http://robertscamera.com/sb-910-speedlight.html

And, in fact, it’s the few things you could gripe about that have seen changes. For example, Nikon’s claiming the LCD menu system has been reworked and is now easier and more intuitive to use. Which, well, it needed to be, frankly. Also, they’ve replaced the film gels of the SB-900 with hard gels this time, for more durability and ease-of-use. Both good ideas.

But the thing that’s going to perk up most of your ears, I suspect, is that they’ve made changes to the thermal cut-off feature. Whereas previous implementations just turned your flash off to prevent you from slagging the thing as you stood there firing flashes like they were bullets in a Bruce Willis flick, the new version will merely cut back on the power until things cool down enough. So, while not quite 100%, your flash will stilll be usable at all without taking the rather unadvised (and possible warranty-affecting) route of turning the cut-off off entirely.

Otherwise, you’re looking at a power output of 34GN (meters at ISO 100, 35mm zoom, FX, standard pattern), three flash patterns, a zoom range of 17-200mm, and auto-detection for FX or DX format, plus the two included gels and the foot. There’ll be an optional gel pack with more hard gels, and covers for “select camera models” to make a moisture resistant seal between the foot and the hotshoe for those drizzly days. MSRP will e sitting at $549.99 and availability is expected to start around the middle of next month, although as always we recommend you place one of our no-commitment preorders if you want to be among the very first to get one.

The Predecessor, the HF-DC1

The basic idea is it’s a small zoom flash that sits either on a bracket next to your camera, or in your hand, or on a tripod, and extends your flash coverage for your point-and-shoot to about 30 feet. The new 2 revision also adds support for focal lengths down to 28mm with an attachment.

OK, now, those cameras. Not a lot to say, other than some help for you to understand Canon’s confusing avant-garde “creativity enabled” upgrade scheme.

First up is the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS, which you’d think would logically replace the PowerShot ELPH 300 HS. But, we’re being told that’s not the case, and these two cameras will both exist in the lineup. The difference is fairly notable, the 300 HS topped out at 5x zoom while this 310 HS will go all the way to 8x for you, but it starts at 28mm equiv unlike it’s little bro’s 24mm. It’ll be available in metallic colors: black, silver, green, blue, purple, and pink.

Next is the PowerShot ELPH 510 HS, which you might think replaces the ELPH 500 HS, but the joke’s on you, you see. It’s actually the replacement for the PowerShot SD4500. The differences here are more notable, if for no other reason than right off the bat you’re adding Canon’s new evolution of the IS and low-light technology (the HS) to the mix. You’re also going up from 10x zoom to 12x zoom, and you’re getting much wider at 28mm equiv at the start. Canon’s also claiming this is the thinnest camera going with a 12x optical 28mm zoom, which seems well-enough qualified that it’s bound to be true. It’ll be available in black, red, and silver.

Last, we have the PowerShot SX150 IS, which keeps cost down by using a CCD instead of CMOS sensor and so doesn’t qualify to use that shiny new HS moniker. You’d probably guess this camera replaces the aging PowerShot SX130 IS, and this time you’d be correct. The differences appear to be pretty minor. You’re still looking at a 12x optical zoom, IS, and that traditional curved top the series has had ever since it stopped trying to look like a tiny DSLR. Its likely appeal will be to new purchasers and not upgraders. For newcomers, the SX100 series still features several manual control options, like Av and Tv modes, and runs off readily available AA batteries instead of propriety lithium-ion. I’ve seen it pictured in black and red and maybe silver,so, we’ll see what colors become real.

CANON’S LATEST POWERSHOT CAMERAS SET NEW STANDARDS FOR IMAGE CAPTURE

New PowerShot SX150 IS and ELPH Cameras Showcase Extraordinary Image Quality with Every Shot

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 23, 2011 – Today’s tech-savvy consumers expect to have a photo-capturing device always at hand that is adept at producing exquisite images and video without sacrificing quality. Delivering these users’ must-haves, Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging, announced three new PowerShot Digital cameras that capture beautiful still images and great high-definition video: the PowerShot SX150 IS, the PowerShot ELPH 510 HS (the world’s thinnest digital camera with 12x optical zoom and a 28mm wide-angle lens1) and the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS. Built to handle a wide range of shooting situations with ease and accuracy, each camera is equipped with features such as impressive zoom, a new Intelligent Image Stabilization (IS) system, Smart AUTO with 32 shooting scenes, High-Speed Burst mode and HD video capture. The ELPH 510 HS and ELPH 310 HS Digital cameras also include Canon’s renowned HS SYSTEM to handle shooting in low light.

“With a strong reputation of imaging excellence, Canon incorporates acclaimed quality, design innovation and intuitive engineering into each product,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “With the inclusion of advanced features, such as the HS SYSTEM and HD video in these new PowerShot cameras, we continue to reach new levels of performance and design to satisfy our users.”

