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Gary Fong warns of counterfeit Lightsphere flash diffusers

11 Feb

Photographer Gary Fong, the creator of the Gary Fong Lightsphere, has published a video that warns about counterfeit Lightsphere products being sold on Amazon. Fong showcases the authentic product alongside the counterfeit product, highlighting differences that will help consumers spot the fake, as well as issues with the counterfeit product’s design.

The Lightsphere is a collapsible flash diffuser that is made from clear material sporting horizontal rings. The counterfeit version sold on Amazon, Fong points out in his video, is made from flimsy material that doesn’t hold its shape. As well, the counterfeit product is made from material dyed white rather than left clear, which impacts the diffuser’s performance.

As the video explains, the differences between the real diffusers and counterfeit diffusers are nearly indistinguishable.

In addition, the dome doesn’t stay fixed in the counterfeit product and instead easily falls out. The entire product, including the package, shows multiple signs of being fake, including poor print quality on the diffuser’s strap, a shiny rather than a matte box, a product insert that has poor print quality and poor image quality on the package’s label.

Fong shows images to prove that not only did Amazon sell this product, but in fact presented it as its ‘choice’ to buyers and shipped it directly from its own warehouse. In order to avoid a fake product, consumers can purchase the Lightsphere directly through Gary Fong’s website, though it should be noted that not all Lightspheres sold by Amazon are fake.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Godox TT685 Thinklite TTL Flash Real-World Review

10 Feb

The post Godox TT685 Thinklite TTL Flash Real-World Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

One of the only things I missed when I moved from Nikon to Fujifilm a few years ago was the quality of speedlights available for X-Series cameras. I never truly appreciated how good the Nikon Creative Lighting System was until I couldn’t use it anymore!

This is no longer a problem though: in the last couple of years, we’ve seen feature-packed speedlights introduced by manufacturers such as Godox.

In this review, I test out the Godox TT685F speedlight flash on my Fujifilm X-Series gear. If you’re not a Fujifilm shooter, keep reading anyway, as Godox makes a version of the TT685 for every camera system.

Image: Many Fujifilm shooters are happy that there’s finally a third-party flash with both TTL and H...

Many Fujifilm shooters are happy that there’s finally a third-party flash with both TTL and HSS (high-speed sync). Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 56mm f1.2 R lens with Godox TT685F on-camera. 1/300s at f/2.2 ISO 200.

Why Godox?

There’s a wide range of third-party flashes available for different camera systems on the market today. Ten years ago, I would only ever buy a flash made by my camera manufacturer and would generally avoid any third-party flash made in China.

How times have changed – the quality and range of features on third-party flashes these days are outstanding, and prices have fallen significantly.

I first heard about Godox flashes through word of mouth in Fujifilm Facebook groups. Godox is based in Shenzen, China, and has been around since 1993. They make photographic lighting products under their own Godox brand, and also under other names such as Flashpoint.

Introducing the Godox TT685

The Godox TT685F

The Godox TT685 is a powerful, feature-packed speedlight at a very attractive price point, around $ 110USD.

It’s available for all major systems. If you’re looking at buying one, make sure you grab the right one for your camera. The last letter in the model number gives it away: TT685F is for Fujiilm, TT685C is for Canon, TT685S is for Sony, TT685O is for Olympus/Panasonic, and TT685N is for Nikon.

What’s in the box

The flash comes attractively packed in a sturdy cardboard box with key details of its specifications. Inside the box, you’ll find the flash, a small black mini stand for attaching the flash to light stands, a black protective case, and an instruction manual in Chinese and English. The manual is also available on the Godox website.

Unboxing the contents of TT5685F

TT685 specs

The specifications of the Godox TT685 are truly impressive. Here’s a summary:

Runs on 4 x AA batteries. Each set will give you about 230 flashes.
Recycle time varies between 0.1 and 2.6 seconds.
It can be used as an on-camera flash, as an on-camera master to trigger other off-camera flashes, and as a slave flash off-camera.
The flash head tilts between -7 degrees (slightly backward) to a 90-degree angle.
The flash head rotates 360 degrees.
Allows high-speed sync up to 1/1800 second.
Full TTL (through the lens) mode for Fujifilm X-Series cameras.
Manual flash can be adjusted from 1/1 to 1/256 power in third-stop increments.
Runs on a 2.4Ghz radio connection – very impressive given more expensive flashes in the market run on optical line-of-sight only.
Capable of firmware updates via a USB port.

Build quality

The build quality of the Godox TT685 is very good. It looks and feels a lot like my old Nikon speedlights, especially the slightly larger SB-900. With batteries in, it weighs around 500g, a little on the heavy side on a mirrorless camera, but not too bad.

The TT685 has a familiar dot matrix LCD screen on the back, which displays all the settings and information you’ll need when using the flash. As well as the on/off switch, there’s a middle dial, which is useful in manual mode to dial settings up and down. It also has a number of buttons, including one for changing the flash mode, one for putting the flash into slave mode, and another that lights up red. This serves as both the test flash button and also an indicator that the flash is ready to fire.

The red button on the bottom left shows the TT685 is ready to fire.

Near the flash head, there’s the standard catch light panel and wide-angle diffuser panel.

Catchlight panel (top) and wide-angle diffuser panel (over flash head)

Ease of use

Setting the Godox TT685 up is easy. Pop the batteries in and attach it to your camera by sliding it on the hot shoe with the dot matrix panel facing you. Rotate the circular lock ring on the base of the flash until it locks up. You’re ready to go!

It’s easy to move the flash up and down from an upright position to facing your subject head-on, but I found it a lot more difficult to rotate the flash 360 degrees. It’s not hard to do; it was just a bit stiff and felt like it wasn’t meant to rotate at first. I had to check that it did rotate in the camera manual as I didn’t want to break it.

