I want to get into photography....

[BillyJoelR]

Re: I want to get into photography....

dean was off today, he's definetly not on vacation haha. he was even kind enough to come in on his day off today to help me sort out my hotshoe sync issue i was having with my sb-600's.

dont know steve but they all seem to be a pretty good group of guys, unless you get the idiot who just started with the pony tail. he seems like a bit of a space cadet.

I sure he aint the guy that you talk about.
I was hoping Dean would help me out.

Nice decision, enjoy!

Thanks.

Thanks Fellas for the help!
My next questions will be regarding settings.

[bonfire]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Man the Camera store has turned their ship around in a big way. The other day I walked in there (I work across the street).

4 staff members asked if I was doing alright. 4!!!!

Two years ago I watched a guy wander around that store, much like myself. After about 45minutes he yelled "I have 5000 dollars in cash in my hand. I wanted to buy some camera gear, but you know what? **** it, I am going online or maybe Vistek" He did this while waving 5000 in $20 bills.

I have always had unbelievably shitty service there, until the past few months. It was full of seriously pretentious douche-bags, and if you weren't buying D2's or 1D's then you weren't worth the time.

I tend to be a Saneal guy, as they tend to have cheaper prices. But I don't really buy a schwack of new camera gear.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Is the line of sight the main downside to the SB-600?

Depends, for on-camera use the SB600 rocks. You get full i-TTL which means you can set it to auto and the camera will tell the flash what power to fire to expose properly. You also get a swivel head so you can bounce the flash off the roof or side wall to avoid the deer in the headlights look that lesser flashes and on camera flashes give.

Then there is off camera flash use.
Nikon has this cool stuff built into their cameras, it really is pretty cool because it gives nikon users a "free" (if you buy their flashes) to do off camera lighting wirelessly. It's called Creative Lighting System (CLS) and it uses the on camera flash to trigger other nikon flashes remotely.
Its not done using the flash's light itself, but rather infared waves from the pop up flash. The beauty of CLS is it too allows i-TTL as well, AND you can control the flashes power settings from the camera body if shooting in manual mode. This makes it a lot easier than having to adjust each individual flash by walking over to it. A few clicks in the menu and you can make the required changes. Nikon claims a range of about 30', which is true, and does say it needs line of sight...which is also true.
In the studio, or indoors, CLS works. You do have to keep in mind the line of sight, which depending on the size of the object you are shooting, can be worry free or an issue.
The real flaws in CLS are made known outdoors. The sun also emits IR, and so you have interference. You have reduced range, and when trying to get shots to work you have to remember line of sight. Therefore the flash ALWAYS has to be ahead of the on camera flash (or visible to the commander flash SB-800/900/SU-800) that you are using.
I did a lot of reading about CLS and heard the complaints but never had any issues with it for my lightbox and indoor shots....until I went outside.
You wind up spending a lot of time making the lighting work for CLS so that it will fire, rather than making it work to get the shot you want. The reduced range begins to become an issue, as is shooting close to your subject but you want the flash (or flashes) further back to feather the lighting.
Also if you begin to use light modifiers like a softbox or umbrella, they automatically by their nature will hide the flash from line of sight, so you have firing issues.


Eventually I got sick of trying to make CLS work for me, so i bought new triggers which use radio waves. Too many wasted shots where the flash or flashes didn't fire, which wasted my time, my subjects time, and frustrated me.

I will continue to use CLS for quick stuff that I know it will work for (lightbox shots etc.) but have all but given up on it for my other shoots.

Again, for a FREE feature built into the camera, it really is handy. i never would have got into off camera lighting if I had had to buy a set of radio syncs right away ($200) on top of the flash and lightstand costs. And while there are cheap alternatives such as PC cords, they are cumbersome, have limited range (the length of the cord) and are a pain to set up if you are shooting outside as you trip on them.

[RobG]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Wow, That's some great info. I have seen some indoor shots where you want to light a room in the background with a speedlight and another flash for the subject, the remote flash is out of the line of sight. Can the IR light be bounced off wall to fire the flash?

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

i've had it work before, but its hit or miss. i've done it around the corner with all of the lights off in my apartment and had it work, but then trying to do it outside in similiar situations it doesn't work.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

BTW. Line of sight isn't the limitation fo the flash, its the limitation of the trigger which is CLS. an SB900 will have the same issue if triggered via CLS.

[RobG]

Re: I want to get into photography....

So start with a Speedlight, then upgrade to a Radio Transmitted device later or is there a better flash to start with?

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

you're shooting a nikon D90 right? i'd start with a SB-800 if you can find one. Little more $$$ but it has a built in PC port on them. Otherwise a SB-600 is a good starting spot. $260 after tax

[RobG]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Yup, D90, Are the SB-800's replaced by the SB-900's? Double the price, Probably start with the 600.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

yyeah they were replaced by the 900, though the 900 is a little better than the 800 in a few areas. they are definetly pricey little buggers.

[RobG]

Re: I want to get into photography....

I find it impressive how photography equipment holds value even with the evolution of technology. I'm going down to Oklahoma next week and I was hoping to find some better pricing but shopping down there will only save you up to 5% at the most.

Blair should add a Photography section to the Main Conference

[MusicalGenius]

Re: I want to get into photography....

At least the dollar has bounced back a bit, as well as USD dropping.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Bodies dont hold their value all that well, but glass does. Part of the reason for this is glass is the image quality maker. You can have a middle of the road body, or even a low end body, but if you have good glass you will have good pictures.

You can have a top of the line body, but crap glass, you will NEVER get good pictures.
They make lenses interchangeable all the way back to the late 80's on both nikon and canon, so even old school lenses will work on todays bodies. This means they pretty much dont age, or lose value. And why it is really expensive for pros, once they have picked a brand, to switch. The body really is the cheap part. When you have to buy all new lenses, with the big 3 being $2000 each, and any primes or tele's on top of that being $1000+ it gets pricey. Your $4000 body looks like a drop in the bucket to the $20,000 in lenses you have sitting around.

This is what photographer Vincent Laforet took to the Beijing Olympics hahaha
Talk about a small investment.



On that note, nikon just officially released the D300s and D3000. I am eagerly awaiting the D700s & d700x. Also new glass was released.

[RobG]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Oh so expensive, the cheapest "accessory" is a minimum $250.
A fun hobby that takes knowledge and skill as well as an account to fund it.

I noticed there is a updated version of the AF-S DX 18-200mm VR II as well.
I thought the D300s with the Compact flash slot as well as an SD slot is a nice option.

[stefan]

Re: I want to get into photography....

On that note, nikon just officially released the D300s and D3000. I am eagerly awaiting the D700s & d700x. Also new glass was released.

Best not buy anymore DX glass if you're looking at the D700. Mind you, something like that DX 18-200 would sell fast if you moved up.