nikon flash units?

[john818]

hi everyone,i want to get a flash unit for my nikon d40,my budget is $100.i dont need the newst and greatest,just something basic,i want to shoot mostly birthdays,carshows,live events.what do you guys recomend?

[Jeff Anderson]

I'm a fan of going manual with the flash - sunpak 383 or vivitar 285 both fit your price and offer some great light.

[john818]

thanks,so wich one do you think has more control over the light,and is it possible to do wireless work on these? if yes how?

[Jeff Anderson]

I think control is going to be in the hands of the user. I use the sunpak just because they are easier to find locally. I can go from 1/16 to full output with a slider on the back and other than that I dont know what kind of control one would offer. It does have a tilt/swivel head which is handy for bouncing various directions. Wireless works fine with both, just get an optical slave adapter. www.strobist.com has some great articles on these flashes and going wireless. for more money you could go rf with the wireless too. I'd just stop by your local camera shop and see what the have to play with.

[john818]

hows the nissin di481 ttl flash? will it work with my d40?

[CharlieG]

Check out the Quantaray QB-6550D Bounce Flash w/Nikon Digital SLR Flash Module
from Ritz camera Its $20 more than what you want to pay & check with them if it
will work with your D40....


A TTL flash is a MUST for digital cameras IMO

[john818]

cool thanks ill check that out,what do you guys think of the nissin di481 ttl flash

[Jeff Anderson]

never heard of it. I say forget the TTL. I have a sb600 and a d70 and with everything auto my pictures tend to look pretty amateur and require lots of work in post. Set the camera to manual, toss on my nice and bright 383 and I'm a happy camper with little to no adjustments required in post. I usually test once to check my aperture and flash power and then I'm good to go periodically bouncing off a wall instead of the ceiling and adjusting the flash power if the wall is really close or something. No silly menus, no metering trying to average my pics for me.

[CharlieG]

Like jdajda, never heard of the nissin di481 flash...

And I respectively disagree with him on the TTL flashes. While I love my Vivitar 285, it just doesn't cut it when it comes to live events where you don't have the time to check your shots and retake them. A TTL flash takes out the trial & error of live event shooting IMO. I shoot professionally and shoot around 200-500 live event photos a week & a client driven photographer. In my business, being accurate technically & recording photos in a fast timely manor are the keys to putting food on my table....

[john818]

thats a good point,is there a flash where it has both ttl and manual?

[Jeff Anderson]

Charlie, I'll give you the TTL in a fast paced environment. I dont shoot fast paced live events. My shooting on a professional basis is limited to product shots for my video clients that are too cheap to hire a real photographer. So my setup time cant include getting out a full light kit, but I'm not under the pressure of live events either. I'm fortunate to get second chances if I dont like the shot.

I *think* most ttl speedlights should be able to shoot in full manual. at least the sb line from nikon can. Not sure about the Nissin stuff. Personally I stay far away from cheap things I've never heard of, but I could be way wrong on this too. Google dave black photography - hes got some great articles on working with TTL, slaves, multiple speedlights etc. And some great looking photos too!

[john818]

just got the quantaray GF30,im still learning how to use it.do you guys know how i could get the background a stop or 2 stops down,and get the model infront perfect exposure?