Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

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bryceman
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Joined: July 25th, 2010, 10:41 am

Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by bryceman »

Hey everyone,


I am headed to Costa Rica on june 20th by myself for 10 days to strictly herp! I have a Nikon D7000 with the 18-200mm lens and don't have a flash yet. I feel like this is a stupid question but will a flash make my photos significantly better under the canopy then using the flash that is already on the camera? Would it be a wise choice to buy one before going? Thanks for any help

Also if anyone on here is in the neighborhood ( I live near the Torrance area in southern california) and shoots Nikon and wouldn't mind going out and teaching me a few tips and techniques with them while herping I would greatly appreciate it and buy a couple beers! :beer: I used to shoot Canon but got robbed while I was in Cambodia. So since I have completely transferred over to Nikon.

Bryce
jimoo742
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Joined: November 4th, 2010, 3:43 pm

Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by jimoo742 »

I can't help with the flash question as I rarely, if ever, use one myself... but can you tell the tale about Cambodia? I felt super safe there are all times.
bryceman
Posts: 59
Joined: July 25th, 2010, 10:41 am

Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by bryceman »

No worries! thanks anyways haha. I have always felt very safe there as well. I went to breakfast one morning and was very familiar with the area (Phnom Penh). On the way back I was taking some side streets and I had my back pack on which had my camera. I had never actually taken the camera out but I guess the back pack was enough to attract somebody. I was going through some of the back allies three guys with camo pants literally walked right up to me pulled a pistol out and pointed at my back pack. So I didn't have much of a choice but to give it to them and they hopped onto a dirt bike and took off. It sucked cuz it was the first day back in the city from the jungle and I had not backed up my photos yet so I lost every single photo from two weeks of herping in the cardamoms. :(
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Mulebrother
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Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by Mulebrother »

If you want something compact, but works A LOT better than the on camera flash...check out the SB400
Can be had for about $100, super compact, and gets the job done without having a 'big' flash.
good luck!
bryceman
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Joined: July 25th, 2010, 10:41 am

Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by bryceman »

thank you so much!!! I will check that out asap! Really appreciate it !
jimoo742
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Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by jimoo742 »

Oh that stinks. I'm so sorry.
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Ribbit
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Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by Ribbit »

If you're taking photos at the longer end of the 18-200mm lens, the built-in flash is likely to be too weak to work well, especially if you want a decent depth of field. But you should be able to test this out wherever you are by taking some photos on a dark night of some herp-sized object at various distances.

John
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chrish
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Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by chrish »

I think an off-camera flash is a great tool to have. If you get one you can use wirelessly without extra attachments it will give you a lot of flexibility in photography. A cheap flash diffuser might also be a valuable asset.

I'm of the belief to get the most powerful flash you can afford. While a small flash might be great for herps, for primates etc. you might want more power.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

For photographing small animals, flash is a must-have in the rainforest, even in the day. You can forget about most in-situ macros without a flash.

In fact, I always carry two: a ring flash and a regular wireless off-camera flash.
bryceman
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Joined: July 25th, 2010, 10:41 am

Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by bryceman »

awesome guys ! Thanks so much. I went today and bought a Nissin Di466 and love it so far.
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Rags
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Re: Importance of having a flash while in the rain forest

Post by Rags »

Looking forwards to some nice shots from Costa Rica.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience in Asia.
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