Key Features:

Small Cameras, Big Zoom

The impressive zoom with optical image stabilization found in all three new PowerShot models allows users to snap a memorable, highly detailed shot from a variety of distances. The PowerShot SX150 IS Digital camera is equipped with a 12x wide-angle optical zoom and 28mm lens. In the compact ELPH series, the PowerShot ELPH 510 HS is the thinnest camera to date, with a 12x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens, while the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS has an 8x optical zoom with 28mm wide-angle lens.

Increase Camera Intelligence

Helping to capture blur-free images and video, Canon introduces the new Intelligent IS system in these PowerShot models. To deliver crisp, undistorted images in various shooting conditions, Intelligent IS automatically chooses from six different modes (Normal, Macro, Panning Dynamic, Powered and Tripod) to optimize image stabilization.
Many novice photographers are intimidated when adjusting camera settings. Canon eliminates this issue with its Smart AUTO feature, which analyzes faces, brightness, colors, distance and movement and selects the appropriate setting based on 32 predefined shooting scenes for stills and 21 scenes for video.

Shoot Better in Low Light

Low light photography is a challenge even for a seasoned photographer. To assist the user, the PowerShot ELPH 510 HS and ELPH 310 HS utilizes Canon’s HS SYSTEM that combines a 12.1-megapixel, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor to enhance image quality in low-light settings. The HS SYSTEM also reduces noise at high ISO speeds and expands the camera’s dynamic range to allow for greater detail and color when shooting in darker settings. The HS SYSTEM can also help compensate in situations where a flash can’t be used, such as a wedding or dance recital.

Never Miss the Action

Determining the right moment to “freeze” what you are shooting can be difficult in action scenes. The High-Speed Burst mode in the PowerShot ELPH models ensures that you never miss out on the fast-moving or unpredictable moments. With the simple hold of the shutter button, the High-Speed Burst mode shoots continuously, capturing up to 7.8 frames per second (fps) in the PowerShot ELPH 510 HS and 8.7 fps in the PowerShot ELPH 310 HS.

Elevate Video to High Definition

Today, the ability to switch between shooting still images and high-definition video is a key consideration when customers shop for a new camera. Providing stellar video-shooting capability in a compact frame, Canon has incorporated 1080p Full HD video recording into the PowerShot ELPH 510 HS and ELPH 310 HS, while the PowerShot SX150 IS camera features 720p HD video recording. Each camera can optically zoom while filming and has a dedicated movie button for quick access to the video-recording mode. The PowerShot ELPH 510 HS and ELPH310 HS cameras also include Movie Digest mode that shoots a four-second video before capturing a still image and then automatically combine a full day’s worth of videos into one clip. All three PowerShot cameras are also iFrame capable, allowing for quick and easy sharing and editing across multiple platforms and devices.

PowerShot Products:

The Canon PowerShot SX150 IS Digital camera

The PowerShot SX150 IS Digital camera is equipped with a 12x optical zoom with 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p HD video recording, Intelligent IS and Smart AUTO. The PowerShot SX150 IS Digital camera also features a 14.1-megapixel CCD sensor and Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image Processor. This new camera includes manual-shooting capabilities, such as aperture priority and shutter priority for optimal artistic control that any photography aficionado will appreciate. The PowerShot SX150 IS Digital camera includes a discreet-shooting mode to help ensure a low disturbance when capturing photos, and a 3-inch LCD screen for easy viewing and scrolling through menus. Available in black and red, the PowerShot SX150 IS Digital camera is scheduled to be available at the beginning of September for an estimated retail price of $249.99.

The Canon PowerShot ELPH 510 HS and ELPH 310 HS Digital cameras

The PowerShot ELPH 510 HS Digital camera features a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with a 12x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens, Canon’s HS SYSTEM and 1080p Full HD video recording. The ELPH 510 HS Digital camera also includes a High-Speed Burst mode, Intelligent IS and Smart AUTO. Available in red, black, and silver, this camera has a 3.2-inch wide, touch-panel LCD screen, offering fast and easy menu navigation. The ELPH 510 HS Digital camera also has Touch Shutter, simply touch the screen where you want to focus and release your finger to take a photo. The ELPH 510 HS Digital camera is scheduled to be available at the beginning of October for the estimated retail price of $349.99.

The PowerShot ELPH 310 HS Digital camera has a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with an 8x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens, Canon’s HS SYSTEM and 1080p Full HD video recording. The ELPH 310 HS Digital camera features a High-Speed Burst mode, Intelligent IS and improved Smart AUTO. The ELPH 310 HS Digital camera includes a 3-inch LCD screen and comes in five vibrant colors: purple, blue, pink, green and silver. The ELPH 310 HS Digital camera is scheduled to be available at the beginning of October for an estimated retail price of $259.99.

