external flashes. Why do you need an external flash? How to use an external flash with remote control

This photo was taken in one of the Kyiv cafes, it is located in the basement, a very good place, by the way, the food is excellent and the interior is warm - in the Soviet style. Everything seems fine in the photo, but in fact there is almost no light there, on the left there is a Soviet lamp with which it was impossible to take pictures on mine, and here, like in a fairy tale, an external flash saves me, in the end - quite a good shot. In this article, I will talk in detail about what a flash is and how to work with it.

Let's start with the fact that flashes are different, ranging from your built-in flash in a soapbox (for example, as in), ending with super-powerful and super-expensive studio flashes. I think there is not much to say about the built-in flash, everyone knows what it is:

An external flash is put on a special socket on the camera, not every camera can be equipped with an external flash, mainly SLR cameras, or advanced soap dishes like:

Different brands of DSLRs need different flashes, for example external flashes for Nikon: //SB-800/SB-900.

In poor lighting

Most often, a flash is needed for shooting in low light. I will not explain for a long time, I will show with an example. Photo models let me down, so I decided to take a picture of Che Guevara, he deserved it. So, step by step I photograph and explain what's what:

Left to right: no flash, ISO3200, built-in flash.

So without a flash, I blurred the frame, which was to be expected in such lighting. After I raised it to ISO3200, it’s quite comfortable to take pictures with my hands, only the frame turned out to be terribly noisy, if you can take good shots at ISO3200, my graininess just rolls over. The built-in flash gave quite the expected result, Che Guevaro was not pleased, as a terrible glare from the flash appeared on his face, and a shadow popped out from the lamp.

From left to right: external head-on flash, external flash to ceiling with diffuser, external flash to ceiling without diffuser.

Now I put an external flash on the camera. First of all, I repeated the focus with the flash “on the forehead”, while taking out the diffuser, the glare from the flash became less noticeable, but Che Guevaro is still not satisfied. Then miracles went on, reflecting light from the ceiling with the help of an external flash, I practically got rid of the glare and shadow, the glare near the star turned out to be due to the diffuser. The diffuser is needed in order to scatter the light more, since the angle is quite large - I still have a small glare. After I removed the diffuser, I got the picture I wanted, without glare and shadows, the stern Che Guevaro almost smiled at me :)

Flash in the afternoon

Strange as it may sound, but a flash is needed not only in the dark, but also during the day, in bright sunlight. It would seem, why do I need a flash during the day?

It's light outside, the sun is shining so hard that it's hard to open your eyes, and then there's a flash - nonsense, right? But no, my dears! A flash during the day, in bright sun, is a very relevant thing when you are, many people forget about it. Here, for example, a pretty girl, and the photo turned out creepy, because the sunlight left her face in shadow, the result was complete garbage - you can’t see her face, no matter how I tried to stretch it out:

Or here, half of the face in the sun, and half in the shade, in the end - the same garbage:

It should be like this: the flash fires and gently highlights all the details that are not illuminated by the sun.

Gently smoothes shadows:

For daytime tricks like this, you don't need an external flash because you don't need to bounce anything, you just need to light it up, the built-in one will suffice.

The defining indicator when you photograph during the day with a flash is the sync speed (sync speed), in fact, this is the minimum shutter speed with which you can photograph with a flash. Here I can use 1/500 on my D40, for which I love it! And already on the D60 you will have 1/250, with such a shutter speed it is not very convenient to photograph during the day, you will have to compensate for the light by closing the aperture.

Command mode

Another big plus of an external flash is the ability to work in command mode, I will dwell on this in another article in more detail. In short, command mode is when you have not one flash, but several. The system works as follows, one flash (it is called the master or master) controls the others (they are called differently: satellites, slaves, slave). If you know how to use it, the effect is amazing. Here I am in flight:

And this is the model Alyonka, who did not want to fly :)

Here important point, not all flashes can be master and not all slave. For example, an excellent flash, a small handy one, but it does not work at all in command mode, but can only work as a slave, external SB-700 / SB-800 / SB-900 flashes or built-in flashes on cameras work in master mode: D70 / D80/

conclusions

Need a flash! Any self-respecting photographer should have an external flash in their arsenal. At least even as small as, which, by the way, with its convenient size, can reflect light no worse than the others. Without an external flash, like without hands in a dimly lit room, so if you are preparing to become a wedding photographer, you definitely need it.

