So I bought Manfrotto light stand as well as an adapter. I want to start playing with flash of the camera as everyone recommends this. I bought the 580EX II and will be ordering and umbrella from B&H as well as the hotshoe adapter for the flash. or a Manfrotto 175F-1 justin spring clamp as I hear good things about this. I was wondering if there is anything else you suggest for getting this properly set up. I am currently shooting with a canon 5D classic and a 85 1.8 soon to be 1.2. what do you recommend for wireless triggering the flash? also any suggestions of feedback on the current items for experimenting with flash photography. it will mainly be use for portraits and my newborn.
Thank you ytsaelee. I have heard of pocket wizards for wireless triggering but heard they have some sort of interference with 580EX II. is there anything anyone out there suggest?
If you will be in a studio or other close, indoor environment, the much maligned Canon STE-2 will work and you get ETTL capability. Where it loses out is outdoors, longer distances and/or around corners. I used mine last night in studio and it does the job. You can get them reasonalby cheap right here on B/S.
skasol wrote:
...what do you recommend for wireless triggering the flash? also any suggestions of feedback on the current items for experimenting with flash photography. it will mainly be use for portraits and my newborn.
Although you asked about wireless triggering, another option is to use a long ETTL cord. Since portraits aren't usually done from great distances, and since portrait lighting normally uses lights that are rather close to the subject, a wired trigger is often a good choice.
Wireless has the advantage of no cords to trip over, but keeping track of one cord isn't too difficult, and the advantages of low-cost ETTL flash make up for any inconvenience. Unlike optical wireless triggering, wired triggering will work reliably even with a flash inside a soft box or other modifier.
Brian's solution is the way to go. But to answer your question, a Pocket Wizard Plus II, although it doesn't support ETTL, will not interfere with your 580.
BrianO wrote:
Although you asked about wireless triggering, another option is to use a long ETTL cord. Since portraits aren't usually done from great distances, and since portrait lighting normally uses lights that are rather close to the subject, a wired trigger is often a good choice.
Wireless has the advantage of no cords to trip over, but keeping track of one cord isn't too difficult, and the advantages of low-cost ETTL flash make up for any inconvenience. Unlike optical wireless triggering, wired triggering will work reliably even with a flash inside a soft box or other modifier.
skasol wrote:
...will the st-2 serve me will if I want a wireless solution?
It depends a lot on intended use.
Indoors in small rooms it can work, although you're limited to two groups (A & B). Another problem is that the ST-E2 doesn't swivel, so you can't point it at a slave that's not forward of the camera.
Given the limitations, I'd recommend a thorough investigation before you buy one. Many people have used them successfully, though.
Indoors in small rooms it can work, although you're limited to two groups (A & B). Another problem is that the ST-E2 doesn't swivel, so you can't point it at a slave that's not forward of the camera.
Given the limitations, I'd recommend a thorough investigation before you buy one. Many people have used them successfully, though.
Thank you. I guess either the shutter release cable or the pw tt1, c3, etc.
skasol wrote:
...I guess either the shutter release cable or the pw tt1, c3, etc.
Be careful with your terminology; you may not get what you want. A shutter release cable is used to trigger the camera. A PC cord or an ETTL cord -- also known as sync cords -- is used to trigger the flash.
For myself, I'm building a hybrid system.
Right now, ETTL-capable radio triggers are still too expensive for my needs, but there are times when I want longer range outdoors than the Canon optical wireless will reliably provide, so I'm getting a Phottix Strato II radio system.
The Strato transmitter has an ETTL pass-through hot shoe on top, so I can mount a Speedlite or the camera-end of an ETTL cord on it when it's on the camera. The Strato will then trigger manual-mode remote flashes, even when there's no direct line of sight, and I can still have ETTL flash for the main light and/or close-in slaves.
The Phottix Stratos are more expensive than radio triggers like the Yongnuo or Cowboy Studio budget models, but less expensive than Pocket Wizards or Radio Poppers, so it seems like a good middle ground for me.