The Canon HF-DC2 High-Power Flash

To further enhance the built-in flash of the PowerShot lineup, Canon has developed the HF-DC2 High-Power Flash , which increases the effective flash range up to approximately 30 feet and supports 24mm wide-angle shooting with the wide-panel attachment. The HF-DC2 automatically fires in-sync with the camera’s built-in flash and operates wirelessly to capture subjects at twice the range of the camera’s built-in flash. The HF-DC2 includes a mounting bracket that attaches to the camera, but it can also be hand-held or mounted on a tripod. The HF-DC2 High-Power Flash is scheduled to be available in December for an estimated retail price of $149.99.

The lenses are the M.Zuiko Digital 12mm f2 ED and the M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f1.8 ED. Both feature Oly’s MSC tech which’ll make them better for video focusing than the first generation M.Zuiko lenses were, and the elegant looking metal construction gives them a bit more of a serious air than the other lenses as well. With Micro Four-Thirds’ 2x crop, their effective field of views will be 24mm and 90mm respectively, making them good choices for street/landscape work and portraits. Also respectively.

The flash is the FL-300R. The R means this works with Olympus’ remote flash system, and can be controlled by many on-board flashes as well as older models like the FL-500R. It’s got a GN of 19m at ISO 100, and has a pretty decent tilt range, but no swivel. It also sports what I’ll forever consider the traditional “tourist” aesthetic.

The 14mm will run around $800, the 45mm around $400, and the flash around $160.

The Carmel location now has a completely functional lighting department.  I am still waiting on some product deliveries, but the display is up and running.   Whatever your lighting needs, from small flash to the big 2400 w/s generators, we can service your requests.  Please stop by to check us out and let me know what you might like to have on hand and regularly available.  Hit the jump for more info!

Featuring lighting from Elinchrom, Photogenic, Westcott, Promaster, Photo Basics, Smith Victor, Fotorosa and Lowel.  Rigging and supports from Manfrotto, Promaster, Interfit, Fotorosa.  Modifiers from Westcott, Photo Basics, Chimera, RPS Studio, Lumiquest, Honl, Fotorosa.  Paper rolls and fabric drops in various sizes and colors.  The list goes on and on.

Thanks for letting us be your go to source for all your imaging needs.

Here’s a few of the great bargains we have available right now:

Westcott# 2332 features a 43″ umbrella with removable black cover, an 8′ stand and shoe mount umbrella bracket.  Call us for special pricing.  This is a while supplies last deal and its hot, hot, hot!

A new favorite of mine is the Apollo series from Westcott.  The #2202 28″ collapsible softbox built on an umbrella frame comes with a speedlight adapter so it can be used with hot shoe flashes or regular studio strobes.  This is one soft mother of a modifier for 1/2-3/4 length portraits and portable enough to easily go on location.   It also works beautifully for a table top photography setup.  Use a lightweight boom like our Fotorosa LSB 1720 to hold the Apollo over your work area.  Or boom the Apollo over a model’s head and throw a basic reflector disc under the chin for gorgeous head shots.

If you havent tried green screen shooting yet, hold on to your hats.  Its never been easier on the wallet or easier on the brain than it is right now.  Check out the Westcott ULite 655H.  This kit offers two 20″ softboxes with 500 watt flood lamps on 6.5′ tall stands, a 9×10′  and a 5×7′ green screen background, over 100 digital backgrounds, an educational DVD to help you from start to finish AND the Photo Basics Green Screen software (normally $69.97) is included in this package for FREE.   Limited supplies on this kit.

Green screen is for video or stills.  Its for professionals, hobbyists, or for making fun images of the kids.  Young athletes can have their very own trading cards.  The possibilities are nearly endless.  If you want to shoot on the 9×10′ backdrop I highly recommend getting a backdrop support system and some A-clips to hold the background fabric tight.  The most important part of lighting a green screen is keeping an even key of color across the entire surface.  Any waves or creases in your background will cause you grief in your post processing on the computer.

Happy shooting.

Today, amidst other announcements, we hear that Canon’s refreshing the Speedlite 27 0EX with a version II and adding a 320EX.

To follow up Marc Lebryk’s excellent post on the Beta Pocketwizard units for Nikon, i wanted to tell you a little about my own use of the units and how they performed under my testing.  For my day to day purpose of standard flash use, the SU-800 and CLS handles almost all my needs.  My testing of these units was all about freezing motion with extremely fast shutter speeds.  One of the greatest features of the Flex/Mini units is what Pocketwizard terms Hypersyncing.  This feature, much like the Nikon AutoFP capability, allows a shooter to use faster than normal sync speeds (shutter speeds) with high powered flash output.