Using the flash in all modes is pretty easy. It turns off after 90 seconds of idle use, but pressing your camera shutter halfway or pressing any of the buttons on the flash wakes it up.

Image: It was quite dark here, but I’m really happy with the way this image came out. Fujifilm X-T3...

It was quite dark here, but I’m really happy with the way this image came out. Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 56mm f1.2 R lens with Godox TT685F on-camera. 1/600s at f/4 ISO 200.

Three modes

The Godox TT685 has three modes: TTL, Manual and Multi. You can easily cycle through these by pressing the mode button on the flash.

Having a third-party flash that supports TTL on Fujifilm is wonderful; many other third party speedlights in the past did not.

TTL stands for “through the lens.” This is a way that the flash can work with the camera to determine the best flash output for any given scene and, therefore, the best exposure.

The TT685F mounted on the Fujifilm X-T3.

You can adjust this with the flash exposure compensation feature. This is similar to how you may shoot in full auto mode or aperture priority mode in your camera (allowing it to make exposure decisions) but then adding exposure compensation to suit the scene.

The TT685 range of speedlights also supports high-speed sync (HSS) up to 1/8000s, which is the fastest mechanical shutter speed on many X-Series cameras, including the X-T3.

HSS can be very useful in bright conditions outside, especially if you want to shoot shallow depth of field. Many flashes don’t support HSS, so their sync speed is typically only 1/200 or 1/250 second, which can be limiting.

In TTL mode, you can also select second curtain sync, where the flash fires at the end during longer exposures instead of at the start. This can be useful in night scenes to expose traffic trails or lights in the background while the flash lights up your subject in the foreground right at the end.

Image: The Godox TT685F was fired by the X1T-F wireless trigger for some off-camera flash. It was po...

The Godox TT685F was fired by the X1T-F wireless trigger for some off-camera flash. It was positioned on a lighting stand, firing backward into an umbrella with a softbox attached. Fujifilm X-T3, XF 56mm f1.2 R lens, 1/120s, f/4, ISO 200.

In manual flash mode, you are selecting how powerful the flash fires, from 1/1 full power to 1/128 power. You can use the dial to move up and down in 1/3 stop increments. This mode is very useful when you want more precise control over your lighting. It was also the way flashes were used for years before TTL.

You can also use stroboscopic flash in Multi mode. Use it to illuminate a moving subject against a dark background: each time the flash fires in rapid succession, the subject is shown moving across the frame.

Although I didn’t test this feature of the TT685, I’m looking forward to trying it out one day.

Using the flash in slave mode for off-camera flash

Off-camera flash (OCF) is something that beginning to intermediate photographers often want to learn. The good news is that it’s never been so easy.

The TT685 in slave mode- note the color of the LCD panel has changed to orange.

Putting a flash in slave mode used to be a nightmare.

I remember being on a Nikon training course in London in 2006 with my brand new D200 camera and SB800 speedlight. At the first break, the trainer asked if we had any general Nikon questions. Before he could finish the sentence, three or four people asked if he could teach us how to set our speedlight up in slave mode!

Image: The Godox TT685 in slave mode shown with my Fujifilm X-T3 with the XT1-F wireless trigger att...

The Godox TT685 in slave mode shown with my Fujifilm X-T3 with the XT1-F wireless trigger attached.

We all wanted to trigger our flashes off-camera by the built-in pop-up flash, but the interface of the flash and user manual left us all scratching our heads. As he explained the process, we wrote detailed notes so we wouldn’t forget. It was a question I was then asked by a number of photographers over the next couple of years, as it was not easy to work out.

What a contrast we have to the Godox speedlights!

To trigger the TT685 off-camera, you’ll need to use another Godox flash or the Godox X1T wireless trigger.

Image: My son illuminated by natural light, backlit by the Godox TT685F in manual mode (1/64 power)...

My son illuminated by natural light, backlit by the Godox TT685F in manual mode (1/64 power) mounted on a lighting stand. Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 50-140mm f2.8 R LM OIS WR lens. 1/150s at f/4 ISO 200.

The X1T is a small, light, wireless trigger made from plastic that sits on the hotshoe of your camera, triggering Godox flashes set up in slave mode. Like the flashes, there’s a different version for each camera system, denoted by a letter at the end of each model.

It’s so easy to use the X1T-F wireless transmitter. The first time I ever tried it with a smaller Godox flash, the TT350F, I spent about one minute reading the manual, and within another 30 seconds, I had the flash set up in slave mode. Voila!

The wireless trigger is excellent – you can fire Godox flashes from up to 100 meters away, which is quite amazing. In my test, I fired it from 50 meters away with no problems.

Image: In this shot, I’m about 50 meters away from my son with my Fujifilm X-T3 and the XF50-140mm f...

In this shot, I’m about 50 meters away from my son with my Fujifilm X-T3 and the XF50-140mm f2.8 R LM OIS WR lens (zoomed all the way in). The flash fired with no problems!

Usability

Using the flash for basic on-camera/off-camera TTL and manual mode firing is all pretty straightforward. You can easily cycle between modes, vary the intensity of the flash in manual mode, change groups and channels without having to work too much out.

For some of the more advanced functionality of the flash, you’ll definitely need to read the manual. I’ve played around with it by randomly pressing some of the other buttons, and I got lost a couple of times.

Quality

I’m very happy with the quality of the images I’ve taken with the Godox TT685. It certainly feels like it could compete with the best flashes on the market quite comfortably. I’m not sure it has the best recycle time on the market, but other features, such as its use of wireless technology, make up for it.

Value for money

Around $ 110 USD, the TT685 is excellent value for money. The range of features you get with this speedlight, notably high-speed sync, the ability to use it as an off-camera flash, and the fact it runs on a wireless signal, are all winners in my book.

