Even cheaper!

Well, there you have it. Just ordered an SEF-54 (AF540) flashgun. Doesn't get delivered till xmas, but hey at £188, what you gonna do?

Wow at the Eneloop. I'd never heard of those before. Thanks

Hi All,

This seems like a natural place to ask the question. I've decided to buy a SEF-54 (AF540) flash. Are there any other accessories I should get whilst my wallet is unlocked? Like diffusers, brackets?? I don't want to look like a portable studio when going to the park with the kids, but I would like to buy with the flash anything that may make life easier taking photos.

Many thanks

Drew

Oh you're so right. This thread has genuinely helped clarify things though, and after having read these pages, I've decided to buy a flash.

I have one more question though. I have many times taken pictures of my daughter running or ducks flapping, in the sunshine, and they are never frozen entirely. Do I set the camera to TV and adjust the speed or set the camera to AV and adjust the aperture? I'd instinctively think to adjust the speed of the shutter to be fast and the aperture would be set automatically as according to how bright it was. But when I do this the camera always responds by saying it's not bright enough (the flash symbol... flashing). This is outdoors in bright light. This is why I always assumed that I needed a faster lens.

I'll certainly give it ago. Watch me revolutionise your profession!

I'm confused again now. So are you saying that a Flash makes a difference when taking that quick snap of a King Fisher or Eagle swooping in for the kill 50 metres away?

Thanks for the replies.

I understand now that the problem would be the narrow depth of field. I suppose that's where the larger expensive lenses come in, as they allow alot of light capture at f4.5 and above, and so allow for a greater depth of field ?

I assumed that the nature of the question would have clarified this, but I'm not a pro photographer and so don't have access to a studio, reflectors, varying flashes etc. However with the like of cameras such as the K10, people like me in their spare time can play and experiment with the limited non-pro resources we have. But Pete seems to have sussed what I meant, so many thanks. With patience (a lot of), I may be able to get a few nice fast pictures on a bright day with the 1.4 lens.

That said, I do have a 50mm macro lens, that I have only ever used for macro shots. It doesn't stop down to 1.4, but if 2.8 is the realistic minimum for a manageable depth of field, maybe that will work without the need to purchase a 1.4

Many thanks

Drew

That's wonderful. Many, thanks, Pete.

Thanks for the reply Mac. Will a flash achieve this outdoors though? I tried using the flash, but it didn't help too much. This picture was take in a brightly lit conservatory, with flash, 800 iso and still turned out crap. Anything below 800 was too dark.




So, do you reckon a fast prime wouldn't work for these type photos?

Hi,

I want a lens that will catch hair being flung in mid motion. A lens that will catch my daughter flinging her baked beans across the room. A fast lens that will catch a gymnastic tripping over a millisecond before flight. That kind of thing. Now, my understanding is that a fast lens such as a prime 50mm 1.4 should do the trick, but here's the thing, I can't find *any* mid motion pictures on the net that demonstrate a momentary mid action shot taken by a prime 50mm 1.4/1.7 lens. They're all taken with rediculous monster zoom lenses. Am I missing something?

If this is achievable with such a lens, anyone know of one going.

Many thanks

Drew