During the day, the flash is no less important than at night, I would even say that it is more. With the help of a flash, you will remove unnecessary shadows from the face, make the portrait magnificent. Here you need to pay attention to such a parameter as the synchronization time of the camera.

If you have more than one flash, you can take pictures in command mode (commander mode), if you set the light correctly, the pictures will turn out great, but not all external flashes can be fired remotely.

When buying a flash, think about how you are going to use it, if you only need to reflect light and that's it, then a small and convenient one will suit you. If you want to illuminate with a flash in command mode, you need to think about buying it, it will be useful to everyone, but unfortunately it cannot be a “master”. The SB-800/SB-900 are expensive, powerful, heavy and large flashes that can work in master and slave mode, they are only needed for those people who take pictures with flash during the day, such as wedding photographers or reporters. SB-R200 is needed for professional.

Good luck and thanks for reading to the end!

Working with flash is a rather complicated topic for a beginner photographer. Often there are more questions than answers, so beginners simply avoid using this tool even in those situations where it is really extremely necessary.

Flashes are different: built-in, external, studio and macro flashes. Let's look at the issues of working with the built-in (it is already in your camera) and external flash (the most versatile option). And you can expand your options for capturing interesting shots.

Built-in flash

This flash is probably in your SLR camera. And it is good in that it does not need to be purchased additionally; no need to allocate space in the bag and, by and large, configure in detail. However, the potential for such an outbreak is limited. Therefore, if you only occasionally use it as a source of additional (for example, fill) light, you can stop at it.

external flash

To eliminate situations where inappropriate lighting prevents you from taking a picture; In order to successfully realize your artistic ideas, but at the same time not acquire a mass of lighting equipment, you will need an external flash. When used correctly, it will provide you with the necessary lighting in almost every shooting situation.

An external flash is called a flash, which is connected directly to the camera through a mount called "hot shoe". After connecting to the camera, the flash starts automatically receiving information about the camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length) - this allows the technique to be synchronized during operation.

The external flash consists of a gas-discharge lamp equipped with a reflector (there is an inert xenon gas inside the lamp), a storage capacitor (a voltage source that turns a pulse into light), as well as a control system (controls the duration and power of the pulse). The device most often works from several finger-type batteries.

Often, in order to get a better black and white pattern and create additional volume, it becomes necessary to remove the external flash from the camera in order to direct the light from the side or from above. In this case, to connect devices (cameras and flashes) use a special sync cable. And new models of DSLRs allow you to connect a flash for remote work without using a cable - for this you need to activate wireless control functions. The main condition for working on a remote control is the location of the flash at a small distance from the camera (2-4 meters), so that there are no obstacles between the devices that interfere with the receipt of the coded signal. Advanced remote control systems allow multiple flash units to be used. To find out if your camera supports this function, refer to the instructions.

Flash flash strife. The characteristics of the equipment largely determine what shots you can take and whether you can shoot anything at all. Among themselves, external flashes differ in the set of functions and parameters.

Professional external flashes have a full range of possible modes, can have an additional power source. Such devices are attractive for their automation, of the significant disadvantages for a novice amateur photographer, it is worth noting only the high price of the flash, its impressive size and weight.

Semi-professional external flashes easier to manage, but the functions in them are slightly less than in professional devices. But they are compact, light and economical. In general, this is the best option for a beginner photographer.

Amateur external flashes. Usually these are budget models, which, due to their high power (compared to the built-in flash), are able to illuminate a fairly large distance. These flashes are powered by the camera, they do not have the ability to turn to change the direction of light, therefore, in general, they are not convenient to use and ineffective when working on artistic photographs. You can use such flashes as an additional light source.

Flash characteristics

Do not think that the flash is capable of performing the function of the only light source. A flash is needed when:

There is light, but it is not enough;

when the light is too contrasting;

Need to soften or highlight shadows.

Leading number. This is a parameter that characterizes the maximum flash power, measured in meters. Based on it, you can understand exactly how much space in front of you is able to illuminate this or that flash model. Most often, when specifying a guide number, the manufacturer takes as a basis shooting at a low sensitivity (ISO 100). Therefore, be careful if, according to the marking, the flash power, for example, is 15 meters at ISO 200, then according to generally accepted characteristics, its power is only 11 m at ISO 100. The leading number of powerful external flashes can reach 100 m.

However, this does not mean that you will need to use the maximum capabilities of the device every time you shoot. Automatic flash is able to independently determine the required power of pulsed light in accordance with the illumination of the scene. This is possible thanks to technology. TTL- flash output control .