Alternatives

Godox makes a range of flashes to suit different needs and budgets. Two alternatives to the TT685 are the TT350 and the V860II.

The TT350 is a smaller, lighter flash that runs on two AA batteries. This was the first Godox flash I bought, and at first, I was impressed by the small size and good price point. However, over time, it proved not to be as powerful as bigger flashes, and the recycle times between flashes seemed quite poor.

Image: In this shot, I used the Fujifilm X100F with the Godox X1T-F wireless trigger to fire an off-...

In this shot, I used the Fujifilm X100F with the Godox X1T-F wireless trigger to fire an off-camera Godox TT350F speedlight.

The V860II is practically identical, except it runs on a rechargeable lithium ION battery, allowing faster recycle times. I chose the TT685 due to the cheaper cost, but also because I prefer using multiple sets of rechargeable AA batteries.

Conclusion

The Godox TT685 is a must-have piece of kit for photographers wishing to use a flash on-camera or experiment with off-camera flash. It has an excellent range of features, good build quality, and has a competitive price point.

Usability is good too, only with more complex operations will you need to read the user manual. Turning the TT685 into a slave for off-camera use is straightforward and done with a press of a button.

The TT685F mounted on a lighting stand.

Using wireless technology, Godox flashes all talk to each other seamlessly, and you can trigger flashes in slave mode up to 100 meters away. This is vastly superior to much more expensive speedlights that rely on line-of-sight transmission.

If you’ve never used a flash or a speedlight in your photography, there’s probably never been a better time to throw yourself in the deep end. I highly recommend the Godox TT685F.

Have you tried out the Godox TT685F flash? If so, share with us your thoughts in the comments.

The post Godox TT685 Thinklite TTL Flash Real-World Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

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Mastering Lightroom Keywords in a Flash

05 Feb

The post Mastering Lightroom Keywords in a Flash appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

As your collection of photographs grows, it’s important to have a way to manage all those images. Lightroom keywords can help you tame your ever-increasing photo library, but mastering them can take a bit of practice. Whether you’re a Lightroom veteran or completely new to the software, these tips and tricks will save you plenty of time and a few headaches too.

Nikon D750, 95mm, f/3.3, 1/250 second, ISO 250

Understanding keywords

Lightroom keywords are like tags on a social media post. They help categorize your pictures according to specific elements contained therein, as well as broader themes you can’t necessarily see.

For instance, let’s say I post the following picture of a mockingbird on a social media site. The caption contains text I might share with the image, along with a few hashtags.

I shot this mockingbird on a chilly November morning. So fun to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! #Nature #Bird #Mockingbird #Outdoors #Oklahoma #Nikon #Sunshine #Happy

Each of those hashtags could be considered a keyword: they help describe and categorize the image. You can’t see that I shot the picture with a Nikon camera. And yet I used the #Nikon hashtag in case people are searching for images taken with that type of gear. I also added the hashtag #Happy because this is a picture that makes me feel joy.

Keywords in Lightroom work in the same way. When you apply them to your images, you are helping make sure you have a way to organize and locate your pictures later on. It might take a bit of work (but not much!) to apply keywords, but that work can pay huge dividends down the line.

Nikon D750, 125mm, f/4, 1/180 second, ISO 180

Adding keywords on import

The process of adding Lightroom keywords is pretty straightforward. Lightroom has a number of tools to help you with this step in the process in order to make your job as easy as possible.

You can add keywords to pictures at any time, but the best way is to apply them when you initially import your images.

I usually shoot in batches, so all the photos from any given import operation generally have similar subjects and themes. That makes adding keywords en masse quite practical as opposed to entering them later, but you can certainly do that too.

You can add keywords during the import phase.

In the above photo, you can see the import dialog with thumbnails of several pictures I shot on a foggy morning. Applying keywords when importing them into Lightroom will help me later when I want to find these same images.

On the right side of the Import screen is a panel called Keywords. You can use this to type in a set of words that describe the pictures, just like you would add hashtags to the pictures on social media. For the images above, I would use keywords such as Morning, Fog, and Sunrise.

Lightroom keywords are kind of like social media hashtags. Use them to describe your image as well as non-visual aspects – like how it makes you feel.

You can also create a Metadata Preset that applies a specific set of keywords. Choose the “New…” option under the Metadata section of the Apply During Import panel.

Then navigate to the Keywords section and enter the keywords you want to apply.

Save it as a new Metadata preset, and you can apply these keywords as a batch to a group of images on import.

You can create a metadata preset that includes a set of Lightroom keywords to apply during import.

If you don’t want to apply keywords when importing, you can do it in the Library module after finishing the import. In some ways, this process is even easier than applying on import, but I find that if I don’t do it right away (i.e., when importing), I tend to forget. I can sometimes end up with a huge backlog of photos to keyword, so I prefer to get it done right away and not worry about it later on.

Adding keywords in the library module

In the Library module, select the photos to which you want to apply keywords. Then you can add keywords using a few different methods.

You can also add keywords after importing using the Library module.

The most obvious way to enter Lightroom keywords is to just type them in the text entry box in the Keywording panel.

Separate each keyword with a comma and add as many keywords as you want.

Lightroom will offer keyword suggestions based on what it thinks you might want to use, but I don’t find these to be particularly helpful.

Use the Keywording panel to enter keywords for your images, and separate each keyword with a comma.

If you have several keywords you find yourself using consistently, you can store them in a Keyword Set. This is a collection of Lightroom keywords that are particularly useful for certain shooting situations, such as Outdoor Photography, Portrait Photography, or Wedding Photography.

Click the drop-down menu to select a set, and then click individual keywords to add them to an image or a batch of selected images.

Lightroom has a few existing Keyword Sets, but you can create your own as well.