My D700 allows me to sync the flashes (in normal usage) a 1/250th of a second shutter speed.  AutoFP allows the flashes to sync and properly expose the image at faster shutter speeds by pulsing the flash instead of using one steady burst of light.  I have written about this feature before. The problem with using AutoFP with moving subject matter is the pulse flash.  Because the flash pulses numerous times during the length of the exposure, you cant perfectly freeze the subject.  The light emission of the flash hits the subject each time while the subject is in different places, positions, etc.

Hypersync picks up where AutoFP leaves off.  Pocketwizard re-engineered the communication between the camera and flash to make use of some power loss (initial discharge of the flash capacitor happens before the exposure).  By doing this they essentially milk the flash for all it’s worth and enable faster than normal sync speeds by as much as 1.5 stops.  This means through normal flash usage (1/250th sync speed without pocketwizard) your camera will be able to sync at approximately 1/500th-1/700th of a second.  This is all depending on which camera and flash you use.  Thankfully, Pocketwizard delivers a fairly easy to use software utility that allows the user to fine tune the offset for their own system.  They even went so far as to test it all for you in various camera and flash combinations and publish the info on their website. Unfortunately, the info is only currently available for the Canon Flex and Mini units.  Hopefully pocketwizard will update this info soon as the Nikon units are soon to start shipping in the US and have already begun shipping overseas.

So, now that ive used a LOT of technical jargon (its like reading the manuals for your gear; boring, but extremely important), here’s the simple breakdown of what these little radio triggers will bring to your photography.

A faster shutter speed brings two VERY important aspects to shooting pictures when using flashes; control of ambient light and freezing subject motion.  Especially when you want to do both of these things simultaneously.  AutoFP allows for the efficient control of ambient light with non-moving (or slowly moving) subjects.  It also allows for the use of wide open apertures and therefore faster shutter speeds.  When shooting with a fixed sync speed of 1/250th, the control of ambient light falls to your aperture.  The problem of using your aperture to reduce the exposure value of the ambient light is it severely taxes your flashes.  Each stop down reduces the capable flash distance drastically.  So, bottom line is AutoFP (Canon calls it High Speed Sync or HSS) is a wonderful thing.  Now bring in the action, like in this example:

This image was photographed at f/4.5 @ 1/1000th @ 800ISO.  Two SB-800 speedlights were used.  The flash to the subject’s left was in a Photo Basics 17×50″ Strip Bank with the interior baffle removed.  The 2nd flash was opposite bouncing into a white wall and zoomed to ~85mm to control the spill and produce a higher contrast effect.  Pocketwizards Hypersync allowed me to shoot this image at 1/1000th of a second and completely freeze the subject.  The flashes were set in Manual mode at around 1/2 to 1/4 power during the entire shoot.  After all my years of shooting studio flashes and controlled studio environments i am literally blown away by the performance of today’s small flashes.  When coupling speedlights with amazing accessories like pocketwizards, my need for big lights is further diminished.  I can also go completely portable with this setup and not have to worry about finding an AC outlet or drag out 50′ extension cords.   The simplistic use of walking into a location and being setup and ready to shoot within just a few minutes is almost priceless to me. 

To the right is a detail shot cropped from the first image.  Note the detail rendered in the hair.

Below is a detail from the dress.  Note the texture of the cloth and the pattern in the clothing.  Fine details are capable of being rendered because of the extremely fast shutter speed used to capture the image.

You could certainly argue that similar images could be photographed with large high-powered studio strobes and smaller apertures and normal sync speeds.  This is accomplished using extremely short flash duration to freeze motion in dimly lit environments.  These lights are neither lightweight, portable nor (relatively speaking) inexpensive.  They might be portable and set you back a few months’ paychecks or bulky and heavy but more affordable.  Shooting speedlights with accessories like the TT5 and TT1 allow for a great entry level price point into high quality lighting with the performance and portability too.

Lighting on location is something i do a quite often.  So i was very keen on using the Pocketwizards out and about.  I started rock climbing early fall a year ago and have become increasingly interested in new, stylized ways to shoot this fast paced and technical sport.  When i learned i would have access to beta test these units, ideas for images immediately popped into my mind.  Shooting in a climbing gym requires staying out of everyone’s way.  Speedlights were certainly the best way to go for the small size and small support gear needed.  The ambient light level in the gym isnt exactly full on sunshine, but its enough that would create a muddy mix of light and disallow for shaping the light and showing life-like dimensions of the climbers and their surroundings.  I clamped a single SB800 to a half-wall using a Manfrotto Justin Clamp and also had it plugged into a SD8a (the SD9 is available for the current model SB900)  power pack for faster recycling from shot to shot.

Working in a large open environment is a place where Nikon’s CLS control from a SU800 starts to fail.  Triggering off camera lights though line of sight transmission works great in smaller venues with the ability of bouncing light off of walls, floors and ceilings.  In a situation where the position of your lights relative to camera position arent able to be triggered though line of sight, a radio trigger is down right necessary.  Again, when you want to freeze the motion and control the ambient level, a fast shutter speed makes your life much easier. 