The TTL system measures the light that has passed through the camera lens, it takes into account the aperture ratio, the presence of filters and the angle of view of the lens. To obtain accurate data, automation analyzes information from autofocus sensors, and also applies a short pre-flash after pressing the shutter button. In this way, the distance to the subject is estimated and the required flash output under specific conditions is calculated.

There is also the possibility to adjust light propagation angle at different focal lengths of the lens. This is necessary so that the entire area of ​​​​your frame is evenly lit. Most modern external flashes are capable of working with both wide-angle and telephoto optics.

An external flash can be equipped with auto and/or manual zoom. Auto zoom allows the flash to automatically respond to changes in the focal length of the lens. After receiving data from the camera lens, the device changes the position of the diverging lens, thus redirecting the light flow. If the operation of automation does not suit you, you can make the settings manually.

Flash recycle time. This parameter should be considered for those who plan to shoot dynamic scenes using flash. Often, the more powerful the flash, the longer it takes to recharge. AT technical documents the minimum time is indicated for the technique, provided that you use new batteries.

Swivel head. The ability to rotate the device will allow you to select the optimal lighting in different situations. It is convenient to work with a flash that can rotate 180 degrees to the sides and up.

Compatibility. In order for the flash and your camera to work adequately in automatic modes, they must match each other in terms of a set of parameters. When photographic equipment is developed by the same manufacturer, it guarantees their full compatibility. But this does not mean that you should refuse to purchase devices, the so-called independent manufacturers, whose price-performance ratio is even better than that of "native" flashes. Just by purchasing such a product for your camera, carefully study its characteristics.

exposition

When you use flash, consider the exposure value for the main light and for the flash light. External exposure is what you are used to dealing with when working without a flash: the ratio of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Flash exposure is affected by flash output, lens focal length, and ISO. But the duration of the external exposure (shutter speed) does not affect the operation of the flash: no matter how long the required shutter speed is, the duration of the pulsed light will remain equal to 1/1000 of a second.

It is very important to learn how to correctly correlate ambient and flash lighting in your frame (i.e. determine how powerful the flash should be in certain conditions shooting) to avoid unnatural shots, which can often be obtained by shooting on a “soap box”. The main rule in this case is to use the flash so that the viewer does not guess that it was used.

You can balance the illumination by using a long exposure time or reducing the power of the flash itself:

· slow shutter speed + low flash power = fill flash;

medium shutter speed + low flash power = balanced flash;

·Short shutter speed + powerful flash = strong flash.

The flash exposure is compensated in the same way as the external exposure: each compensation step means doubling/doubling the amount of flash light. For example, flash exposure compensation of +1 is twice the amount of light, and -2 is ¼ of the amount of light.

Flash white balance

The temperature of the flash light is close to the temperature of daylight (about 5000 - 6000 K), so if you shoot outdoors, then you have no problem. If you need to shoot in a room where incandescent lamps are present as the main light source, then their color temperature is already significantly different from the flash (about 3000 K).

Shooting in RAW format may be acceptable in such a situation, in which case you can correct the white balance already in the post-processing process. If you intend to shoot in JPG, then set the optimal white balance in preparation for work. The most acceptable white balance is "flash", and if you want to convey the warm hue that your eye perceives, use the "cloudy" setting.

Types of flash sync

Let's remind ourselves a little about how a SLR camera shutter works. The camera matrix is ​​covered with a dense, light-transmitting material - a shutter. The curtain consists of two parts: lower and upper.

At slow and ultra-long shutter speeds (from 1/200 and longer): when you press the shutter button, the exposure begins and the top curtain rises, completely opening the matrix to let in the light. When the exposure time ends, the lower curtain closes the matrix.

At fast and ultra-fast shutter speeds (from 1/250 and shorter): the lower curtain starts to move even before the upper one is fully open, which means that the frame window does not remain fully open during the exposure

This principle of operation of the shutter is called focal or curtain-slit.

Standard sync. Unlike constant lights that illuminate your subject continuously, a flash gives you flash lighting, i.e. acting in a very short period of time (from 1/500 to 1/1000 of a second) - it works at the moment the camera shutter is fully opened.

It is precisely because of the limitations in the speed of movement of the curtains that a well-exposed frame is obtained subject to the use of certain sync speed(X-sync or flash-sync).

For semi-professional cameras, the sync speed is at least 1/200 - 1/250, and for professional cameras it can be reduced to 1/500.

If you use a longer exposure time than your camera's sync speed, there will be no problem. But with a short shutter speed (less than 1/250 for semi-professional reflex cameras), only part of the frame is correctly exposed.