Scrolling down below the Keywording panel brings up another panel called Keyword List. As its name implies, this is a list of every single keyword you have ever used in Lightroom. It also shows a number indicating how many photos to which that keyword has been applied.

Select one or more photo thumbnails and then click the checkbox next to one of the existing keywords to apply them to the images.

If you have hundreds of keywords, you can narrow the list by searching for specific keywords using the search box at the top of the Keyword List panel.

The keyword list can be used to quickly add existing keywords to images

One other way to add keywords is to use the spray-can icon near the bottom of the Library module.

Click the icon and then select Keywords from the drop-down menu.

Enter any keywords you want to apply and then click the pictures on which you want to apply them.

Use the spray paint icon to add keywords to images with a single click, or multiple images by clicking and dragging

I don’t find the Painter tool to be especially useful, but plenty of photographers use it in their workflows. Your own usage will vary, but the bottom line here is that there are many ways to add Lightroom keywords to your pictures. The important thing is to find a solution that works for you.

Searching and sorting

After you have keywords applied, you can use them in a variety of ways to organize and search through your pictures.

If you just want to find images with one specific Lightroom keyword quickly, you can click the arrow icon next to a word in the Keyword List panel.

If you want to revert to showing all your pictures, select the Library menu, and then un-check the “Enable Filters” option. You can also press Ctrl-L (or Cmd-L on a Mac) to do the same thing.

Another way to use Lightroom keywords for finding specific images is to use the Filter bar.

In the Library module, choose the View menu and then “Show Filter Bar,” or press the “\” key. This brings up a search interface that lets you filter your photos according to hundreds of individual criteria.

The filter bar lets you search for a wide variety of image data, including keywords.

Type the keyword you are looking for in the search bar, and Lightroom will instantly pare down your images to show just the ones you need.

You can also adjust the criteria from “Contain All” to more than a half dozen other options such as Contain, Starts With, or Are Empty.

Lightroom keywords

My favorite use of Lightroom keywords is in conjunction with smart collections. These are collections of images populated on the fly according to the criteria you set.

Every time I do a photo session, I assign the keyword “PhotoSession” on import. These are automatically sent to a Smart Collection containing, as you would expect, every photo from a session.

I also have smart collections for my personal photographs. Since I keep everything in the same Lightroom catalog, I use keywords to sort it all out.

Smart Collections are a great way to use Lightroom keywords to organize your photos.

This means that I never have to think about which photos are from my formal sessions and which ones are not. Lightroom keywords and Smart Collections handle this task for me, which means I have more time to focus on editing instead of sorting.

Nikon D750, 180mm, f/2.8, 1/500 second, ISO 1800

Conclusion

If you haven’t used Lightroom keywords, I think you will be surprised at how helpful they can be. It takes just a small amount of work on your part to apply keywords, but the end result is a library of images that is much easier to tame.

Do you have any tips or tricks for mastering lightroom keywords? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Mastering Lightroom Keywords in a Flash appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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Getting Started with Off-Camera Flash in Photography: Equipment

29 Jan

The post Getting Started with Off-Camera Flash in Photography: Equipment appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.

When you are just getting started with it, off-camera flash in photography can feel incredibly difficult. You then look at all the amazing work of others and begin to wonder why your photos never look like that.

In this short series, we will look at getting you started with off-camera flash. We’ll take you from a complete novice through to someone who will feel confident and able to get the most out of their flash.

Let’s start with the things that I will cover in this series:

How off-camera flash works
What gear you will need
The technical bit
Using modifiers
Adding more flashes.

Off camera flash photography with a Hasselblad

Off-Camera flash in photography is something that can take your portraits to the next level. It is also not as scary as you might think.

The Gear

If you are getting into off-camera flash, you have several options. Some of you may have a flash for use on-camera, some of you may not. For this article, I will go through what you need.

If you are looking for a shopping list, it is as follows:

A flash
Flash triggers
A flash stand
Umbrella bracket
A flash modifier

I will then suggest a setup for those on a budget and a setup for those with a little more cash to spare.

As with all recommendations for gear, I am not paid by any brand to push their gear (I should really push this out with a plug shouldn’t I? hit me up camera companies!!) And they are my opinions, so please let’s not argue about this in the comments guys.

Right, Let’s go through each item one by one.

A Flash

The Vivitar 285Hv, AKA “The Tank.” Smashed, missing pieces and hit by skateboards. It still works fine. I even replaced the flash foot with a metal one when I snapped it.

This can be any flash. You can use an old manual flash bought for under $ 20 on eBay, through to the latest and greatest speedlite from your camera company, which will cost you over $ 400. Going even further, you could get a battery-powered studio strobe. What you need or want will depend on your budget and your needs.

There will be very little difference in these in terms of light quality. The difference will be in the ease of use and the power of the light.

The temptation may be to go with the same brand as your camera, but in all honesty, you can get much better value for money.

Now at the budget end, you can still get great mileage out of an old, fully-manual flash like the Vivitar 285. This flash is an ugly beast of a thing that is full manual. It doesn’t even have an LCD screen.

However, it is built like a tank, and you can buy it for around $ 20 to $ 30 on eBay. You can also get old flashes by Canon and Nikon for a little more. Remember, when using manual flash, you do not need to worry about which brand you are using. You can just as easily use a Canon flash on a Nikon camera and vice versa.

If you have more money to spend, then you really cannot look at flash these days without looking at the Godox brand. Godox produces a great range of flashes in all shapes and sizes. They also come with triggers built-in. This means you only need to buy a trigger for your camera and you are good to go.

By going with something like the Godox system, you also have the luxury of being able to change your flash power from the camera. This makes the process a lot easier, but it does come at a cost.

If you are buying a new flash from Godox or similar, make sure you invest in the flash specific to your camera brand.