The image to the left shows a climber frozen in midair as he propels himself from one hold to another.  The only ambient light still viewable is from the fluorescent banks on the ceiling.  These lights provide a strong leading line through the image  and help move the viewer’s eye.  Not that i would have been able to completely kill off the ambient light from them, but i chose to leave them as dominant in the image for the purpose of compositional aid.

Left:  f/8.0 @ 1/1000th @ 3200ISO

Below: f/6.3 @ 1/1000th @ 1600ISO

Yes, she climbs and dances.   For the image on the left a single SB800 through a 45″ umbrella on a Fotorosa Multifunction Boom/Stand and bare flash SB800 zoomed to 105mm and snooted were used.  The umbrella light was a soft fill about 1.5 stops over the ambient light value and was elevated to the climbers position on the stand.  The bare flash creates a nice rim light from behind and under the subject.  This creates separation from the darker background and also bounces a bit of fill light off the light colored walls to help illuminate the right side of her face.  The image below uses only the umbrella light.  Exposure settings were exactly the same for both images: f/5.6 @ 1/640th @ 3200ISO.  Left: shot @ 48mm at nearly closest focus distance on the Nikon 24-70G lens and Below: shot @ 70mm from approximately 10 feet.  This shows how changing your distance to the subject as well as your focal distance inherently adjusts the overall look of an image.  Adding/removing one light can create an entirely new style to an image without making any exposure adjustments.

f/6.3 @ 1/1000th @ 3200ISO

Above, the chalk is frozen mid-air with a very fast shutter speed.  One SB800 boomed over the subject and shot through a 45″ umbrella.  I asked the subject to clap his hands together at full speed.  All the light you see in this image is from the speedlight.  Using the exposure settings i was able to completely kill off all ambient light from the florescent banks above.

I had a few similar issues to what Marc experienced and completely expect the final production units to be in great working order.  Hardware and Firmware adjustments were being made even as i had the units in my possession.  I look forward to having them in my bag of tricks.

For you Canon shooters, the word from Pocketwizard is that they have, with the last few firmware updates, resolved the minor remaining connectivity issues caused by the RF emission of the Canon Speedlites.  Make sure you are up to date on all your gear’s firmware and get to shooting with these marvelous pieces of technology.  Pocketwizard has been the professionals choice for nearly 20 years and has been my choice of radio triggers since the late 90′s.  Reliability and compatibility is what the Pocketwizard brand means to me.  Amazingly, even today’s newest and most advanced triggers are compatible all the way back to the original Wizard the company first produced.  Check out their story.

Dont forget to preorder your Flex TT5 and Mini TT1

The biggest problem with shooting through midday light isnt so much the angle of the sun or flat color value.  It’s the blinding brightness.  Film and digital sensors can only render so much range of color and light.  This is referred to as dynamic range or exposure latitude.  Ansel Adams used the famous zone system to establish his shooting exposures.  He separated the overall latitude of his images into multiple zones or tonal values so he could create a proper mid-tone and also know where the shadows and highlights would fall in his images.  Thus, he knew which portions of his image (if any) would be over or under exposed.

Our job in these more challenging lighting environments is to compress the range of information so that the camera can record as much color and detail as possible.  A very simple way to do this is use an additive source of light.  By controlling your exposure for the ambient value and adding in light for the foreground or subject you compress the overall latitude of the image into an obtainable range.  An additive light source doesn’t have to be a flash.  Reflectors are a very nice way to control lighting.  As with anything, there are pros and cons to using reflectors.  I typically shoot without assistance, which makes reflectors a nightmare to manage.  Also, to make use of a reflector, there must be sufficient light to reflect.  This pretty much rules out anything less than mostly sunny days.

i will typically use the sun as either a key (main) or separation light.  The added light source will be a fill light or a key light when the sun is striking the subject from behind as a separation.

