Posted by Stan Rose on February 5, 2011 at 3:36 AM
Im gearing up for storm season; in the past ive used a flashlight to light up foreground objects during a long exposure lightning shot, but i want to get a little more hi-tech and use a flash or strobe system, something i can remotely manually trigger away from the camera so that i can selectively light up a foreground subject (plants, trees etc) briefly during a long sky exposure. Any recommendations for use with the 5Dmkii?? Thanks!
Posted by Bob Miller on February 5, 2011 at 10:01 AM
You've got a few options Stan-
You could use just about any flash and walk around the target and pop it. Least expensive option.
You could use just about any flash in combination with Pocket Wizards or Cybersyncs (1/3 the price of PW's) to remotely set off the flashes.
You could go with the Canon brand and use it for other purposes besides the long exposure work.
A small lightweight lightstand is helpfull too because you don't always have a good spot to place/direct the flash. Also think about recharge time on the flash is usually 3 seconds or so and it might take 10 or more pops to light a tree, so you're talking a 45sec exp minimum.
There is a huge amount of info on Strobist.com
Posted by Bob Wyatt on February 5, 2011 at 12:15 PM
As far as the triggers let me suggest Yongnuo RF-602 purchased from ebay sellers that are in china. cost is approx 60 for a trans and two rec. They are reliable and well-built for the price. Flash will be in manual only..but you can also trigger the camera AND the flash with them. As far as standing up to a rain storm...you would have to put plastic around them but they are radio triggers and not IR so no problem with line of sight. Lots of threads about them on the flickr groups off of strobist.com. You can get sev sets for the price of one set of PW. Think about how the sync will occur...pc jack, miniport, or a hotshoe with a synch cord option When you order you can specify to the seller the sync options you want. As far as flash I think bang for the buck you should look at the Vivitars that are easily adjustable, Yongnuo also sells flashes that get pretty good reviews, or go with Canon. And MPEX has one called a Lumopro that is real nice. If you choose Canon I would go with the top of the line 580 EXII. Also think about Alien Bees with the prtable battery pack. It all starts adding up and you lose some portability
Posted by Barry Vangrov on February 5, 2011 at 1:30 PM
I'll echo Bob's suggestion of reading up at Strobist. It's probably the best site around for flash info. The consensus "best" flash system are the Nikon's Speedlights, whether or not you use Nikon cameras. I use the SB-600's for my interior architectural work. (I'm a Nikon man but the feedback I read from architectural photogs that use Canon cameras is the Canon flashes are not good and most use the Speedllights) You can buy the 600's or the no longer made SB-80 on E-Bay to save $. They'll work fine with Canon equipment - you just need to decide how you want to trigger the flash.
Bob also was right to suggest having a stand available if you need to place the flash further away than arms length and the Speedlights also come with a "foot" that screws onto any tripod, so you can use an extra tripod, if you have one, or just buy a real cheap one to use only with the flash - it's cheaper than light stand.
Go for Pocket Wizards Stan. I've been using them on magazine work for years, in the filthiest conditons, and they've never let me down. DON"T use Canon's infra-red trigger. It's useless.
If you can find an alternative to Canon flashes, that's be useful too. They always put out way to much light on an auto setting. That's why I only use mine on manual.
I'm way out of date on Canon flash, but can speak up in favor of the Nikon SB-800's and their synching abilities, if that in fact will also work on Canon. The 600's have a little less power, but that might not be an issue in the aps you're contemplating. Just do multiple pops if you need more power.
Posted by Stan Rose on February 6, 2011 at 8:42 AM
Thanks for the suggestions folks! Anyone have knowlege of the Sigma flashes? Ive seen a couple reviews claiming they were as good as the Speedlights.
Posted by Paul Wegemann on February 6, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Stan, a few years back when I shot some weddings I used the Sigma DG-500. It worked well, but the recycle time was very slow. I upgraded to the Canon 580EX (v1) and never looked back. The Canon flashes are certainly pricey though, although you probably wouldn't need the top of the line 580s. For remote triggering, you should seriously check out Radio Poppers. The Radio Popper Jr could be just what you're looking for and won't break the bank. Wireless triggering (radio not optical or IR) is certainly the way to go. Along with the Strobist web site, also check out Speedlighting. This site is specific to Canon flash. I have a set of the old Cactus wireless triggers I'd be happy to send to you if you'd like to play around. No charge. Shoot me an email if you're interested.
Just to emphasize something Paul and others said, radio triggers are definitely the way to go for field use. In bright sunlight and with the odd angles between lights often used in the field, you just don't want to go through the gyrations required to assure the various flashes trigger. We're talking shading the sensors from sunlight, redirecting the senders via reflectors to make sure they're "seen," and keeping breezes from dismantling your creations. Radio triggers are simple and effective. You won't have to deal with it in the field, but they also avoid the problem of other photographers setting off your strobes with their own, as happens at weddings. Nasty.
Discussion
8 repliesYou could use just about any flash and walk around the target and pop it. Least expensive option.
You could use just about any flash in combination with Pocket Wizards or Cybersyncs (1/3 the price of PW's) to remotely set off the flashes.
You could go with the Canon brand and use it for other purposes besides the long exposure work.
A small lightweight lightstand is helpfull too because you don't always have a good spot to place/direct the flash. Also think about recharge time on the flash is usually 3 seconds or so and it might take 10 or more pops to light a tree, so you're talking a 45sec exp minimum.
There is a huge amount of info on Strobist.com
Bob also was right to suggest having a stand available if you need to place the flash further away than arms length and the Speedlights also come with a "foot" that screws onto any tripod, so you can use an extra tripod, if you have one, or just buy a real cheap one to use only with the flash - it's cheaper than light stand.
Go for Pocket Wizards Stan. I've been using them on magazine work for years, in the filthiest conditons, and they've never let me down. DON"T use Canon's infra-red trigger. It's useless.
If you can find an alternative to Canon flashes, that's be useful too. They always put out way to much light on an auto setting. That's why I only use mine on manual.
Just to emphasize something Paul and others said, radio triggers are definitely the way to go for field use. In bright sunlight and with the odd angles between lights often used in the field, you just don't want to go through the gyrations required to assure the various flashes trigger. We're talking shading the sensors from sunlight, redirecting the senders via reflectors to make sure they're "seen," and keeping breezes from dismantling your creations. Radio triggers are simple and effective. You won't have to deal with it in the field, but they also avoid the problem of other photographers setting off your strobes with their own, as happens at weddings. Nasty.