In the instructions for your camera, you can find information about the minimum shutter speed at which the camera shutter opens completely.

High speed sync. What if you need a short exposure time for flash photography?

To solve this problem, manufacturers of photographic equipment have developed a method for high-speed flash synchronization (denoted as FP or HSS). It consists in generating a large number of high-frequency light pulses throughout the entire time of the shutter. In this case, when shooting, you can use ultra-fast shutter speeds up to 1/8000.

However, due to the fact that the flare energy is distributed over time, its power decreases; the faster your shutter speed, the smaller your flash guide number will be. This must be taken into account when planning a shot and camera settings. When purchasing an external flash with a high-speed sync mode, you should also pay attention to whether your camera is capable of supporting it.

Slow sync. This kind of sync is used to avoid the "failure" of the background when the foreground is illuminated by the flash. The exposure of the background of the frame is due to natural light(slow shutter speed), and the foreground - due to pulsed lighting (flash). To activate the slow synchronization function, turn it on in the camera menu, then the automation will independently select the required shutter speed or calculate the required exposure time yourself by switching to manual shooting mode (“M”). The "night portrait" mode works in a similar way in amateur cameras. You may need a tripod to work in this mode.

The slow sync mode is implemented in two ways: top-curtain sync (flash fires when the top-curtain has fully opened the sensor) or bottom-curtain sync (flash fires before the bottom curtain begins to cover the photosensitive element). If you use fast shutter speeds, the result will be almost the same, but it will become noticeable with a longer exposure.

This type of synchronization is often used to convey dynamics in the frame (for example, when shooting sports events, including during the daytime). When synchronizing on the top curtain, the object itself is first fixed due to the flash, and then a blurry track is formed from the movement. If in this way you shoot, for example, a moving car, then you will create the effect of its movement backwards.

Lower curtain sync captures movement first, and then (during the flash) the subject itself. For example, you are filming a person who draws circles of light in the air with sparklers. First, the camera will capture the light tracks, and then the flash will fix the model itself so that its features are not blurry and well illuminated.

If you are working with multiple flash units, you need to synchronization of devices with each other. It is carried out using cables, radio or infrared devices.

Direct flash "on the forehead"

With this use of flash, a lot of problems arise: red eyes of the model, ugly shadows, an undrawn background, or vice versa, overexposed frames. Of course, using a direct flash is best avoided, but if you still have to work with it (for example, you want to use a built-in flash that cannot be separated from the camera), then take note of the following recommendations:

2.Set the flash to minimum power using the camera menu.

3.Use a diffuser to diffuse and soften the light. You can use a special device or make it from white paper or fabric. If you use a colored material, then the picture, accordingly, will acquire the tonality of the material.

4.Apply a reflector. To prevent the flash from hitting "on the forehead", substitute a regular white card at an angle of 45 degrees to it to redirect the light and reflect it from the ceiling or walls of the room.

5. If possible, move the models closer to more or less bright light sources (when shooting in a dark room).

Shooting with bounce flash

Most The best way get good shot indoors - reflect the light of the flash from the ceiling, and if the frame is vertical, then from the wall. It is preferable that the color of the ceiling be light, otherwise your frame will take on a peculiar shade. So you get a balanced picture: diffused lighting, softened shadows and natural light and shade patterns. The only thing that can upset you in this case is the appearance of shadows from the nose on the face of the model. To fix the problem, use a diffusion card (some models of external flashes have it built in, and if not, you can simply attach a piece of white paper to the flash with a rubber band). The scattering map will make it possible to direct some light into the eyes of the model - the shadows will disappear from the face, and a sparkle will appear in the eyes.

If you are on outdoors or in a room where ceilings cannot be used to reflect light, hanging reflectors that attach to the camera body may come in handy. They are sold in photo equipment stores or made by hand. The main thing is that the reflector is white, placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the flash body and has a large enough area to create soft lighting.

fill flash

Another common method of using flash is fill (auxiliary) light. Used to illuminate a shadow area when the subject is illuminated by a main light source. Agree, when you are shooting outdoors on a bright day, a problem often arises: the background is well developed, but the foreground object turns into an inexpressive silhouette.

