View Full Version : Do I need a bracket???
hillcity
10-18-2005, 01:43 PM
I've always done all my pay and hobby work with stock lenses and no flash.
Since I did a lot of self-teaching, I've had to feel my way through the process, and I've learned a lot. That said, I'm very comfortable with my own way of shooting and the feel I have of the camera, etc.
Now that I have a D70 I can do a bit more than I could do before, but I definitely need a speedlight (SB8OO) flash, and I've picked up some additional lenses....
all the other "pros" have brackets on their cameras, and to me they look very uncomfortable and clunky and very indiscrete. What are they really for? Do I ever have to get one? What's a good one with good ergonomics? How much?? Does it hold extra betteries or something?
clueless and baffled....
arg.....
MattC
10-18-2005, 02:06 PM
The bracket serves to get the flash off axis. In the old days, before existing flash technology, it was the only way to avoid red eye. With an SB800 (Great speedlight by the way) that's not an issue, but it is still cool to put the light off a bit, which results in less *flat* pictures. This is especially good when taking portraits outside and you are using a low level of flash as a fill.
Better yet though, get a long cord and put your speed light on a small stand to really do something with lighting. Get three speedlights and stands and you have a small portable flash studio where everything works wirelessly. These things are really quite powerful tools if used well.
Matt
hillcity
10-18-2005, 02:30 PM
Thanks. I've just been reading about remote SB800s, that's incredible...
This stuff doesn't get any cheaper huh?
MattC
10-18-2005, 02:55 PM
Check out the SB600...
If you think of them as fancy flashbulbs they're expensive. If you think of them as portable studio flash units, their dirt cheap.
Matt
hillcity
10-18-2005, 04:37 PM
Could I use a master SB800 and then use the 6's as auxillaries? (In terms of the wireless capability)?
MattC
10-18-2005, 04:58 PM
Yep, or you could do it the other way around, although you're probably better off using the 800 as master.
Hillcity,
From what I've read in your other posts, for your shooting style and subject matter I would start out as I did...buy the best flash you can afford (SB-800) and a remote cord (Nikon SC-28 I believe). You can skip the bracket and just hold the flash, but I've personally found the bracket to be useful. If you want to experiment with multiple flashes without spending a bloody fortune on SB-600s, go down to your local camera store and see if they have any used flashes (try a real camera store, not Ritz or Wolf Camera). Fix a cheap optical slave to a flash and you're good to go for probably under $30/unit. Sure, it won't have TTL and all that fanciness, but it costs a fraction and since you're shooting digital you can make adjustments easily. If you can find one of the Sunpack or Vivitar flashes with adjustable intensity (1/32 to full) then you're really made...
Another note on the bracket: If you do a lot of vertical shots with a flash, the bracket lets you rotate the flash to be on top of the camera for the vertical shots as well as the horizontal. If you're doing photojournalism/documentary photography, I think it's a must. I use a Stroboframe. There are cheaper ones out there that work just fine though.
I should note that 30 bucks will buy only an el cheapo flash...but sometimes that's OK. The Vivitar 285s are about 50-75 apiece and worth every penny.
hillcity
10-18-2005, 07:34 PM
Asa - you're incredibly helpful! Thanks
No problem, man...glad to be of service...