This image is shot at approximately 3PM with the sun as a separation light high and to the back left of the subject.  The flash is from the front left.  I used a speedlight to light this and first tried to remote trigger the flash using CLS (remember CLS?) .  Shooting into the bright sun drowned out the flash pulse trigger and the remote flash did not fire.  I tried switching over to SU-4 mode on my SB unit which makes it a manually-controlled, optically-triggered slave unit.  This is a much more sensitive triggering system than CLS with TTL control as it is just a single strobe from the main flash to trigger the off camera speedlight.  Unfortunately it was intermittent at best.  I always keep a SC29 TTL cable in my flash bag for just such an occasion.  I was working in close proximity to my flash and subject so one TTL cable was all i needed, but you can usually connect up to three cables and maintain full capabilities of the entire system.   The TTL cable enables your flash to act exactly the same as when it is directly in the camera’s hot shoe.  The flash was set to TTL BL FP (Focal Plane sync, or high speed sync) which enabled auto flash exposure at higher than normal shutter sync speed (1/250th) and metering that balances the flash illuminated foreground subject with the ambient background light.  By using FP mode on my speedlight i was able to shoot at around 1/1000-1/2000th of a second and still have a fairly wide open aperture for controlled depth of field rendering.  The sky is still mostly overexposed and i had a few more stops i could have pushed the light to bring the blue sky back into the picture, but i would have started underexposing the trees in the background and lost the little bit of color i was seeing.  Also, the faster shutter speed you use in this mode the shorter the exposure distance of your flash.  Combine that with the diffuser dome and softbox which reduced my light output and heavily taxed the flash.  This results in slower recycling speed and going through AA’s batteries much faster.  When using larger light modifiers out in bright sunlight, i will put multiple speedlights in one light source to increase the capable power or decrease the recycling time.

equipment used:

RPS-4030 20″ softbox, Nikon SB-800 with the diffuser dome attached for more evenly distributed light inside the box, Fotorosa boom stand,  Nikon SC-29, Nikon D700, Nikon 50mm f/1.8.

This simple portrait was shot with a SU-800 triggering a speedlight in a large umbrella mounted on a boom stand.  I knew what distance i was shooting at so i controlled the flash in manual mode through CLS.  Working in the shade allows for extensive control of ambient light.  ISO200, f/2.0-2.8, and a shutter around 1/125th got me there.  Simple and effective.  The SU-800 controller works great indoors and in the shade, but transmits through IR light and is practically useless in bright sunlight.  I use booms quite a bit when putting lights up on location as they allow for a very precise placement of the light.  The Fotorosa boom comes with a sandbag and is very necessary for counter-weighting the boom.  I also use a couple of RPS Sand Bags for the legs of the stands in extra windy situations or when the flash and modifier go to heights greater than six feet.  I especially like the RPS bags for the visibility, but they are all black on the flipside which makes for a nicer appearance when shooting at all those black tie affairs.

The last image was shot around 4:30-5PM with the sun to the back left of the subjects.  You can see the sunlight working as a rim light to separate the subjects from the background.  It also filters beautifully through the leaves to bring out the fall colors.  Fill light is from one speedlight off to the camera’s right and triggered through CLS from a master flash on my camera.  I used a bare flash in this setup as the light was approximately 30 feet away from the subjects and a 20×20″ softbox would be almost negligible as a diffused source of light.  It would also rob my power output too much.  When working at this distance FP sync is not an option without using several speedlights to increase the overall power.  I shot this at ISO200, 1/250th, and f/9.0-f/11.0.  The speedlight was emitting 1/2 power in manual mode.  On a compositional note, i framed the image into thirds and the middle third where the subjects are placed is brighter than the top or bottom.  Autumn leaves are both colorful and pretty to look at, but i don’t want them to distract from the subject of the photograph.  When shooting on location, especially in nature, be very aware of your background.

Nikon’s Newest Speedlight is a Powerful Addition to the Versatile Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)

MELVILLE, NY (September 15, 2010) – Today, Nikon Inc. introduced the versatile new SB-700 Speedlight, the latest addition to Nikon’s powerful and renowned Creative Lighting System for a wide range of photographers and applications. The SB-700 is a high-performance flash that brings simplicity to on-camera, remote and multiple flash photography. Building on the success of the popular SB-600 Speedlight and the advanced functionality of the SB-900 Speedlight, the SB-700 also incorporates a wide zoom range covering the most popular focal lengths and FX/DX-format identification that optimizes zoom settings based on the user’s camera body. The SB-700 also provides a more efficient use of batteries and flash coverage in addition to three light distribution patterns for flash-to-scene customization. Whether used as an on-camera flash or as a wireless commander or remote, the Nikon TO43 Speedlight offers dependable and consistent flash exposure even under the most challenging lighting conditions.

Designed for a variety of photographers ranging from amateurs in the field to professionals in the studio, the SB-700 integrates a host of new features designed to make flash photography simple, accurate and creative. The SB-700 is for photographers looking for an on-camera Speedlight offering more power for greater depth-of-field control than the built-in flash, or an additional Speedlight for wireless multiple flash set-ups. This Speedlight will also satisfy the needs of photographers looking for a compact Speedlight that can be set up as a Commander or a Remote as well as those who want to upgrade from their existing or older Nikon Speedlight.

“When designing the new Nikon SB-700, we were sure to incorporate the features that made the SB-600 Speedlight such a popular and well respected flash unit as well as the advanced technology that users of the SB-900 Speedlight have come to know,” said Lisa Osorio, general manager of marketing at Nikon Inc. “The Nikon SB-700 is a multifunctional Speedlight that combines high-quality with a simple yet sophisticated design.”