On a sunny day (especially at noon), the cut-off pattern in the picture is very contrasting, as a result, dark shadows fall on the faces of the models, in order to soften them, a flash is used. And if you are shooting in backlighting, then using a flash will prevent the model from going into the shadows, and when landscape photography- emphasizes the details of the foreground. In addition, the flash "enlivens" the look of the model, adding a spark to them. Indoors, fill-flash can be used if you shoot your subject against a window: the subject will be evenly lit, and details outside the window will not be highlighted.

Flash settings should be such that it remains weaker than daylight: complements, not overshadows it. With such small nuances of daylight softening, not only external, but also built-in flash copes.

The article uses photos from the official siteLEICA.

Flash- a necessary thing. Even if you have ultra-fast lenses in your arsenal and shoot at high ISOs.

What is the flash for?

The most common and philistine opinion is that it should be light when there is not enough light. In fact this is not true. As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, low light can be dealt with thanks to a high ISO and an open aperture on fast lens. But what's wrong with this option and why is a flash still needed?

An external flash is the ability to control light. If we are shooting people in low light, for example, our secondary light source in the form of a flash performs two very important functions:

• separates the object from the background
• normalizes color temperature

This is especially important during a report, be it or.

Here for comparison two club photos and flashes:

It was not for nothing that I raised the topic of fast fixes. The super popular does not give any advantages over the less fast one, because. aperture alone does not save when photographing indoors. You can't do without a flash.

I'll take a closer look at the problems that it solves using flash during wedding photography. When you're shooting indoors, it's not so much the low light that's the problem, but the nature of the lighting.

• First, color temperature. The interiors are full of all sorts of colors. They are: rich green (oh, this one), yellow, pink, orange, blue, brown-red with stains (we are talking about a photo bench in). To shoot this splendor without a flash ... try it yourself, I won’t dare to do this.
• Secondly, the location of the light source. During the process, you can arrange the models yourself relative to the light source in the way that is convenient for you. When a photographer shoots a reportage, he cannot afford it. The worst option is when a couple is facing you, and behind them is backlight from a huge window. No super sharp f1.4 aperture, or at least f1.0, will save. Flash only.
• Thirdly, when photographing people, the aperture must be covered. If you do not want to focus on only one person or part of him.

So, we figured out why a flash is needed. Next question:

How to use flash?

What you should never do is to shoot people with a flash in the forehead. This is both unpleasant for people and ugly in the photo. The right light is diffused. There are many ways to get diffused light. So I compared various compact devices to get it. The simplest diffused light is light reflected from the ceiling. The diagram shows how it works.

But do not rely only on the light from the ceiling. For example, in , the ceiling is so high that you won't get any reflection from it at all. To solve the problem, it is worn on the back of the flash reflector.

The cheapest and easiest way is to attach a piece of cardboard to the back of the flash with an elastic band or tape. Cheap, angry and uncomfortable (for me personally). In order for the reflection surface to be larger, and the attachment of the reflector to the flash reliable, I recommend this thing:

The reflector is conveniently removed and put on, held on with Velcro. This Chinese miracle is for sale somewhere on ebay.

Where else are flashes needed?

It may be useful not only for dark time day, sometimes with its help you can significantly improve the quality of lighting during the day, even if the sun is shining brightly. Especially often external flashes are used when shooting portraits on a sunny day. However, if your background is, for example, the lights of a city at night, or you are shooting indoors in almost any difficult conditions, balance is important.

To understand exactly how much power a flash needs in each situation, you can use some (not always simple) calculations. Today, thanks to TTL (lens) flash metering, the camera can coordinate with a quality external flash to calculate the appropriate exposure and flash output to illuminate the subject. Most modern Nikon flashes have this feature and it is installed by default, with the exception of Gloxy and Phottix flashes. There is also a TTL-BL mode, which will equally illuminate both the subject and the background. In other words, it is a balanced TTL mode.

The most primitive method is to install an external flash into the camera's shoe, point at the subject and shoot. Sometimes, in this way, you can achieve a sensible result, but most often, the photos come out flat, and a high-quality photo still implies volume. Almost all flashes allow you to point the lamp, so you can point the flash light at the ceiling or against a light wall, causing it to bounce and create a softer light. This is due to the fact that the light becomes more. For portraits, this light is much better than direct light.

Another way to get custom light is to take the flash off the camera and use it as external source Sveta. To do this, the flash is connected to the camera (by wire or otherwise, depending on the model).

Reflected flash has not only pluses, but also minuses. They appear, as a rule, in large rooms with high ceilings. Due to distance, light intensity is lost. So for such conditions, you need either a very powerful flash or a portable reflector.

Flash functions

In order to choose a flash, you need to have a good understanding of its basic functions.

