Today I took delivery of my Canon 430EX Speedlite. I ordered it earlier in the week from Warehouse Express, along with a Sto-fen Omnibounce flash diffuser. Our niece is getting christened at the weekend, so I thought it was about time I had some kit that would improve the results of my portrait photography – the pop-up flash on the Canon 350D can be quite harsh.
No pictures yet, either of the unit itself or using the unit (the illustration is just a standard product shot). It is a little hard to take nice shots of a flashgun in artificial light without it being on the camera, so I’ll probably set the light tent up at the weekend.
I’ve had a bit of a play. First impressions are that it is going to be great. Good build quality, and it came with a soft case and stand. The instructions are really clear, and getting started was very straightforward. Using the flashgun on the 350D definitely makes the camera much more top heavy, although that’s not surprising with 4 AA batteries inside it. I can see myself using it with the battery grip to improve the balance of the camera.
I also got given some old films today (thanks Martin!), so I should be able to play around with the Pentax some more, too.
ooo… a new toy.
I love my bounce flash, and am finally happy with the light of some of my indoor flash photos.
I’ve got one of these – its incredible. Aim it at a suitably reflective bit of wall and you can take photos that look like they were lit in full daylight at a fast shutter speed indoors.
Perfect example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/copsey/340755962/in/set-72157594451677833/
EOS 20d, 17-85 IS, 430EX – AI Servo AF.