The Nikon SB-700 has many new and redesigned features and that make it easy-to-use, yet powerful enough to assist in tough and challenging lighting conditions and settings. The SB-700’s LCD design and layout enables easy-to-remember and intuitive operation, while the multi-step power zoom covers wide 24-120mm angle of view with FX-format cameras. The improved user interface of the SB-700 utilizes a large easy-to-read dot-matrix LCD panel making navigation and usage even easier.

As part of Nikon’s popular Creative Lighting System, the SB-700 includes support for Nikon’s advanced wireless TTL operation and can function as a wireless Commander with control over two separate groups of Speedlights, or as a Remote Speedlight when controlled by the SB-900 Speedlight or the built-in Speedlight set to Commander Mode in most Nikon D-SLR’s. The SB-700 also incorporates a high-speed recycling time of approximately 2.5 seconds for full power with NiMH batteries, and approximately 3.0 seconds with AA Alkaline batteries. The Nikon SB-700 also features a new Quick Wireless Mode with A:B (light ratios) for quick setting of multiple flash units. This makes it easy and quick to control two remote flash units in i-TTL mode.

Additionally, the SB-700 also features enhanced Thermal Cut-Out detection that automatically detects heat build-up due to rapid flash firing. By increasing the recycling time if the temperature of the flash head rises above a certain threshold, the SB-700 protects the flash from damage due to overheating.

For improved durability, heat-resistance and ease-of-use, the SB-700 uses new hard plastic-type color filters for fluorescent or incandescent color temperature balancing. When using the supplied filters, the flash automatically recognizes which filter is being used and adjusts white balance accordingly on select Nikon D-SLR cameras. Additionally, the SB-700’s AF-assist illuminator is compatible with the complete line of AF systems used in Nikon D-SLR cameras*.

Similar to the Nikon SB-900 Speedlight, three illumination patterns (standard, center-weighted and even) can be selected in SB-700 to match each shooting situation. When “even” is selected, the light from the flash will cover a subject from center to edges without light falloff. This pattern is suitable for shooting group photographs indoors. The “standard” pattern will cover all conventional, standard flash coverage. The center-weighted pattern provides larger guide numbers than other light distribution types at the same focal lengths. This illumination pattern is suitable for subjects such as portraits, in which the light falloff at the image edges can be ignored.

Like the Nikon SB-900, when the SB-700 is mounted on a camera compatible with user firmware updates, the SB-700 firmware can be updated using the same procedure as with a Nikon D-SLR camera.

Available Accessories
The SB-700 uses four AA type Alkaline, Lithium or rechargeable NiMH batteries. To enhance the weatherproof ability of Nikon D-SLRs, optional water guards will be available for select cameras to protect the connection between the flash and camera, allowing users to utilize the flash when weather conditions are less than ideal. The SJ-4 Color Filter set provides a Warming, Red, Yellow or Blue filter for adding color to the background, foreground or just to accent the scene.

Price and Availability
The new Nikon SB-700 Speedlight is scheduled to be available in mid-November 2010, and will have an MSRP** of $329.95. The SB-700 will come bundled with the Speedlight Stand, Bounce Adapter, Color Filter Holder, Intelligent Color Filter Kit, Diffuser Dome and soft case.

*Performance may be limited according to lens in use.
**MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.

To continue our small flash theme from last week, lets talk in detail about some regular uses of speedlights.  In an effort to keep this simple, i will limit this post to two styles of photography: macro (close-up, high magnification) and portrait photography.

Macro photography offers a view of the world in a way that most people don’t have a chance to see it.  The trouble is you are often shooting into dark places and a little extra light can make a really big impact on your photograph.  In the image above, i used a single SB900 Nikon Speedlight triggered wirelessly with the built-in Nikon CLS control, a Nikon D90 and the AF-S 105mm f/2.8 VR Micro.  CLS is the “Creative Lighting System” and it offers some of the very best abilities in the flash photography market.  Nikon has always been pretty serious about speedlights and the role they carry out in photography.

Its a good thing today’s flashes have a lot of power output, because when you’re this close to your subject with a 105mm lens you need a small aperture to achieve good results in depth of field control.  I shot this image at f/18 and my flash setting was manual at 1/5 power.  Now you might ask me, “why would you shoot manual flash with Nikon’s fancy iTTL (auto flash) ability tied into CLS?”  I’ll tell you; that dark background wasn’t so dark in real life.  I was shooting into the eastern sky in the mid-afternoon.  It was awash with low contrast light and it was ugly.  This also means my image was almost completely back lit.  TTL flash would have nver figured that one out for me.  I could have exposed for the subject’s front side and let the background go a couple of stops overexposed, but then i would have lost all the beautiful color in the flowers and plants.  You could ask, “why don’t you change your composition and put the sun behind you?.  I’ll tell you; bugs don’t like to cooperate and they certainly don’t hold still for very long.  I hand held the flash approximately 3 feet away from the subject.  Shooting at a fast shutter speed kills off as much ambient light as possible.