• The guide number is, in fact, the flash power. The higher this number, the stronger the flash. You can calculate the distance it can reach by dividing the guide number by the aperture. For example, if the number is 40 and the aperture is f/8, the distance will be approximately 5 meters.
• Automatic or manual TTL mode - some prefer automatic, others prefer manual. It's best to have both.
• The shoe type is usually more than enough, but if you want to move the flash freely, it's worth making sure it works with a cable.
• Flash reload time is also important to know, it is best to calculate it empirically. The faster the flash is able to reboot, the better, of course.
• Flash swivel options are important for when you want to point the flash sideways, diffuse, and so on. Some flashes only turn vertically, some turn sideways.
• Zoom - the distance on the flash indicates at what focal length the flash will fire. Ideally, the focal length readings should match on the flash and lens.

We have selected 4 external flashes that are best suited for Nikon SLR cameras, have the necessary functions and help you take better photos.

Guide number: 64; Reflection (degrees): -7 - 90; rotation: 180-180; Zoom distance: 24-200mm; Wireless/Slave: Master/Slave

Nikon's former top flash (until the SB-5000 came out) the SB-910 includes three lighting modes (standard, uniform and centered), and a visual indicator on the LCD displaying the lamp temperature. The SB-910 is equipped with a diffuse dome and a set of color filters, in addition, the flash can recognize when all this is installed on it. In addition, the kit includes a synchronization terminal, and a slot for an additional battery, if you suddenly decide to purchase one, a power increase and an adjustable repeat mode.

The control panel consists of sensitive buttons that allow you to easily and intuitively adjust the modes. Specially made easy switching between TTL and TTL-BL modes. All the extra features make this flash very easy and convenient to use.






Guide number: 38; Reflection (degrees): -7 - 90; rotation: 180-180; Zoom distance: 24-120mm; Wireless/Slave: Master/Slave

The Nikon SB-700 is an earlier model than the SB-910. The SB-700, however, boasts a -7 to 90 degree reflective radius, 180 degree rotation to either side, 24mm to 120mm zoom, and fully wireless master and slave modes. A standard wide-angle diffusive and reflective map is built right into the head of the flash, plus a diffuser dome and color filters are included. It should be noted that the flash, like the previously mentioned SB-910, is able to recognize the installation of the dome and filters. So it can serve as an excellent analogue for those who are not ready to purchase a newer model.

In order to enable TTL or TTL-BL mode, however, settings must be made on the camera. But when we expose them, the measurements are incredibly accurate.

There is no flash and repeat mode on this model, but the speed and quality of work can be assessed extremely positively.



1. Nissin Di866 MarkII Professional



Guide number: 60; Reflection (degrees): 0 - 90; rotation: 90-180; Zoom distance: 24-105mm; Wireless/Slave: Master/Slave

The flash from Nissin is called Professional for a reason - it is professional in its characteristics too. This is most evident in the advanced flash modes, including the ability to set the snooze, the sync terminal, the external battery slot, the build quality and some interesting additional features. There is an LCD display on the flash body and it rotates automatically depending on whether you are shooting in portrait or landscape format. Of course, you should expect master / slave modes from such a fancy flash, and Nissin does not disappoint in this.

Compared to other flashes of the same level, the zoom value of this model is somewhat limited - from 24mm to 105mm, but there are advantages, for example, the guide number of 60 is impressive. The flash may not be the fastest, but it is second to none in its characteristics, so it can be a great ally when shooting.






Guide number: 24; Reflection (degrees): 0 - 90; rotation: 180-180; Zoom distance: 24; Wireless/Slave: Master/Slave

Pretty basic, especially compared to the rest on this list, flash. At least because it does not include an LCD display or zoom functions. The guide number of this flash, in comparison with colleagues, is also very low - 24. And it works on two (and not four, like others) AA batteries. Almost all settings have to be set through the camera, and it is not compatible with all models of DSLRs.

However, it's not for nothing that it makes our list - it's the only camera that includes not only a flash, but also a constant LED light. If you're shooting up close, or if you prefer video in general, this flash is just what you need. In flash mode, the SB-500 supports wireless slave or master mode (however, this is only relevant for the D5500 , D7200 , D750 and D810 cameras). The TTL of this flash is very accurate, and the quality in its category outperforms other flash models. So, knowing its functions, advantages and disadvantages, you can accurately determine whether this flash is right for you.

