Flash question About This Page:

[trixie lamb]

Have Cannon Rebel xti and LOVE it. Using a 28-105mm zoom IS lens. Only issue was that at character events where I was using camera flash alot....camera would say "busy" and slow down taking shots. (even with fresh battery) Using built in flash only. Would external flash help or should I just slow down???

[Tonichelle]

flash eats battery

flash also needs time to charge up before firing again. that's why in rapid fire you get a flash for every other frame

external flash has the same "problem"

[LizardCop]

My experience has been that an external flash is quicker than the internal. And by using high performance AA batteries (ie. lithium) the recycle times are greatly reduced.

My in-camera flash on my Olympus E-500 and E-520 cycles fast enough most of the time with fresh camera batteries, but it sure wears the battery down quick...

[Tonichelle]

I think it depends on the external flash. I have a cheapo that is on par with my on camera flash. I take that one on vacations just because if it gets dropped or scratched or broken I'm not going to lose sleep over it. The higher quality one is faster than the on camera flash but it'were expensive for this poor college student, and I rarely break it out for pleasure purposes.

you can get an external battery for your flash... but those things are a pain to lug around (and I think only for the more expensive/professional flashes)

[A & J's Dad]

As long as you can dial down the power on your external flash you can fire much faster. It doesn't really affect the recycle time. You're just using less stored power with each flash. I've actually got a couple of these Gadget Infinity :: Digital Camera :: Flash :: Vivitar 285HV Full Manual Adjustable Flash on my wish list. This would definitely fit your bill.

Cheers
Craig

[Cam22]

Ok, now I like that flash too. I've actually being looking around at external flashes as the more I use my camera, the more I realize the built in is only good on a small scale.

[A & J's Dad]

I found it on B&H last night for $10 less. I'm probably going to oorder from Gadget Infinity because they have, what appear to be, decent wireless triggers for a tenth of what a set of Pocket Wizards run.

Cheers
Craig

[WillCAD]

External flashes tend to recycle quicker because they have a dedicated power supply. They're also more powerful than built-ins.

The power is important because the less power the flash uses, the quicker it recycles for another shot. In situations where the flash doesn't fire at full power, such as shadowed outdoor pavilions with characters, or well-lit indoor areas, the external flash will recycle very fast.

An external flash doesn't do the job in every situation, but it is far more capable and flexible than a built-in, so it's always a good idea to have one.