The image is lit entirely by flash, but doesn’t have the look of a standard flash photograph.  The flash was up high over the subject and the size of the flash is quite a bit larger than our flying friend.  This means it will appear to be a fairly diffused (soft) light source.  By comparison, if we used a 6 foot tall light source to take a picture of a person, we would achieve a similar diffused value.  Small subjects are perfect for small flashes.

Portraits are my mainstay in photography.  Its the subject i first learned to shoot and it is what drives my passion for this labor of love.  In general, most people take pictures of people.  Family and friends, young and old, pictures provide memories of those we care about.  I remember sitting next to the living room window on this delightfully tacky, blue ottoman while my dad snapped frame after frame of my siblings and me.  The pictures are fun.  Cheesy smiles, gapped teeth, it was us.  I look at those pictures today and fondly remember it happening, but i don’t see the people i know as much as i see a couple of good looking kids.  It is said the eyes are a window to the soul and for a portrait to have life you must see the soul.

This image is a very basic setup in a studio environment, but could have been shot practically anywhere.  Essentially there is one light on the model (SB800 Speedlight inside a small softbox, a Lumiquest Softbox III would also work nicely) and one light on the background (SB800 bounced inside  a 45″ umbrella).  Here is where the control of CLS plays a major roll.  Using Nikon’s built-in control you can shoot multiple lights at different power levels and control everything from your camera or the master flash connected to your camera’s hot shoe.  By controlling the power levels of my flash units independently i can make the ratio between the two lights as even or contrasted as i want.  I can make the background go black or an extremely crisp and high key white.  The softbox was in very close providing a very diffused light.  This is a nice effect of softening skin and helping to reduce the appearance of blemishes or lines on a face.  If you light this image properly, you can avoid wasting way to much time touching up your image on the computer.  Grab this PDF FastTrack To Wireless Speedlights (open the link in a new tab or window and right-click for windows users/control-click for Mac users to download the file) for a Nikon guide on how to setup CLS with different cameras and flashes.

The image to the left is a very simple portrait shot during the afternoon in direct sun.  Even though the top half of the subject’s face is still shaded, you can see the catch light in the eyes (if the eyes are completely shrouded then the portrait has no life).  The setup was a Nikon D80 and 50mm 1.4D lens shot in aperture priority and a flash mounted on the camera and set in iTTL.  Basically, everything was set in near automatic.  Heck, i didn’t even look through the viewfinder and shot this one from the hip to have my camera well below the subject’s face.  This perspective eludes to a sense of strength or power from the model.  Using a speedlight outdoors helps to even out the brazen sun light and illuminate portions of an image that would otherwise be near black in shade.  If i hadn’t used a lens with a big aperture, i wouldn’t have been able to shoot this image very well.  Big apertures (commonly f/2.8 or greater) on your lenses will increase your flash power.  Each stop of your aperture i.e.  f/4.0 to f/2.8  gains double the power of a flash.  A simple 50mm from Canon or Nikon will allow not only for shallow depth of field rendering and great separation from the background, but also a much more capable flash unit.

In the final image to the right, I shot with a 4 speedlight setup.  A single SB800 in a 24×32″ softbox one on each side of the model provides a simple rim light to show contour and shape of the subject and the chair.  They are mounted up high with the middle of the box at nearly head level allowing for a nice falloff of light towards the bottom of the frame.  This keeps the attention up towards the face.  The other two SB800′s were bounced into 45″ umbrellas with black covers as background lights.  The black cover keeps the light from spilling forward into the scene which would  contribute to the exposure of the subject and cause lens flare reducing the contrast rendering of the lens.  Contrast is extremely important in this style of image because of the subtle shift of whites to light grays in the shirt and background.  I shot this image with a Sony A900, Zeiss 24-70 f/2.8 and  Pocketwizard PlusII’s to trigger one SB800.  I only needed one receiver connected to a flash because the SB800 and SB900 (newer version) have built in slave eyes.  A slave eye will trip the slave flash when it sees another flash fire.  This is an extremely handy feature and i refuse to purchase a flash without it.  Sorry Canon users, since your speedlights don’t have this capability, i guess you’ll just have to settle for using Pocketwizard’s incredible Flex and Mini radio triggers.  The only catch to the using the slave eye on the SB units is you lose your remote control ability.  Essentially your flashes turn into standard studio strobes.  However, once your ratios are set for the lighting pattern you want you don’t have to adjust anything.  Manual flash control provides consistency.  My lighting pattern here was in the ballpark of 1 to 1.5 stops up on the background to where my key lights (sb in 24×32″ softboxes) were metered.

Next time: Product photography and working outdoors and on location with strobes.  Stay tuned…