In some shooting conditions, the flash is often much more important than the camera and lens itself. Whatever the super fast lens, or whatever super high ISO values ​​​​the camera does not allow to use, often good photo Without a flash, it's simply not realistic to achieve.

I most often work with the Nikon system, therefore I will give examples here exclusively for Nikon cameras / flashes, but in general the same applies to other systems.

Almost all modern interchangeable lens cameras have a built-in flash, such a flash is often called ' flash frog‘, more often just ‘ built-in‘. All modern interchangeable lens cameras can use an optional flash, this flash is commonly referred to as ‘external', less often ‘system‘.

An external flash is installed in a special connector, which is called ' shoe' or ' hot shoe‘. Usually, when buying a camera, the shoe for an external flash is closed with a special plastic plug. The shoe has special contacts through which the camera and the system flash 'communicate'. When you install an external flash on the camera, it is fixed with a special lock.

This is how you can shoot with an external flash using the reflection of the flash light from the walls and ceiling. Picture from the instructions for the SB-910

The general principle of operation of the built-in and external flash is the same, but there are huge differences in the details. About the automatic flash mode, which is often called TTL, you can read. With an external flash, you can do things that are not available with the built-in flash:

1. Can be performed continuous shooting. With an external flash, you can shoot in series. The built-in flash on most cameras only works in standard single-frame mode. This means that you can only take one picture at a time with the built-in flash. For serious shooting, especially for reportage, the ability to shoot in bursts is very, very important.
2. External flash is much more powerful than built-in. For example, the (power) of the built-in flash on the camera is 13, and the flash is 28. Roughly speaking, the more the better.
3. External flash almost always recharges faster than built-in. Also, an external flash usually has a higher overheating threshold. This means that an external flash may fire many more times before it overheats and shuts down. Not all external flashes have overheat sensors. You can find out about overheating in the Nikon flash review. Typically, the built-in flash can fire 10-20 flashes (depending on flash output) before going into standby mode.
4. Normal external flash has zoom. Yes, an external flash can be adjusted to the focal length of the lens. The external flash lamp has the ability to zoom to adjust to desired lens. For example, my flash can zoom from 10 to 200mm. With the help of the zoom, the most accurate dosing of light is ensured and the radius of the flash is maximized. The built-in flash on the camera has no zoom and is always fixed at a certain wide-angle position. With the built-in flash and a wide-angle lens, shadows may appear in photographs from the lens itself.
5. Can rotate the flash head in different directions. Typically, an external flash consists of two parts, one of which is movable. The moving part of the flash is called the 'head'. By rotating the flash head you can use flash light reflection from walls, ceilings, etc. for softer, more natural lighting. Also, by rotating the head, you can make a low tilt for macro shooting. The built-in flash can only work in 'head-on' mode. In this mode, the built-in flash gives a 'hard' light, which is of little use for normal photography of people.
6. external flash does not require red-eye reduction. The built-in flash almost always produces a red-eye effect when shooting people. To get rid of this effect using the built-in flash, you need to use a special mode for red-eye reduction. In this mode, the built-in flash does a lot of special pre-flashes, which is not always convenient. An external flash can work in normal mode shooting and there will be no red-eye.
7. An external flash can use additional scattering nozzles. This mainly concerns the diffuser card, which is often called 'burdock' and diffuser caps. If there is no card on the external flash, then it can be made. The built-in flash does not support original diffusers, there are only third-party nozzles or homemade nozzles. You can find how to make such a diffuser nozzle and.
8. Don't worry about charging battery camera, since the external flash uses its own power sources. Usually these are AA batteries. The built-in flash is powered by the battery of the camera itself.
9. external flash can be used separately from the camera in remote control mode. This means that you can take an external flash, put it in a certain place, and when shooting, it can automatically fire and illuminate your subject from the side / back / from any place at any angle. This is a very, very useful feature, with its help you can create creative lighting systems with one or more flashes. I advise you to see how it works here.
10. If there are several external flashes, then one of them, mounted on the camera, can serve as flash master for remote control of other external flash units. Not all built-in and not all external flashes can work in this mode, in more detail.

