DSLR Speed Flash

[justadad]

I have a d70s and am really just learning and trying to get a handle on photography. I am erally enjoying it so far and am finding of all the sites I vist this one to be the most helpfull and to have the best people who are willing to help with out talking down to you or being rude about things.

With all the brown nosing said I wanted and flash to try and learn some things about flash phototragphy. I manage to pick up a SB28 to work with. I know this is only somewhat functional with the D70 and I lose out with the TTL mode. How critical is this and if you reall want to help you could share with me what it is or where I can read about it.

Derrick

[blumesan]

Derrick---

The SB28 is a very sophisticated flash unit, but was designed to work with film cameras. Most of its options are not available with any of the Nikon digital cameras. That said, it is a very reliable unit with pretty good flash power. With digital cameras it can be used in (non TLL) Auto Mode or in Manual Mode. Read about operation in these modes in the flash user's manual. Auto Mode is fairly simple and straightforward. The amount of light reaching the subject is detected by a sensor on the flash unit itself; not by the camera. Furthermore the camera does not communicate any of its settings (aperture, distance, focal length) to the flash. However all of this information can be manually entered into the flash unit. I think this will work quite well for you.

I have been using a SB26 unit on my D200 with this technique, and have had no problems.

Cheers/Mike

[blumesan]

If you don't have a user's manual, you can download one here:

Get it here!

Cheers/Mike

[Jon]

Well Derrick, if you want to really learn about flash photography, I would respectfully disagree with Mike and advise you to use nothing but full manual modes with your flash and camera. This will do three things: It will force you to learn your equipment more thoroughly (both camera and flash) in terms of behaviour, it will force you to really learn controlled directional lighting, and it will force you to learn how to meter and balance lighting. Using your flashgun in full manual mode will also give you a leg up when (if) you move up to studio strobes, if that is a goal at all, since studio strobes are stictly manually set.

Good luck and have fun!

[eClix]

I use manual mode on my SB800. I don't like ttl most times. I use some thing called auto aperture (AA) if I don't use manual which is rare. I am also a huge fan of bounce flash, like bouncing it off the wall or ceiling and most time I use an off camera cord so fun :P. Have fun.

[Nikonfreak]

And get some form of book from somewhere. The manuals that come with Nikon flash units are horrible. Come to think of it, the manuals that come with the cameras aren't that great either, merely covering the basics to a certain degree.

Another option would be a Metz



Julio