£30 for a flash unit - seems a bargain. I have borrowed it, and it seems ok, but I sort of expected the flash unit to control the cameras settings (or vice versa) so that in AV mode or TV mode the flash would be taken into account when metering. However, the camera seems to meter without the flash, and then I have to manually set the power of the flash.
Would a more expensive Flash Unit offer more interaction between the camera and the flash unit, or would I still have to control the flash unit manually.
I'm a newbie at flash, so any explanation would need to be in layman's terms.
You usually have to get the "name brand" speedlight as your camera for it to be fully compatible. Even those that advertise as fully compatible often are not. Otherwise it is as you found, manual flash control...which isn't a bad thing - especially considering the savings.
@rellimdj Indeed, the £30 is fantastic, and is producing some nice results. Very good for action shots where a fast shutter speed would lead to a dark photo. I was just interested in what spending more money would get me.
You will need what's known as a TTL (through the lens) compatible flashgun to allow the flash output to be automatically controlled by the camera.
TTL flashguns are proprietary to a given manufacturer (so a Nikon TTL flash will not work in automatic mode on a Canon camera, and vice-versa). Historically, it was necessary to buy an expensive manufacturer-branded flash, but the proprietary communications protocols have been reverse-engineered in the past few years, and there are now a number of cheaper options that allow full TTL control.
A good, affordable TTL flash for Canon DSLRs is the Yongnuo 565EX model, available from Amazon here.
This will still provide you with all the manual controls of your nephew's model, but also give you the ability to simply fit the flash to the camera and take well-exposed shots.
While manual flash control offers you the most flexibility, it's often worth getting a TTL flash so that you can use it in situations where you are not able to fully plan your lighting -- so if you need to shoot an event in differing lighting conditions, you can just set the flash up and go. And if you want to do advanced lighting, just switch your TTL flash into manual mode.
There are various other cheap Chinese-made flashguns which offer TTL compatibility, but the Yongnuo range are one of the best-known and most well-supported. Bear in mind though that they do cost very considerably less than the equivalent Canon model, so you will be getting a lower build quality (although still perfectly sufficient for most non-professional use).
@abirkill Cheers Alexis - that makes sense. I might have a look at the Yongnuo. I do like the manual setting, but the flexibility sounds good too of having both.
Hi @abirkill , i got one of those flashes for christmas... Im not really sure how to work it though... Even on auto... Lol.. Would you be able to point me in the right direction for a basic guide???
@mrsbaldy To start with, I'd recommend setting the flash so that it shows 'ETTL' on the display, by using the mode button on the flash (it will almost certainly start in ETTL mode, so you may not need to do this). Make sure the flash is secure on the camera, using the twist lock at the bottom of the flash.
Switch the camera into either P mode or Av mode, depending on how comfortable you are with your camera, and take a shot. P is an 'advanced' fully automatic mode that allows fill flash photography, and Av mode is aperture priority which allows you to set the aperture of the lens, and let the camera figure out the correct combination of shutter speed and flash brightness to take the shot.
In either mode, the flash should fire and help 'fill' the shadows of the subject. This is the simplest way to use the flash. (I think that it probably won't work like that in 'green square' mode, so when using an external flash, it's common to use P or Av mode).
You may find that the lighting from the flash is too extreme (or, more rarely, not bright enough). In this case, you can start to experiment with flash exposure compensation, which can be controlled by the camera. This allows you to adjust the strength of the flash while still keeping it automatically controlled. There's a good introduction which I think should be appropriate for your 600D here:
You can also start to move the flash head around to 'bounce' the flash. This is one of the big advantages of an external flash unit. By pointing the flash at a white wall or ceiling, instead of at your subject, you can bounce the light off that wall/ceiling and back onto your subject, making it appear that it has been lit by a much larger light source. Again, because the flash is in ETTL mode, the brightness of the flash is automatically controlled by the camera. There's a quick introduction to bounce flash photography here:
Hopefully that's enough to get you started and experimenting! There's all kinds of incredibly cool stuff that can be done with a flashgun like this, so don't be afraid to play around and have fun. Let me know if you have any questions :)
@abirkill I bought the model you suggested - unfortunately the sale had finished so it cost me more - never mind. A belated Christmas present. It does get excellent review - just looking forward to receiving it now.
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TTL flashguns are proprietary to a given manufacturer (so a Nikon TTL flash will not work in automatic mode on a Canon camera, and vice-versa). Historically, it was necessary to buy an expensive manufacturer-branded flash, but the proprietary communications protocols have been reverse-engineered in the past few years, and there are now a number of cheaper options that allow full TTL control.
A good, affordable TTL flash for Canon DSLRs is the Yongnuo 565EX model, available from Amazon here.
This will still provide you with all the manual controls of your nephew's model, but also give you the ability to simply fit the flash to the camera and take well-exposed shots.
While manual flash control offers you the most flexibility, it's often worth getting a TTL flash so that you can use it in situations where you are not able to fully plan your lighting -- so if you need to shoot an event in differing lighting conditions, you can just set the flash up and go. And if you want to do advanced lighting, just switch your TTL flash into manual mode.
There are various other cheap Chinese-made flashguns which offer TTL compatibility, but the Yongnuo range are one of the best-known and most well-supported. Bear in mind though that they do cost very considerably less than the equivalent Canon model, so you will be getting a lower build quality (although still perfectly sufficient for most non-professional use).
Sorry @iwatts for butting in xx
Switch the camera into either P mode or Av mode, depending on how comfortable you are with your camera, and take a shot. P is an 'advanced' fully automatic mode that allows fill flash photography, and Av mode is aperture priority which allows you to set the aperture of the lens, and let the camera figure out the correct combination of shutter speed and flash brightness to take the shot.
In either mode, the flash should fire and help 'fill' the shadows of the subject. This is the simplest way to use the flash. (I think that it probably won't work like that in 'green square' mode, so when using an external flash, it's common to use P or Av mode).
You may find that the lighting from the flash is too extreme (or, more rarely, not bright enough). In this case, you can start to experiment with flash exposure compensation, which can be controlled by the camera. This allows you to adjust the strength of the flash while still keeping it automatically controlled. There's a good introduction which I think should be appropriate for your 600D here:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/flash-exposure-compensation-options-on-a-canon-eos.html
You can also start to move the flash head around to 'bounce' the flash. This is one of the big advantages of an external flash unit. By pointing the flash at a white wall or ceiling, instead of at your subject, you can bounce the light off that wall/ceiling and back onto your subject, making it appear that it has been lit by a much larger light source. Again, because the flash is in ETTL mode, the brightness of the flash is automatically controlled by the camera. There's a quick introduction to bounce flash photography here:
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/02/20/bounce-flash-photography-techniques-in-4-simple-steps/
Hopefully that's enough to get you started and experimenting! There's all kinds of incredibly cool stuff that can be done with a flashgun like this, so don't be afraid to play around and have fun. Let me know if you have any questions :)
@mrsbaldy Thanks for asking the question