This is how you can shoot with a diffuser to create soft light. Picture from the instructions for the SB-910

Can be used a number of very useful additional things. Usually these are subtle settings with difficulties to understand:

• An external flash can give focus illumination using a special lamp on an external flash. For example, for Nikon flashes, you can read about this and.
• An external flash makes it possible using auto metering mode and when using flash without using pre-flashes. The built-in flash of most cameras does not do this. You can read why such a mode is needed, and you can find out how the mode itself works.
• An external flash allows you to use fast synchronization. With some external flashes, you can take pictures even at shutter speeds equal to 1\8000 second. But not a single built-in flash can work at shutter speeds shorter than 1\500 seconds. This is a very significant shortcoming of the built-in flashes. Synchronization with short is very, very useful when photographing with flash during the day. In fact, the flash is sometimes more important during the day than in low light conditions. You can read about using the flash during the day and about fast synchronization.
• An external flash can use additional special color filters with automatic recognition. This allows you to achieve the right, create an interesting color tone in the photo and much more. You can read more about filters.
• External flash allows more flexible control filling with light. For example, for this nikon flash lighting patterns CW, STD, EVEN correspond. An external flash may have special backlight modes, such as Nikon's BL mode.
• Many professional cameras simply do not have built-in flash, there it’s already cool, but you have to use an external flash. If you don't believe that expensive cameras don't have built-in flash, you can look at reviews, etc.
• When using the built-in flash with super wide angle lenses lens shadow appears in photographs. With external flash the shadow from the lens appears much less often.
• external flash for macro photography can be attached directly to the lens and illuminate small objects as close as possible. An example of such a flash is .
• Some advanced external flashes, for example, have an additional small flash (an additional flash on an external flash). Such a flash is useful in many specific cases, avoiding unwanted shadows.
• Some external flash units may use optional battery packs that allow the flash to be recharged for a very long time.
• The external flash has shorter pulse duration at a minimum power than built-in. This is important for .
• Some external flashes can be used cross-system, for example .
• Some external flashes can work in strobe mode, see ‘ ‘ for more details.
• Some flashes have a built-in radio trigger to control other external flashes (eg YN560 IV). The built-in flash does not have this ability.
• Some flashes have additional lamps to illuminate the scene with constant light, this is important, for example, during video shooting.
• A good external flash usually has more a million very fine settings and functions. These include work with studio synchronizers, indication of the working distance, fine tuning of the test pulse power, a smaller and more accurate power change step, etc. In this article, I simply physically cannot place all the possibilities of an external flash.

A regular diffuser card on an external flash is an example of use. Picture from the instructions for the SB-910

Disadvantages of external flash:

1. Good external flash it costs expensive. Usually, the functional / price ratio for all flashes is very well traced.
2. The external flash has big weight. For example, mine with batteries weighs more than 500 grams. Hands when working with a camera on which an external flash is installed get tired faster. An external flash requires a lot of effort during transportation, takes up space in a wardrobe trunk.
3. The external flash also breaks. This mainly concerns the mechanical parts of the flash, the flash lamp and the hot shoe. During my practice, on many flashes, battery compartment covers broke off, lamps burned, glasses melted, zoom lenses wedge.
4. Some external flashes make a lot of noise due to zoom adjustment. For example, my flash makes a lot of noise when turned on, initialized, and zoomed.

Personal experience

Personally, I can't imagine my work as a photographer without an external flash. When I started taking pictures, from professional equipment I had only my flash, everything else was amateur and I am very glad that I spent money for a good external flash. For me, in an external flash, the ability to reflect light from the ceiling, huge power, fast reloading, additional focus illumination, and of course, a remote control system are very important. Usually they write only about the advantage of an external flash in terms of light reflection, but there are a lot of advantages of an external flash over a built-in flash, some of which are described in this article. In fact, the difference between the built-in and external flash can only be understood by directly using the first and second. By the way, in the instructions for the flash you can find all the necessary information on setting up and shooting, for example, I just took black and white pictures for this article from the instructions for my Nikon. Also, I do not recommend paying much attention when choosing a flash.

From personal experience I will also add that external flash takes some getting used to, with its help it will not be immediately possible to get masterpiece photos. If the quality of photos with the built-in flash suits you, then it's too early to buy an external flash. By the way, external flashes are very different in their functionality, and you also need to work hard to choose the right option. My recommendations for choosing an external flash for modern Nikon cameras will find . If it is still difficult to understand whether you need an external flash, I advise you to take it from your friends, or find a person from whom you can borrow a flash for a couple of days.

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A creative lighting system of multiple external flashes controlled by an external flash on the camera. Picture from the instructions for the SB-910

conclusions

Someone on my blog wrote that you first need to decide on the light, or at least with an external flash, and then choose a camera and lenses - this is a pretty good approach for serious work. An external flash is very useful tool for the photographer. But if there is no strong need for an external flash, for example, for amateur photography, then you can get by with the built-in flash.