Wireless flash trigger V's cable+suitable lens for indoor

[facesofbritain]

Hi there. Just a quicky from a newby Phot.

With and EOS 450D (Rebel XSI) and a 430EXii .....I have seen the generic wireless flash triggers on Ebay (less than £20) and just wondered if my assumptions are correct that :-

a. These wireless units just 'fire' the flash at full tilt, regardless of what the camera (if in Auto) says to do? So you have to program the flash 100% yourself?
b. The camera cannot communicate with the flash? (as it does on the hot shoe mount).
c. A cable link between the EOS and the 430 would be the same as having it connected to the hot shoe mount, thus giving the same communication between the units and allowing the camera to program the flash for me? ...

I am not skilled enough yet to be able to program the flash except for basic functions, and the camera always does a better job than me, so I am considering either the wireless or cable option but want the same 'communication' as when its mounted on the hotshoe.

Also, If I may...

I have been asked to do some indoor photography for a friend of his chain of bars and clubs, including portraits of his customers and 'atmospheric' shots of the night. The portraits I am fairly happy with doing with the equipment I have (an 18-200mm IS cannon Lens) but would like some guidance if possible on a lens that will allow me to, for instance, take a photo of the dance floor or the bar area in wide angle. I understand that the wider angle lens's (below the 18mm) will help me here, but as I will only do this occasionally, I do not want to spend hundreds of Pounds/Dollars on a new lens. Are any of the lenses that just screw to the front of your existing lens found on Ebay for less than £50, any good for the occasional use, to get that very wide or even 'fish eye' effect of the dance floor? If they are OK for an occasional shot would you recommend any particular type/make/model ?


Thank you so much for taking the time to read this from a beginner.

Cheers !

Matt.

[EnglishBob]

Generally speaking the screw on lenses are just bad, cheap glass and prone to blurring and color abarration.

Welcome to shuttertalk, where in teh Uk are you? I am originally from Nottingham/Derby area before I skipped out of the country.

[facesofbritain]

Hiya Bob. Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated. I'm in Hertford but funny enough have a lot of family in Cali too. San Diego and Northern LA. Looks like I may have to sell my granny to get a 10-20 mm lens then ! :-)

[peter]

hi there matt..
generally with wireless triggers.. all of them.. even the more expensive pocketwizards and bowens triggers all require you to set the flash manually..

the only wireless trigger that will give you ttl info is the canon st-e2.. apart from being expensive, it also requires line of sight which may not always work that well..

with the cables.. you can probably find a cheap ttl one that mounts onto the hotshoe to retain the auto capabilities...if you get a sync port cable.. then once again it will only work with manual settings.. though its less likely for you to get one that uses the sync port since the flash has no connection for it..

[facesofbritain]

Thanks Peter. Thats fantastic. I think the way ahead will be a cable for now to get myself used to using the flash 'off camera'.

[peter]

yeah good idea.. simply holding it off to the side with a cable (or getting someone to hold it for you, if the cable is long enough) gives quite a different effect and will be fun to play around with .. hope you have fun with that haha

[Keith Alan]

Using a flash bracket and cable, to get your flash a bit above and to the side, is infinitely preferable to mounting a flash on the hotshoe or using the pop-up for nightclub work.
No red-eye and a more pleasing "look".

I use a nice manual flash--Sunpak 383Super (Recently discontinued!! WTF??) with Cactus V2s triggers, plus 2 small optical slave flashes from Quantaray, also discontinued.

The Cactus and Yong Nuo and all other radio triggers like CyberSynch and even most Pocket Wizards will only tell the flash when to fire, so it's manual flash adjustments and manual mode on the camera.
This is actually preferable because you really learn how to use your gear instead of letting computer chips make bad decisions for you.

The newest Pocket Wizards and the also new Radio Popper brand triggers allow CLS communication between camera and multiple flashes over long ranges, but you can get the same results line-of-sight if you want to invest in an all-Canon or all-Sony/Nikon etc system using their pulsed flash communication modes.
Expensive.

Your assumption that a brand-specific cable retains full control is correct.
It's a great way to start with off-camera flash.

For your indoor shots with or without flash, the main thing is a wide aperture.
Get a 50mm F1.4 or F1.8 prime lens.
They are usually the least expensive lens you'll find from any brand, and the extra light you get equals much faster shutter speeds that can make a huge difference in the "keeper" ratio.

[adam]

peter Wrote:hi there matt..
generally with wireless triggers.. all of them.. even the more expensive pocketwizards and bowens triggers all require you to set the flash manually..

the only wireless trigger that will give you ttl info is the canon st-e2.. apart from being expensive, it also requires line of sight which may not always work that well..

with the cables.. you can probably find a cheap ttl one that mounts onto the hotshoe to retain the auto capabilities...if you get a sync port cable.. then once again it will only work with manual settings.. though its less likely for you to get one that uses the sync port since the flash has no connection for it..

Not really,

The new pocketwizards and radiopoppers have ETTL capability, don't they?

[peter]

really ? i haven't been reading up on them lately.. so i'm just going on traditional specs.. either way.. starting off its not a very cost effective way to play around haha

[adam]

peter Wrote:really ? i haven't been reading up on them lately.. so i'm just going on traditional specs.. either way.. starting off its not a very cost effective way to play around haha

But saves you from upgrading (and spending more in total) in the future

[Wedding Shooter]

I have the new Pocket Wizards and they are definitely working with the Canon ETTL system. But they are expensive.

[peter]

working with ettl..mm tempting...if only i had spare cash to throw at it... skyports will have to do lol

[adam]

peter Wrote:working with ettl..mm tempting...if only i had spare cash to throw at it... skyports will have to do lol

oh ya! you still have mine

[peter]

actually .. long has them both .. i have your transmitter though i think lol ..

[Wedding Shooter]

If you want to come over one day and try them out you are welcome.

[adam]

I am afraid to try out such good gear, I might get addicted