A great mid-range flash would be the Godox 860II. This flash has Godox’s wireless system built-in and uses a Li-ion battery and recycles quickly even at full power. You also get a huge amount of flashes per charge (over 500) that will last even the most eager photographer for a full day of shooting.

From here, you can get bigger options with more power, but my honest recommendation is that, when starting out, you generally won’t really take advantage of what these units offer. Save your money and then invest in these later as you need them and, more importantly, once you know why.

Two of the most popular flash triggers made by Godox. they are rebadged under several names. In this case, PixaPro.

Flash triggers

Okay, you have the flash, now you need to trigger them.

Flash triggers come in many varieties. From a super simple trigger and receiver, through to a controller with an LED screen that allows you to see exactly what setting your flash is on and change them remotely.

What you need here depends on the type of flash you have (or purchase). For the budget option – old school flash with no built-in trigger – we will stick with the basic, but functional, option.

You can get a set comprising of a receiver and two triggers for around $ 20. They are as basic as they sound; however, they generally do the job and are pretty reliable. There is no screen, and from past experience, you may need to carry both triggers even when using one flash as they can occasionally be temperamental. There is no control of the flash at all. If you need to change your flash power, you need to go to your flash and change it by hand. It does the job and does it well without any bells or whistles.

Stepping up, look at the Godox trigger.

When you add the Godox trigger to a Godox flash, you can change the power remotely, and as you get more advanced, you get to do other things such as change groups, and high-speed sync. Basically, this trigger will allow you complete control of your flash from wherever you are shooting.

You will expect to pay around $ 50 and up for the trigger. You won’t need a receiver in this setup as the flash has one built-in (one less thing to forget to put into your bag). Overall, you get much more control here.

The more you invest in a trigger system, the more reliable it will be. For an amateur, this isn’t a huge issue, but if you are doing paid work, it really is worth investing in a decent set of flash triggers.

Flash stand

Unless you have an understanding friend or family member, you need a stand to put your flash on. If you are doing this on a budget and already have a tripod, you can use that as an interim measure, but flash stands are cheap. You can get a flash stand for $ 15 to $ 20. When stepping up in price, the main things you gain are better build quality, better quality knobs, and air cushioning.

Air cushioning means, if you undo the stand, the light doesn’t simply drop, it is cushioned by air, reducing the risk of damage to your flash. However, this is designed more for larger, studio-style flashes, so there is not a huge benefit in this for a speedlite-style flash, especially if you are looking to save money.

A flash stand by a company such as Manfrotto will cost you in the region of $ 80-$ 100. However, these are a purchase for life. Unless something major happens, a good-quality flash stand will last you for years and never need software updates.

Two different types of umbrella bracket. The metal cold shoe is the reason I had to put a new foot onto the Vivitar 285 you saw above.

Umbrella bracket

This is the key piece of equipment that allows you to fix your flash to your light stand. It also allows you to add modifiers to your flash, such as umbrellas and softboxes.

As with light stands above, the only difference with flash brackets is the build quality and the quality of the knobs.
A good umbrella bracket will cost around $ 20 to $ 30. I would suggest investing in this straight away. You can get cheaper, but not by much. It is worth the extra few dollars to buy a higher quality one.

A thing to remember here is that you may also need to buy a cold shoe for your umbrella bracket. This screws into the umbrella bracket via a spigot and has a shoe for your flash to mount to. These only run at a few dollars and some umbrella brackets have them built-in. Make sure you check and purchase as necessary as you may end up incredibly frustrated if your shiny new gear turns up, and you cannot connect your flash to your light stand. Trust me; I’m talking from experience here.

With a cold shoe, the main question is do you go for a metal or plastic one. Personally, I prefer plastic. The reason being that if your flash does happen to take a tumble and you are on a plastic cold shoe, it will usually snap. This may seem like a bad thing, but with a metal cold shoe, physics means it will snap at the weakest point. This is usually the base of the flashgun. Instead of snapping the cold shoe, you will snap the base of your flash off.

Now hopefully, your flashes never take a tumble, but I know mine definitely has. A gust of wind can come from nowhere. I have replaced several plastic cold shoes, but have luckily never snapped the base off a flashgun yet (touch wood, fingers crossed, etc.)

Off-camera flash in photography with a simple umbrella of a woman in a green coat at sunset

One of the first off-camera flash portraits I shot. Simple gear can create great results.

Modifiers

Softboxes, beauty dishes – there are many different modifiers, and the prices range from the insanely cheap through to the incredibly expensive.

I would always advise starting with umbrellas as a modifier as they are cheap, cheerful, and versatile. Also, learn one modifier inside and out before investing in more. When you know a modifier, you can use it in several ways and will allow you to create a variety of looks as you get used to working with it.

You can buy a 30” convertible umbrella for under $ 10 (you can shoot through it or shoot it reflectively). You will not get a better price-to-performance ratio from any other modifier.

It is tempting to buy a bucket load of modifiers if you have the money to invest, but what happens is, you become unfocused and try different modifiers, not really knowing the uses of each.

Buy one, learn it, then buy another. Don’t waste your money buying fancy gear just for the sake of it.

Extras

Please, please invest in (or make) a sandbag. A sandbag goes onto the bottom of your light stand and holds everything down, which means a minimal risk that your nice new equipment gets smashed on the floor.

You can make one of these incredibly cheaply, but they are worth their weight, literally. If you don’t have one (or have forgotten to get one), a camera bag will do in a pinch.

When using an umbrella outside, it is like having your flash gear attached to a kite. If you don’t weigh it down and the wind catches it, you may be picking your flash kit up in pieces.

Buy one and use it. If you don’t, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So, how much are we talking about?

I have priced these beginner kits for those on a tight budget, and those with a bigger budget. Please note, I haven’t gone crazy with the larger budget. What you see here is what I truly believe to be the best beginner kit for getting started.

