Remote Flash for Indoor Photography

S

sbryan

Well-known member
So I have a few questions about using remote flashes for indoor photography, but I suppose they're questions about remote flashes in general.

I'm looking at the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 right now, and I guess I don't understand how it works. Does the transmitter require a line-of-sight with a 580EX II Flash? Will the transmitter send exposure information to my Canon 5D?

Will I need additional accessories for the flash for off-camera shooting?

How many flash units can be triggered by the speedlite?

Thanks!
 
Wish I could help you with the speedlilte transmitter. With my Olympus system, the remote flashes get all their info from the cameras onboard flash in the pre-flash stage.
 
sbryan said:
So I have a few questions about using remote flashes for indoor photography, but I suppose they're questions about remote flashes in general.

I'm looking at the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 right now, and I guess I don't understand how it works. Does the transmitter require a line-of-sight with a 580EX II Flash? Will the transmitter send exposure information to my Canon 5D?

Will I need additional accessories for the flash for off-camera shooting?

How many flash units can be triggered by the speedlite?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I'm not sure about the amount of flash units that can be triggered by the transmitter but I'm guessing you won't have enough flashes for that to be an issue.

The transmitter uses infrared transmission to trigger the 530ex which in this case means two things:
1. yes, it does send exposure information (E-TTL and all that jazz works)
2. The infrared has to be in line-of-sight between the two devices. This is why the flash rotates.

You will probably want a light stand, umbrella/softbox and bracket to hold the umbrella/softbox to the lightstand. The flash should come with a regular table top stand if that is sufficient for you.

A few things to consider:

Why do you need a 530ex if you arent using it as a master/tranmistter? Consider getting a 430ex since it's almost half the price and lighter. It's a little less powerful but worth saving the extra money. You can also forget about the tramistter and get a 430ex with the 530ex used as the master flash its a little more than the st-e2 and 530ex package but now you have two flashes. This setup with be heavier for you though.

If you are concerned about having to have the units in line of site of eachother, you could go for a cactus or pocket wizard. I know the cactus doesn't and I am pretty sure that the pcket wizard doesn't support exposure information as well but you can manually set the flash power level and adjust camera exposure accordingly. This setup will save you a good amount of money. be aware that the cactus recivers are very cheaply made.

What are you looking to do...events..studio? If you are doing events then I would stick with the canon transmitters but if you are doing product shots then don't worry about automatic control too much.
 
I thought I'de piggy back on this post rather than starting a new one:

I just dropped my 430ex...there are a few scratches that i'm not too worried about and the flash still works perfectly fine but I can see that inside the plastic front there is some broken plastic sliding around within. The flash still zooms and fires so my pictures aren't effected (in fact I just went on a shoot with it 5 minutes after it happened) but its still really bothering me. Are these things meant to be opened and replaced?
 
EG, the 530ex can be used as a transmitter? I already own the 530ex -- I purchased it because I found a good used kit on eBay.

So that means I should consider investing in a used 430ex to be used as a slave flash?

What stand, umbrella, softbox, and bracket would you suggest purchasing that I could order online, possibly from BH Photo? I'd like to have a Christmas present waiting for me when I get back to the states.
 
Sorry about the confusion, I meant the 580ex....the 580ex has a built in tramsmitter (its a master flash) that can fire a 430ex. Right now I use a $10 umbrella with a $13 bracket for photek light stand from B&H. I'm attempting to build my own self contained diffuser so there is no light loss or spill and for more directional lighting (I don't have the money to waste on a softbox right now).
 
egproductions said:
If you are concerned about having to have the units in line of site of eachother, you could go for a cactus or pocket wizard. I know the cactus doesn't and I am pretty sure that the pcket wizard doesn't support exposure information as well but you can manually set the flash power level and adjust camera exposure accordingly. This setup will save you a good amount of money. be aware that the cactus recivers are very cheaply made.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, what wireless transmitters and receivers do support exposure information? I know they're probably really expensive. I just wanted to know what gear is out there.
 
i have this trandsmitter. Its GREAT.

It has Full ETTL-II control and it can trigger as many flashes as you like. I have 2 but ive used it with 5 so far.

Its needs line if site to a degree, but if youre using it indoors, the signal bounces of walls and so LOS isnt that important. IT only matters out doors....

The range isnt amazing, but it is good enough for the job. the real benefit here is ETTL-II. Radio triggers are used with the flashes in Manual mode only. the beauty of this is that you have the choice. i had a PA running around with the lights at a shoot handheld in ETTL mode and had them moving to different postiions, and regardless of distace and position the camera adjsted them so the exposure was perfect everytime.... amazing.
 
I mounted my 430EX speedlite on an arm for a California Sunbounce micro screen. My assistant or I hold the screen behind the camera so Line-of-Sight matters and the Canon ST-E2 doesn't get the job done.

Is there an affordable radio trigger for one speedlite unit with a range of 3-10 feet?

I'm using a Canon 5D.
 
Search for PT-04 on ebay, it´s a cheap unit, but many use it...
You can also try radiopopper.com and of course the "original" PocketWizard, all depending on you budget and needs...

In your example: why does the PA have to stand behind the camera? If you put the Sunbounce slightly above and infront of the cam, the ST2 should fire the flash...
 
Dont forget about the Paul C. Buff CyberSync transmitters and receivers. You can purchase the at AlienBees.com under the Remote Button. Bought these and have been extremely happy with these.

Also, you should check out FlashZebra.com. They have tons of stuff for on board and off camera flash.
 
If you have the means, I highly recommend the Pocketwizard minitt1 and flextt1 tansmitter/transciever. I bought this a few months back and it rocks. Pocketwizard workhorse, radio transmission reliability with ETTL support, amazing!

If you need ETTL and you are doing outdoor shoots its a must.
 
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