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05/27/2004 11:26:17 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
Yes there is, and it's quite a cheap way to do it, Roos. You can get work lights for about $20 bucks and get your self some white poster board or, if you have some extra cash laying around, I would purchase some opalescent fiber glass. I would prefer the fiber glass because there's less chance of it catching on fire. The work lights are halogens and get very very hot and can ignite flammable things, especially in a small work area. So be careful!!!
The way you set it up is to aim the lights at the fiber glass so that it bounces the light onto your subject. Another way to do it, but more expensive is to purchase a couple of photographic umbrellas. Again, those probably can catch fire easily, so BE CAREFUL.
There's another way to go if you want to stick with flash. That is, purchase a used one off of ebay and then use them with a slave sensor. You can get a Vivitar 283 or 285, which are both professional models and very powerful, for as cheaply as $35, if you keep on top of the auctions. I wouldn't attach either of those to your camera directly because they put out more volage than your camera is capable of handling and it could do some damage to the circuits in the cam. |
very cool. I really am looking forward to setting up my studio. I will look into the fiber glass. where can I buy it?
lots of good advice here. i LOVE dpc-ers!
thanks everyone!
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05/28/2004 03:57:21 AM · #27 |
You can get the white opalescent fiber glass at any place that produce signs for businesses. Just look them up in the yellow pages. But they aren't that cheap. Expect to pay between $20 and $30 for a piece about 2
feet by 3 feet.
Originally posted by Rooster:
Originally posted by Olyuzi:
Yes there is, and it's quite a cheap way to do it, Roos. You can get work lights for about $20 bucks and get your self some white poster board or, if you have some extra cash laying around, I would purchase some opalescent fiber glass. I would prefer the fiber glass because there's less chance of it catching on fire. The work lights are halogens and get very very hot and can ignite flammable things, especially in a small work area. So be careful!!!
The way you set it up is to aim the lights at the fiber glass so that it bounces the light onto your subject. Another way to do it, but more expensive is to purchase a couple of photographic umbrellas. Again, those probably can catch fire easily, so BE CAREFUL.
There's another way to go if you want to stick with flash. That is, purchase a used one off of ebay and then use them with a slave sensor. You can get a Vivitar 283 or 285, which are both professional models and very powerful, for as cheaply as $35, if you keep on top of the auctions. I wouldn't attach either of those to your camera directly because they put out more volage than your camera is capable of handling and it could do some damage to the circuits in the cam. |
very cool. I really am looking forward to setting up my studio. I will look into the fiber glass. where can I buy it?
lots of good advice here. i LOVE dpc-ers!
thanks everyone! |
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05/28/2004 06:12:43 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by doctornick:
Originally posted by GoldBerry:
Photo is about half way down the page
Here you go..check this out..the example shows a small white board on the flash [tilted up] but I use one about 3 times that size.
P.S. I've been using the Canon 550EX but just bought the 540EZ since the other one was on loan and I couldn't afford a new 550....I haven't gotten the 540 yet so I'm crossing my fingers that it's as good. |
Lori, I hope you are aware that the 540EZ can only be used in Manual mode with the 300D, it will not do E-TTL. I had the 540 EZ and sold it to get the 550 EX. |
I usually only shoot the 300D in manual mode, and I set it up today and for some reason the flash won't fire. I just got it in the mail a few minutes ago and isn't working. Then again there isn't a manual so I can't begin to know why it's not working right now. If I don't want the 540 in a few weeks I"d have no problems unloading it....I just hate friggin around like this. |
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05/28/2004 09:43:27 PM · #29 |
I'll second some of the advice on a 550EZ on the 300D. I love mine, and even more, I love the Stofen Omnibounce cap on the flash. I point it at the ceiling with the omnibounce for all indoor shots, and it casts a nice soft light over the subject for quite a distance. Still a flash shot, but infinitely better than the built-in flash, which washes everything in front of it out, and can promote red-eye too.
Ironically, for beginners, I'd recommend a better flash, one of the EZ series if you're a Canon shooter, because they do support E-TTL, which will make a big difference in automatic-style shooting. Unless you are prepared for a lot of experimenting, and even more reading and thinking, dealing with manually setting flash power, exposure compensation on external flash, etc., just make things easier and spend a little extra for a fully automatic flash.
Also, like Lori, I avoid flash *whenever* possible. Just not worth the unnatural look. Especially these days, with low digital-noise, you're better off with a 2 second exposure than a flash shot. |
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05/29/2004 11:48:59 AM · #30 |
Originally posted by wkoffel:
I'll second some of the advice on a 550EZ on the 300D. I love mine, and even more, I love the Stofen Omnibounce cap on the flash. I point it at the ceiling with the omnibounce for all indoor shots, and it casts a nice soft light over the subject for quite a distance. Still a flash shot, but infinitely better than the built-in flash, which washes everything in front of it out, and can promote red-eye too.
Ironically, for beginners, I'd recommend a better flash, one of the EZ series if you're a Canon shooter, because they do support E-TTL, which will make a big difference in automatic-style shooting. Unless you are prepared for a lot of experimenting, and even more reading and thinking, dealing with manually setting flash power, exposure compensation on external flash, etc., just make things easier and spend a little extra for a fully automatic flash.
Also, like Lori, I avoid flash *whenever* possible. Just not worth the unnatural look. Especially these days, with low digital-noise, you're better off with a 2 second exposure than a flash shot. |
For really simply non-flash indoor shots use a monopod. A few weeks ago I was shooting an indoor wedding and during the ceremony the priest refused to let me take any shots so I sat further back using a big zoom and a monopod..very clear, no flash..very low light.
I got my 540 working...I tried the different settings about a dozen times each before it actually started to work. But the photos were pretty good for a 5 minute test run. The recycle time is a bit much, I think it might be finicky for trying to quickly get photos of the girl's walking down the isle. I'll post an update later.
:-) |
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05/29/2004 02:56:31 PM · #31 |
While the Canon 550 is the king of flashes, I survive with my hunble Sigma 500 DG super. It has most of the features of the 550 with a slightly worse build quatily, but you can buy two of them and a wireless ir sender and have a mini studio for the price of one 550.
Unrelated note: for a while I was messing with putting exposed slide film over the internal flash to use it as an IR trigger and boy does little guy heat up fast when you put something over it too tighly. If you are going to mask or bounce the internal flash unit make sure that it can vent it's heat.
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05/29/2004 09:14:12 PM · #32 |
If you are planning to do fill indoors, a set of Rosco color correcting gels will help you tremendously with getting a good WB. I usually leave a little piece of Rosco 1/4 sun over the head all the time, just to warm up the light a bit.
A Stoffen diffuser seems like a ripoff, but it is worth every penny of the $17 I spent on it.
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