You will gain nothing from spending lots of money. The aim here is getting the gear to get started without over-complicating things.

The cheap and cheerful

This shot was taken on a setup almost identical to the one below.

Flash: Vivitar 285HV from eBay: $ 30

Triggers: Alzo Trigger Set $ 21 (There are several weird and wonderful companies producing this type of trigger, check Amazon/eBay for them.)

Flash Stand: $ 23

Umbrella Bracket: $ 10

Convertible Umbrella: $ 7.50

Sandbag: Use your camera bag

Total: $ 91.50

You read that right, $ 91.50. You can get started in off-camera flash for the price of a meal out.

A little to invest

Off-camera flash photography with one light and a reflector.

This portrait was taken with only one light and a reflector. There is so much to learn when getting started in off-camera-flash photography that adding more lights will add problems.

Flash: Godox 860ii: $ 179

Trigger: Godox XPro C: $ 69

Air Cushioned Flash Stand: $ 29.65

Umbrella Bracket: $ 29.48 plus cold shoe $ 9.95

Convertible Umbrella: $ 7.47

Sandbag:$ 21.95

Total: $ 346.50

What do you get for the extra cash?

More control.

You can control the flash output directly from the camera plus advanced features such as add groups when you add more flashes in the future. You also get a flash that will take a lot more shots and recycle much quicker between photos. Lastly, if you don’t get on with off-camera flash, you have an awesome flash to use on your camera.

Right, so now you have your shopping list for off-camera flash in photography, next up comes the science part. I’ve just got to go out and get myself a new lab coat, so enjoy this article and see you next time.

Is there a set up that you use for off-camera flash in photography? Please share with us in the comments.

Paul C. Buff launches LINK 800WS plug-and-play LED flash unit

15 Jan

Paul C. Buff Inc., the company known for its professional lighting products, has introduced LINK 800WS, a new portable flash unit that features up to 800 watts of power, multiple shooting modes, 1 to 10 adjustable f-stops and a digital LCD. The product’s name refers to the company’s effort to link its ‘past products with currently photography needs,’ according to the PCB.

The LINK 800WS flash unit is Paul C. Buff Inc.’s most powerful and versatile light ever launched. The product packs a daylight-balanced LED modeling light and detachable battery into an all-metal housing; the model supports umbrella rods up to 9mm and has a stand mount that supports up to 5/8in stands. The portable flash unit is fairly compact at 16.5cm x 12.1cm x 32cm (6.5in x 4.8in x 12.6in) with a weight of 3.9kg (8lbs, 7oz) including the battery.

In addition to HSS / TTL modes, the LINK 800WS also features an Action Mode and a Color Mode. Other features include 3.5s recycle time, 8.8cm (3.5in) LCD, plug-and-play support for 100 to 240 voltages, +/- 100K color consistency at any power level, support for speeds up to 1/154,000s and an included magnetic rubber diffusion dome.

The LINK 800WS is currently listed on the Paul C. Buff Inc. website for $ 895.95, but the company says it won’t be available to purchase until Spring 2020. The light will work with the new HUB remote and BUFF mobile app on iOS and Android. Buyers will have the option of choosing a LINK 800WS bundle that includes the flash, charger, battery, and the HUB remote for Nikon or Canon (or, later on, Sony) for $ 1,196.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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SanDisk reveals 8TB SSD prototype and Ultra Dual Drive Luxe 1TB flash drive

09 Jan

SanDisk has introduced a sleek new flash drive that features an appealing metal body and a very practical dual-connector design. The new SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe thumb drive will arrive later this year, offering users a large storage capacity in a small form factor.

As its name suggests, the Luxe drive features both USB-C and USB-A connectors, making it possible to use the drive with the majority of newer smartphones, tablets and laptops on the market. In addition to its high level of durability due to the metal build, SanDisk’s new drive has a slot for attaching the device to a keychain or securing it within a bag using a lanyard.

According to Engadget, SanDisk will release this model toward the end of 2020; the price hasn’t been revealed at this time.

In addition to the upcoming flash drive, SanDisk also showcased a prototype portable SSD with a massive 8TB capacity capable of 20Gbps transfer speeds. According to Engadget, the drive is slightly larger than the SanDisk Extreme External SSDs, though it’s still small enough to stuff in a pocket.

Though it would be the highest capacity portable SSD if it were to come to market, it only exists as a prototype at this time. It’s unclear when SanDisk anticipates launching the product and how much it will cost, though it’s likely to be quite expensive. The company’s existing 2TB Extreme Portable SSD model costs $ 270, for comparison.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Anker announces the first MFi certified LED flash cube for iPhone 11, 11 Pro devices

31 Dec

Chinese smartphone accessory manufacturer Anker has announced a new iPhone lighting accessory that connects to Apple mobile devices via the Lightning cable.

Last week, we reported, via 9to5Mac, that Apple could soon support Made for iPhone (MFi) lighting accessories. This new device from Anker confirms that report and comes as the first device that will work natively with Apple’s hardware and software.

The iPhone LED Flash, as it’s currently being called, will retail for $ 50 and work exclusively with iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models. According to Anker, the flash unit works with Apple’s stock camera app, as well as third-party camera apps, and is capable of firing off 10,000 shots per charge. When the battery is dead, it can recharge via a Lightning cable (although you can’t use the one that’s built-in, which is inconvenient).

Ignore the ‘December 27, 2019’ release date — it appears it won’t be out for another month.

Anker claims the light, which bears a striking resemblance to the Lume Cube, can help ‘illuminate objects at 2x the range and 4x the brightness’ compared to the LED flash modules onboard the latest iPhone models. It comes with a diffuser (also similar to Lume Cube) and features a standard 1/4”-20 tripod mount.

