UKC

Am I limited to a Panasonic flash, or are there other manufacturers?

Cheers muchly.

In reply to The Lemming:

Try Yongnuo. Their kit is good, cheap and certain models will work on Panasonics.

In reply to Fraser:


Just had a read but they only work in manual with MFT cameras. No TTL compatibility.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

In reply to The Lemming:

Olympus flashes should work ok with full auto ttl control. Best to check the specific camera with the specific flash though. I find the forums in dpreview.com are a good place to look for that sort of precise info.

Lee

In reply to The Lemming:
I've just bought a Nissin i60 and Nissin Air Commander that gives you TTL both on and off camera (wireless, not optical). Very neat and easy to use set up.

They do a Pano version.

I was using an Yongnou YN565EXII manual flash, but found the optical triggering off-camera a bit hit and miss. And Manual flash can bit a bit of a faff if working in a rush and changing subject distance a lot. But can't fault them for the price/build-Q.

In reply to ChrisJD:

Thanks for that.

Did you consider the i40 before choosing the i60?

I've never used an off camera flash, would it be a good idea to invest in the air commander as well?

In reply to The Lemming:


Aah yes, good point I'd forgotten about that! TTL would be nice but the manual version is fine once you get used to it and in some respects is better than TTL.

In reply to The Lemming:

i40 doesn't have wireless, does have optical, but no TTL off camera.

I prefer to have the flash in my left hand, off the camera. Means the flash is less harsh/flattening and photos take on a 3D look. But a bit trickier

If you are just wanting a flash on the camera, then i40 looks a good bet.

In reply to Fraser:

Nice to have both options. You can always turn off the TTL when you want total control.

In reply to The Lemming:

Simple example of that 3D look flash in left hand, TTL, off-camera: quick hand held family shot this evening - after my youngest's Xmas jumper day at school:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/105343926@N08/K38kp5

In reply to ChrisJD:


Thicko question, as I've only ever had one flash a Nikon SB400, what does all that mean?

Would I be able to have the flash or a flash work to the side of my camera and do some arty experiments by lighting from the side or rear of a subject?

In reply to ChrisJD:


Yes, sorry it was badly worded, I meant 'better' to have the facility to have full manual control of the flash rather than purely TTL. I'd like TTL and would probably use my flash more if I did.


In reply to The Lemming:


I think it means you can't have a wireless 'trigger' on your hotshoe to fire the flash when it's off-camera, but you *can* have a flash on the hotshoe which, when fired, will trigger an off-camera flash. In other words it will act as a 'slave' flash when commended to fire by the one that's on the camera; it 'sees' the flash from the on-camera one so it fires itself.) And finally, you can't meter correctly when the flash is off camera. That's my understanding at least, but I could well be wrong.

What I like about the Yongnuo is that you can adjust the output of the OCF from the trigger on your hotshoe, so you don't need to keep nipping back to the OCF to adjust settings, you can do it all from right behind the lens:

http://www.davidpartington.com/m43/2015/01/03/yongnuo-yn560-iv-speedlite-re...

In reply to The Lemming:

I'll have to reply later - off out mountain biking this morning!

In reply to The Lemming:


The i40 can only be triggered 'optically' when off-camera by the Camera's built-in flash or another flashgun on the camera hotshoe. By optically: means the main flash give a pre-flash burst to trigger the off-camera flash. This means the i40 will only work as a manual flash off-camera. i40 gives TTL (through the lens metering) only when on camera .

Wireless - the off-camera (Slave) flash and camera communicate via radio signal either sent by camera (some have this built in), or via a transmitter on the hot-shoe (e.g. Air Commander) or another flash on the hot-shoe (acting as the 'Master' flash. The i40 can't do this.

The i60 and Air Commander combo provide TTL when the i60 is off the camera.

In reply to ChrisJD:
Thanks for the update as I am clueless when it comes to flashes.

However as I am not a professional but a happy punter I have gone for the i40.

I'm still confused because the spec says wireless TTL with my camera. Even if I can fire the flash off camera with the aid of my pop-up camera flash then that will be a major improvement over my Nikon SB400 which I loved.

In reply to The Lemming:

Ahhh my mistake!

Just looked it up, on the Fuji Version of the i40 there is 'optical only' for off-camera control, whereas on the 4/3-Panasonic version of the i40 you get wireless! You lucky fella!

Feel cheated now as I wanted the smaller flash body! had to go for the i60 for Fuji. Not fair, lol.

In reply to The Lemming:

It's worth thinking about what you're going to use it for. For many applications manual flash might be fine - eg. portraits or anywhere you have the chance to fire off a few test shots first. For the price of one TTL flash you might be able to get several cheaper manual units that are both more powerful can be used off camera with radio recievers built in.

For many photographers getting the flash off the camera is one of the most important considerations.

For a good intro to flash photography inc. manual flash check out The Strobist aka David Hobby:
http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html

In reply to ChrisJD:



Thought I was going doo-lally by thinking I was misreading the specs.

I'm guessing the WiFi option is a good one to have?

In reply to stp:

I'll be honest, I don't really know the full potential of a flash but I am willing to learn.

I shall check the link it.

Cheers

In reply to stp:

the i40 is £140 and the Air Commander transmitter £60, so they are not full on mega-buck £400+ flash prices.

Chinese manual flash & transmitter combo about £80-£100 now? I've had a few of these manual flash set ups and they are really good and manual flash is a pleasing process.

But having the TTL quick/lazy option is very handy with family/quick shots and less faff.

In reply to ChrisJD:


Yeah I can definitely see the advantages in such situations. Just depends how it will be used and how much one wants to spend.


Also, don't know if mentioned above, but if using the flash off camera then getting a light stand will be needed. I got a fairly good budget one off ebay for £25.

In reply to stp:


Or the left hand

In reply to ChrisJD:

... or a friend / stranger (as I've used at boulder comps!)

In reply to The Lemming:

Until I invest in an air commander, can I still use my i40 flash off camera?

I'm getting confused by all this terminology. I take it that my Panasonic GH4 does not send a WiFi signal to my flash, and that is the job of the Air Commander?

I'm also guessing that I can use the flash off camera and trigger it by using the light from the pop-up flash on my camera?

My brain still hurts about what TTL does for the flash. Does the flash still have TTL capabilities when not connected to the camera?

Or am I over complicating things?

In reply to The Lemming:
The Pano GH4 might well be able to trigger the i40 with its built-in wireless. In which case, the Commander is redundant. Win-Win for you.

http://www.davidpartington.com/m43/2014/11/12/nissin-i40-flash-review/

Scroll down to: TTL Remote / Slave Mode (not Fuji)

TTL for flash - the camera tells the flash how much light to give out for the 'right-ish' exposure, You can use Flash Compensation function (either via the flash and/or the camera, they are usually independent and cumulative) to tell the flash give out more or less light, relative to the Cameras 'right' exposure.

And yes, the TTL works for the flash off-camera.

In reply to ChrisJD:

Thanks for the help. It's much appreciated.

In reply to ChrisJD:


I know that you don't have the same camera as me but I'm hoping you may have an idea to help me.

So far I have worked out how to get the i40 flash to work as a slave when I get the camera's built in flash to go pop. However I have not worked out how to get the i40 flash to fire off-camera by using wifi. Don't suppose you'd have any idea?

I can't find anything useful on the web or youtube.

Cheers

In reply to The Lemming:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/696100/Panasonic-Dmc-Gh4.html?page=187#manual

This help (Pages 187-190)?

Looks like you can have off camera flash with TTL (hopefully the i40 supports this).