How to Choose the Right Camera Flash

The camera flash has its own power source, enabling faster flash recycling. In other words, the recovery time from the moment of flash to when the camera is ready for the next flash is short, meaning photographers are less likely to miss their shot. It also provides more creative possibilities, allowing for more complex effects.

What are the advantages of a camera flash?

1. Flash Range

Flash range refers to the maximum distance from the flash to the subject while maintaining proper illumination. Subjects beyond this distance will not be reached by the flash's light, resulting in underexposed images.

The maximum flash range for built-in flashes at ISO 100 is typically limited to 1 to 3 meters.

External flash units offer higher flash output than built-in flashes, with some capable of illuminating subjects over 10 meters away. In other words, you can use them to ensure subjects farther from the camera receive sufficient light.

2. Coverage Angle

The coverage angle, also known as the flash angle, refers to the area that the flash light can illuminate based on the lens's field of view (focal length).

The coverage angle of a built-in flash is designed to match the field of view at the wide-angle end of a standard zoom lens. This means that if you use any focal length that produces a field of view wider than the flash's coverage angle (e.g., a wide-angle lens), the edges of your image may still appear darker. If you use a long telephoto lens, you may encounter the annoying “lens shadow,” where the photo captures the shadow of the lens itself.

On the other hand, an external flash can cover a wider flash angle. This means it can brighten the entire photo, regardless of the lens type used, even when employing a wide-angle lens.

3. Direction of Light

The built-in flash can only illuminate the subject from one direction—the front. While this may suffice for certain scenes, in others—such as portrait photography—front lighting can make the subject appear flat.

In contrast, external camera flashes feature swiveling or tilting flash heads to achieve varied lighting directions and angles. Canon Speedlite flashes can also operate off-camera, offering greater flexibility in lighting direction.

Key Points for Choosing a Camera Flash

1. Choose a model with high light output capable of projecting to distant subjects

The most critical factor affecting a camera flash's performance is its light output, measured by the “Guide Number (GN).” If the light output is too low to reach the subject, the resulting photo will appear darker than intended. Therefore, while models with higher GN values are often more expensive, selecting a flash with greater light output is recommended if your budget allows.

Generally, standalone flash units have GN values ranging from 20 to 50. A model around 40 GN is suitable for both indoor and outdoor photography. However, for larger venues like banquets or weddings, opting for a top-tier manufacturer model with a GN value above 40 is advisable. Such models excel in both spot lighting and wide-area bounce lighting scenarios.

2. The flash head should be freely rotatable.

The built-in flashes on cameras or smartphones typically project light in the direction the lens is facing. This often causes the subject's shadow details to disappear, resulting in flat-looking photos lacking dimensionality. To achieve natural and refined results, photographers often bounce light off walls, ceilings, or reflectors—a technique known as “bounce flash”—to create depth. This requires confirming the flash head's rotation range. For comprehensive lighting control, models supporting both vertical and horizontal rotation are recommended.

3. Automatic exposure adjustment for greater convenience

The built-in flash or phone flashlight commonly used in everyday situations actually adjusts light intensity based on the environment, and external flash units also possess this capability. Generally, flashes released by original manufacturers support the automatic exposure adjustment mechanism (TTL). Recently, some third-party products have also added this functionality. If automatic adjustment is unavailable, auxiliary accessories like color filters must be added for manual adjustment. This can pose a challenge for beginners, so it's essential to verify this capability beforehand.

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