No definitive date is given for the launch, but 9to5Mac is reporting it will be available sometime in January. In the meantime, you can keep an eye on Anker’s website for more information. We have contacted Anker for a confirmation on the release date and will update the article accordingly if we receive a response.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash

20 Dec

The post How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

Using a flash for portraits can be a great way to enter the world of studio lighting without having to spend too much on an expensive lighting kit. While there are affordable systems, using a flash is both easy to set up and use when you know how to do it right. After some practice, you’ll achieve looks that have that studio quality and creative lighting all-in-one.

Image: Use one flash for portraits and bounce light off the ceiling for an even light on your client...

Use one flash for portraits and bounce light off the ceiling for an even light on your client’s face.

Why use flash for portraits?

Flash can give you the portability that you’re looking for in a lighting system without having to carry extra gear just to use it. You can use a flash on or off-camera. It offers versatility in use so that you can achieve the look you want in your portraits.

Use one flash on-camera to light your clients against a sunset sky.

Also, when you need to fill in light, say during sunset or compete with afternoon lighting, using a flash can help you get better exposure from frame-to-frame during your sessions. This gives both you and your clients more final images to choose from that are correctly exposed. You’ll also spend less time working on the images in an editing program.

What kind of flash is best to use for portraits?

While most flash systems are pretty good in their own right, you’ll want to invest a bit in a flash that is able to be used in both manual and TTL modes. Having a flash that has the ability to use both modes will give you more range during your portrait sessions.

Image: Difference between flash and no flash. Notice the background in both pictures. This was using...

Difference between flash and no flash. Notice the background in both pictures. This was using one flash on-camera.

Choose a flash system that is compatible with your camera. It doesn’t have to be of the same brand family. However, choose one that is made to work with your camera brand. It will give you better results and have fewer faults when the time comes to set it up and use it. You will spend less time learning how to use it on your camera and more time experimenting with it instead!

Modes on flash

There are two main modes on a flash and both have their purpose when it comes to portraits: TTL and manual.

How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash

One mode is TTL, which means “through the lens.” It’s when the flash meters the light and then chooses how much light it will fire when you take the photo. This result can sometimes be inconsistent lighting frame-to-frame, but it’s helpful when you need to work quickly without having much time to change the settings.

TTL does come with flash compensation, however, so you can choose it to output more light or less light depending on what you want to achieve for your portraits. This will still allow the flash to meter and adjust accordingly on its own – thinking for you.

Image: Use TTL when you need to fire the flash quickly without wasting time with the settings. Use f...

Use TTL when you need to fire the flash quickly without wasting time with the settings. Use for moments that seem like they’ll pass quickly like fireworks. The flash meters the light and sets what it thinks is the correct power output.

The other main mode is Manual.

Manual allows you to set the power output from full (1/1), down to 1/128, on some flashes. This gives you control over how much light you want the flash to fire onto your subject and you can adjust as you go along. Manual gives you more consistent output and light since you only need to set it once. You can then leave it until your lighting situation changes or until you want to try something different.

Taken with one flash on-camera at half-power to compensate for the fading light.

Both modes are great to explore when using flash on or off-camera to achieve your desired look in the portraits you take.

What happens when you use flash during sessions?

When you use flash during portrait sessions, you’re essentially taking a photo of the ambient light and the flash in one photo together.

Flash happens quickly. This is why many cameras often won’t allow you to use a shutter speed faster than 1/200th of a second so that your camera has time to capture the light in a scene. Some flashes come with an “h” button for high-speed sync, where it gives you the option to use a high shutter speed with the flash.

Image: Hitt the “H” button to be able to use the high-speed sync mode and photograph por...

Hitt the “H” button to be able to use the high-speed sync mode and photograph portraits with a shutter speed faster than 1/200th of a second.

Changing your shutter speed only changes the amount of ambient light. Whereas, when you change or adjust the ISO and aperture, both change the flash and ambient exposure. Changing the flash power only changes the flash exposure.

All are important to take into consideration when you use flash, whether on-camera or off so that you can correctly expose.

Image: In the photo on the left, I used one flash off-camera to camera right near the couple. On the...

In the photo on the left, I used one flash off-camera to camera right near the couple. On the right, no flash, same location and time.

For example, you can leave the flash power at a consistent output and change the ISO and aperture to achieve the desired look you want.

Image: Single flash tilted about 60 degrees toward the top with the bounce card up to bounce light b...

Single flash tilted about 60 degrees toward the top with the bounce card up to bounce light back onto the girl’s face.

When you’re getting started in using flash for portraits, keep in mind that you’re taking two photos in one exposure. A photo of what the flash lights and what it doesn’t. It takes some practice to achieve good results, so don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time.

On-camera vs. off-camera

On-camera

Flash, on-camera, works really well during portraits when you need to add a pop of light, or to bounce light to fill in shadows. It’s also great when you can angle it in a creative way to add some interesting light to your portraits.

Most often, you can use the flash on the camera and get the right look for your portraits. Especially if they are families, weddings, and other similar types of portraits.

One flash on-camera pointed toward the client at night.

The great thing about external flashes is that they come with the ability to angle at different degrees. They also give you the option to rotate the head and get the flash to fire in the direction and angle that best fits your situation. For example, a bride getting ready in a room with low light is the perfect time to use the flash, either bouncing from the ceiling or wall perpendicular to the bride.

Image: The photo on the left is with the flash angled to the side. For the photo on the right, I poi...

The photo on the left is with the flash angled to the side. For the photo on the right, I pointed the single flash toward the ceiling to bounce light back into the bride’s face.

Using the flash on-camera, angled at the ceiling will give you nice even lighting, especially if the ceiling is white. Additionally, if you use the flash pointed sideways, it will bounce light at an angle that will give your bride some shadows and thus more drama and depth.

