Camera Labs

Hey guys,

Been debating adding a HVL-58 to my near term list, and trying to way up the pros and cons of this flash.

My ultimate aim is to have about 5 or so small strobes to use in off camera lighting (I know the 58 has grouping and ratios, but I doubt it will be of any use over the distances I want to cover, probably as much as a 30ft circle, plus I might buy some old minolta flashes to save on cost, which wouldnt work with the 58 anyways).

The only "pro" I see in having this flash (for me), is the fact that you can change the orientation when shooting on camera (which i plan to do as well. Shooting off-camera, all the time at an event is unrealistic I think, and probably dangerous leaving all that gear around).

Does changing the orientation of the flash really help to deal with shadows created in vertical shooting?

I found these, and they seem to do a similar job at changing the flash axis http://reallyrightstuff.com/flash/03.html and you also get some distance away from the lens as well. They are cheaper, and since the clearance height is greater, I could put a "mini softbox" on the flash ( why not? With that thing you already look silly, best go all the way )

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There is a video as well http://reallyrightstuff.com/Media/Movies/WPF-1.mov

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I wish there was a way to randomly cycle through click-able thumbnails of my most recent images :'(

http://www.laroygreen.com (under construction)

Sure, a flash bracket will help you do the same thing, but that's just another piece of equipment to carry and deal with.

Bjorn may be able to shed some light (no pun intended) with his F42AM, but I love my F58AM and it's ability to bounce straight up with portraits (keeping the same orientation, not rotated 90°). It allows me to bounce in a variety of walls and ceilings in front or behind me. I find it highly useful. I haven't used a "traditional" flash on camera so I can't comment on that.

As for 5 flashes, you'd be better off buying other brands (something cheap) that you can use with radio triggers (pocket wizards or cybersync CST's for reliability or poverty wizard ebay triggers on a budget).

Good luck!

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flickr

Sony α300
Sony HVL-F58AM Bounce-Shift Flash
Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)
Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di
Sony 50mm F/1.4 SAL-50F14
Sony 100mm Macro F/2.8 SAL-100MF28

Thx. I have a 42 myself and those shadows really kill me when shooting with on camera flash. I would much prefer to shoot natural light, but without much fast glass (only for the next 6mnths probably) and not the best system for high ISO (can be fixed, I know, but try as hard as I can, I just cant seem to get the same results as others, particularly in batch processing).

I just thought a bracket would help to fix the shadows when doing vertical shooting...they look silly, and they are bulky, but if it can help my photos to look better, I'm all for it!

The 58 works well from what I've seen, but is it any better than a bracket (size and aesthetics aside)?

I'm not biased either way, just want what works best.

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I wish there was a way to randomly cycle through click-able thumbnails of my most recent images :'(

http://www.laroygreen.com (under construction)

All the 58 does is for better bouncing and the ability to use the bounce card upright. The bounce is convenient, but doesn't replace the need for a bracket in traditional applications. A bracket works a lot better, but the bounce is for quick candids.

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a900 | D700