you want, it'll be a great investment. However, if it's money towards something that won't serve you well in the future, that's $30 away from what you determine will actually fill the need you bought the first item for initially. It's a gamble no matter what, unfortunately, because you don't know exactly what you want, and you don't know what you want because you don't have experience with that sort of product.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

06/17/2010 10:32:28 PM · #18

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

Originally posted by JustCaree:

Originally posted by jminso:

Originally posted by JustCaree:
Okay. Thanks guys. Ill just have to wait I guess. :(

If I may offer a suggestion. Take that $30 and buy a reflector to start with. Like this. You can do alot with daylight and a reflector starting out and it will help you get an idea of how light works with the photos.

I do a lot of indoor stuff... the reflector wouldnt be as handy as a flash... thanks for the suggestion... ill just have to stick the 30 in my piggy bank and save up...

Sure it would. Window light is unbelievably awesome in the first place, since it's basically a giant softbox. Pop a reflector in and you fill in any shadows. As e10icus and I noted earlier, you can definitely get used stuff off ebay with relative ease. The key thing is though, before you just get something because it's cheap, you evaluate how much real use you'll get out of it. $30 is only $30, and yeah, if the product is versatile and good for what you want, it'll be a great investment. However, if it's money towards something that won't serve you well in the future, that's $30 away from what you determine will actually fill the need you bought the first item for initially. It's a gamble no matter what, unfortunately, because you don't know exactly what you want, and you don't know what you want because you don't have experience with that sort of product.

I thought that this flash would give me something to use until I could afford to buy a higher quality flash. It will be a long time before I can fork out 100-200 for a nice flash and I thought this would give me something better then my cameras pop up flash. Which is why I asked. Ill prob take the 30 and buy some clip on lamps and such and go from there :)

Yo_Spiff

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

06/17/2010 11:14:03 PM · #19

Originally posted by JustCaree:

I happen to agree with your thoughts on this. If you could save for another few weeks and then be able to afford a better flash, I would say to save the pennies for a little while. But it sounds like you are looking at months until you can justify the expenditure. It gives you something to start with at a price that won't be a struggle.

If you shop around you can often run across a great deal. I got my 430ex for a steal of a deal on Amazon for $165. I have seen them often going for $200 used.

Message edited by author 2010-06-17 23:16:50.

06/17/2010 11:21:07 PM · #20

true...a bad off camera flash beats on camera flash any day. The problem is getting the flash off camera. You could use a cable or ye olde cactus triggers. Either scenario means more money though

You'd think lamps would put out enough light but sadly they don't. You can get the big work lights for pretty cheap but they run very hot and can be quite dangerous in smaller spaces.

That $30 flash might be the way to go. From the reviews I read it has inconsistent output and is not overly powerful. However if you're patient it might be one option.

eta: I just wanted to further emphasize that my earlier remark was pure paranoia

Message edited by author 2010-06-17 23:22:44.

06/17/2010 11:55:38 PM · #21

I think Im going to get it... and then start saving for a better flash... and this can be a backup or perhaps become an off camera one in the future. Also my 14 yr old nephew (who has become a trouble maker and has nothing to focus his enegry on) has started showing interest in photography and his parents are encouraging it so maybe ill pass it along to him when I am done to learn with --- but having it will be better then nothing and it will be a while till I can afford 100-200 flash.

kenskid

Nikon D700

06/18/2010 12:29:26 AM · #22

Save save save save and get a Nikon SB400. About $220. If it take you a year, it will be worth it !

06/18/2010 03:10:43 PM · #23

Originally posted by kenskid:

Save save save save and get a Nikon SB400. About $220. If it take you a year, it will be worth it !

a Nikon for my canon?

kenskid

Nikon D700

06/18/2010 06:34:39 PM · #24

Whatever the equivalent is then!

Originally posted by JustCaree:

Originally posted by kenskid:
Save save save save and get a Nikon SB400. About $220. If it take you a year, it will be worth it !

a Nikon for my canon?