At a beach, for example, place the flash on the camera and angle it toward your clients. Here, you can make sure your clients are lit while the sun rises or sets. Depending on where you’re located, you can light them evenly while getting the colors in the sky exposed correctly as well.

Both portraits are lit with a single flash on-camera.

If you’re competing with midday sunlight, with the flash on your camera, you can fill in shadows as you photograph your client. This is a good alternative to using a reflector or having an extra pair of hands to help reflect light.

Another great advantage of having your flash on-camera is that it moves with you. You take your light where you need it. For example, if you’re following a child running along the seashore, your on-camera flash goes with you and fires each time you hit the shutter fully. That way, you don’t have to worry about moving the flash while trying to capture this fleeting moment for your clients.

Image: Single flash on-camera pointed directly at the clients to be able to expose for both the back...

Single flash on-camera pointed directly at the clients to be able to expose for both the background and clients.

Another pro is that when the flash is on your camera, it’s faster to set or change your settings for the particular situation you’re photographing. Let’s say you need to work quickly while photographing the portraits for a bride and groom right after the ceremony.

Having your camera on your flash will make it easier to adjust the settings and power output for smaller or larger groups as they can change from frame-to-frame. Or when you’re photographing in sunlight that keeps hiding and coming out from behind moving clouds. You can adjust your settings at each change of sunlight so that you can expose your clients perfectly.

Image: Both photos use a single flash on-camera to light the client. Flash can be used indoors and o...

Both photos use a single flash on-camera to light the client. Flash can be used indoors and outdoors.

Off-camera

You’re more likely to achieve more studio-like lighting to your portraits using off-camera flash. It’s also an excellent choice when you’re photographing individuals, couples, or in a closed space. The ability to trigger your flash while not attached to your camera can offer lots of different creative lighting angles too. It can give you results that more closely resemble what you had visualized.

Image: Only one flash was used to camera left pointed at clients directly while I stood about 45 deg...

Only one flash was used to camera left pointed at clients directly while I stood about 45 degrees from the flash.

For example, in the photo above, the couple was walking along the shore. The cloudy sky didn’t offer us much light before setting behind the horizon. Having the flash off-camera angled at them, but also angled so that it lit the sand below, helped create more drama.

Image: The photo on the left has no flash. However, the portrait on the right is using the flash off...

The photo on the left has no flash. However, the portrait on the right is using the flash off-camera left. Notice the difference in the ambient light temperature (the lamp post lights are warmer in the photo with flash).

With the flash off-camera and on a light stand, you have the ability to photograph portraits with a longer focal length without having to worry about changing settings.

Let’s say you want to light a portrait with the light at 45-degrees of your client, and pointed down so it adds a little bit of drama to the scene.

Set the flash and adjust the settings on a stand. Now you use a longer lens like an 85mm, 100mm, or the 70-200mm lens at about 10-feet of distance. You get the same results with other focal lengths because you don’t have to move your flash around.

Image: A single flash was positioned closer to the client in front of me while I stepped about 10-fe...

A single flash was positioned closer to the client in front of me while I stepped about 10-feet back to use my 50mm lens and get some interesting light on the portraits.

The advantage of off-camera flash is that you get consistent lighting without having to worry about moving it around the scene even when you use a different lens and are farther from your subject.

In addition, while the flash is on a stand, you’re able to use attachments like an umbrella or softbox with your flash and not have to worry about it falling over or moving it at all.

Single flash used off-camera on a stand. I placed it high to mimic the sun in a small bedroom.

With off-camera flash, you’ll need to use a radio transmitter/trigger of some sort. That way, your flash, and camera can communicate wirelessly and achieve different lighting techniques.

Some transmitters come with receivers, and you’ll need to physically touch the flash to change the settings. Other transmitters come with a built-in LCD screen where you can change the settings of the flash from your camera. This is a huge advantage if you are at a distance from the flash.

Single flash used off-camera on a light stand. I made the photos warmer in post-production.

In conclusion

How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash

Taking portraits with one flash can be a much easier setup and offer many different lighting opportunities for your portraits. Whether you use the flash on or off-camera, you will be able to create and manipulate the light in your portrait both inside and out on location.

Have you used flash during portraits before? Share with us your setup and experiences.

The post How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

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Synchronizing Your Flash with the Sun (Synchro-sunlight)

03 Dec

Filling deep shadows with artificial light has been a part of photo technique since the invention of flash powder in the 1880s. Synchronizing a handheld flash with ambient sunlight is a terrific way to soften shadows and create professional looking images. Synchro-sunlight or fill flash, two names by which it is often called, is used by many of the greatest Continue Reading

The post Synchronizing Your Flash with the Sun (Synchro-sunlight) appeared first on Photodoto.

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Do You Need A Flash For Travel Photography?

31 Oct

Packing for a trip is arguably the worst part about travel. As photographers, not only do we have to choose which of our vast wardrobe of clothes to take with us, but we also have to decide which pieces of our ever-expanding portfolio of camera equipment to take with us. From picking which lenses and camera bag to remembering your Continue Reading

The post Do You Need A Flash For Travel Photography? appeared first on Photodoto.

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Posts Tagged ‘Flash’

Why Godox?

Introducing the Godox TT685

What’s in the box

TT685 specs

Build quality

Ease of use

Three modes

Using the flash in slave mode for off-camera flash

Usability

Quality

Value for money

Alternatives

Conclusion

Understanding keywords

Adding keywords on import

Adding keywords in the library module

Searching and sorting

Conclusion

The Gear

A Flash

Flash triggers

Flash stand

Umbrella bracket

Modifiers

Extras

So, how much are we talking about?

The cheap and cheerful

A little to invest

You may also like

Why use flash for portraits?

What kind of flash is best to use for portraits?

Modes on flash

What happens when you use flash during sessions?

On-camera vs. off-camera

On-camera

Off-camera

In conclusion