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18
ATHENS PHOTOGRAPHY GUILD - JUNE 2016 BY WADE SHELDON CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH

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Page 1: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

A T H E N S P H O T O G R A P H Y G U I L D - J U N E 2 0 1 6

B Y W A D E S H E L D O N

CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH

Page 2: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH?

• On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light

• “Snapshot” look

• Flat/featureless light

• Hard shadows

• Reflections, red-eye

• Light fall-off with over-bright foreground, dark background

• Bounce/tilt and diffusers help, but limited flexibility

• Off-camera flash lets you control direction and quality of light

• Easier to use modifiers

Syl Arena (Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to

Craft Light with Canon Speedlites)

Page 3: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

OFF-CAMERA FLASH OPTIONS

• Wired flash cords

• Wireless flash

• Non-dedicated triggers

• Dedicated transceivers

• Dedicated controllers

• Built-in flash controller

• Accessory flash with controller

• Accessory controller (without flash)

• Combinations

• Wired connection to transmitter plus wireless receivers

Page 4: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

WIRED FLASH CORDS

• Benefits

• Easy to use

• Dedicated models work like

attached flash

• Cheap ($15-$45 3rd party)

• Various lengths (3’-33’)

• Downsides

• Camera brand-specific

• Limited distance from camera

• Clumsy (tripping/knocking over)

• Best uses

• Flash brackets

• Studio (softboxes/umbrellas) Vello OCS-C33

(image: www.amazon.com)

Page 5: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

WIRELESS TRIGGERS

• Transmitter on camera, receiver on flash

• Benefits • Generic - not brand specific

• CHEAP! (<$30)

• Simple

• Can use for flash, strobe, accessories

• Downsides • No camera communication

except “FIRE”

• Manual settings everywhere

• No HHS - stay under sync speed

• Best uses • Tabletop, white-box

• Studio lighting (set once) CowboyStudio NPT-04 (image: www.amazon.com)

Page 6: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

WIRELESS TRANSCEIVERS

• Transceiver on camera, transceiver on flash

• Benefits

• Dedicated flash communication

with camera (auto/manual)

• Work like wireless cord

• Affordable (<$100/pr)

• Fairly simple

• Can mix flash, strobes, accessories

• Downsides

• Brand-specific

• Fiddly button settings

Yongnuo YN-622C II (image: www.amazon.com)

Page 7: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

BUILT-IN WIRELESS CONTROLLERS

• Controller on camera (“master”)

• Receiver on flash (“slave”)

• Benefits

• Dedicated flash communication

with camera (auto/manual)

• Works like wireless cord

• Control with camera menus

• Multiple flashes, groups

• FREE (2007+ models with popup flash)

• Downsides (Canon)

• Need 90EX flash for 5D, 6D, 1D series

• Optical wireless (LOS limits placement)

• Limited range (~30’)

Canon Pop-up Flash

(image: www.imaging-resource.com)

Page 8: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

ACCESSORY WIRELESS CONTROLLERS

• Master flash or dedicated controller unit

• Receiver on flash (“slave”)

• Benefits • Dedicated flash communication

with camera (auto/manual)

• Settings from master flash or

controller AND camera menus

• Multiple independent flashes,

groups

• Optical and Radio options

• Long distance radio (~100’)

• Downsides • Line-of-sight (optical wireless)

• Expensive ($200+ for controller)

• Complex (lots of options)

Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and ST-E3-RT

(http://www.bhphotovideo.com)

Page 9: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

CANON FLASH SYSTEM

90EX (optical

controller) 270EX II (optical receiver)

320EX (optical receiver)

430EX II

(optical receiver), 430EX III-RT

(optical+radio controller/receiver)

600EX-RT, 600EX II-RT (optical+radio

controller/receiver)

ST-E3-RT (radio controller only)

(Note: Yongnuo has cheaper knock-offs)

Page 10: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

CANON FLASH AND TRIGGERS

• 90EX/270EX/320EX lack manual on-flash settings

• Need 430EX/600EX for

non-dedicated triggers

• Can use older models

with manual controls

(very cheap used!)

• 420EX, 430EX I

• 580 EX, 580 EX II

• Can use cheaper Canon knock-offs (Yongnuo)

430EX II (optical receiver),

430EX III-RT (optical+radio

controller/receiver)

600EX-RT (optical+radio

controller/receiver)

Page 11: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

ON-FLASH MENU

430EX II 600EX-RT

Page 12: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

ON-CAMERA FLASH MENU

Cameras WITH flash transmitter

(7D, 60D, 70D, 80D, Rebels)

Cameras WITHOUT flash transmitter

(5D, 6D, 1D)

(Syl Arena’s “Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition)”)

Page 13: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

ON-CAMERA FLASH MENU

• External Flash Menu Changes with Flash Mode

• Varies a little by camera & flash model (RTM)

(Syl Arena’s “Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition)”)

Page 14: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

ON-FLASH MENU – GROUP MODE

• Group Mode (Gr) ideal for multiple speedlite setups

• Assign each flash to a group (A-F; set in flash menu)

• Can control flash mode and power independently

• Can turn individual flashes on/off

• Can change settings from controller/master or camera menus

• Great for setting levels of each flash one at a time in M mode

600EX-RT / ST-E3-RT

Page 15: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

GETTING STARTED

• Start simple and cheap

• Use built-in wireless (or cheap transceiver pair)

• Start with 1 flash with manual controls

(buy used/older model or borrow to save $$)

• Buy/borrow an inexpensive flash stand umbrella kit

• Add a 5-in-1 reflector or foamcore board to

bounce light for fill

• Watch online tutorials or buy a book and

try out the basic lessons with your set up

• Practice shooting in M mode and using FEC

• Experiment with umbrella (shoot-through, bounce, positioning, feathering)

• Add additional speedlites, modifiers as you

advance (and need them) Westcott 43" Umbrella Flash Kit

($72 at www.bhphotovideo.com)

Page 16: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

LEARNING RESOURCES

• Camera and speedlite manuals!

• Canon Digital Learning Center Quickguides • http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/quick_guides.shtml

• Strobist Lighting 101 • http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

• Syl Arena tutorials and books • Website: http://pixsylated.com/blog/

• Books:

• Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition, 2016)

• Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (2013)

• Youtube:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5byuHJ9uBns

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gmgN8l7UFg

• YouTube tutorials

Page 17: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

USES - PORTRAITS

Page 18: Canon Off-Camera Flash - Athens Photography Guild · CANON OFF-CAMERA FLASH . WHY OFF-CAMERA FLASH? •On-camera flash useful for fill, but unnatural when main light ... GETTING STARTED

USES – MACRO WHITE-BOX