Strobe Nation

The Canon 35L f1.4 prime lens is a small and excellent lens from the experts at Canon. The lens features excellent build and shot quality and is particularly adept at full body portrait shots, low-lighting uses and wide-angle uses. Its small size makes it easy to handle and to work with on the fly. Read on to learn more about the features and specifications of the Canon 35L f1.4 lens.

This lens retails for about $1,400 and is packed with appealing features that make it a very highly regarded lens. The lens is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, 3.11” x 3.39”, and weighs just 1.8 pounds. The lens fits well on the camera body and is not bulky, even with the lens hood on. The lens produces very sharp images and takes a 72mm filter size.

The lens is internal focus and supports both manual and auto-focus with a switch to control the focus function. The AF drive system uses a rear focus system and a ring ultrasonic motor for smooth adjustments supporting full time manual focus. Distance information is provided to the camera and the minimum focus distance on this 35 mm lens is 11.8 while the maximum magnification is .18x.

The Canon 35L f1.4 works best in its niche of full body portraits and low-light conditions. The lens is able to focus quickly even in low light, making it a good choice for weddings and events at churches or schools. The combination of a wide focal length and fast aperture works well in indoor situations with no flash. Photographers should be aware of the depth of field in these situations and take care when shooting in tight space situations to avoid subject motion. Buyers should also be aware that at f1.4, the lens produces images that are a bit soft and have a little bit of vignetting on the corners.

The lens also works well for wide-angle application such as landscape photography, and some people say that this application is the lenses strongest point. The depth of field, aperture speed, color and contrast, as well as its focus ability in low light conditions make this lens a top choice for many landscape and outdoor photographers.

L-series professional f/1.4 wide-angle lens with an aspherical lens element to correct aberrations. The floating system enables high picture quality to be obtained over the entire focusing range. Autofocusing is quick and quiet with rear focusing and ring USM. Full-time manual focusing is also possible.

Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 35mm 1:1.4
Lens Construction: 11 elements in 9 groups
Diagonal Angle of View: 63°
Focus Adjustment: Rear focusing system with USM
Closest Focusing Distance: 0.3m / 1 ft.
Filter Size: 72mm
Max. Diameter x Length, Weight: 3.1″ x 3.4″, 20.5 oz. / 79.0 x 86.0mm, 580g

PocketWizard has release two new controller for wireless flash system. The FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 support the full function of Canon’s ETTLII flash system. Nikon TTL flash system will be supported later during Q2, 2009. The price for the MiniTT1 will be $199 and the FlexTT5 will be $219.

Features from the new Pocketwizard Flex TT5 and MiniTT1 are TTL compatible with Canon E-TTL II. The maximum range will be 800 feet (240 meters). You can mount both Flex TT5 and MiniTT1 directly onto any camera hot shoe. You will be able to shoot at a maximum of 8 fps for E-TTL II & normal triggering. You can configure and upgrade firmware through a USB interface.

The MiniTT1 and Flex TT5 are compatible using E-TTLII Canon flash system for the following cameras. Canon 1Ds MKIII, MKII, 1D MKIII, MKII, 1DMKII N, 5D, 5D MKII, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, Rebel XT/350D, XTI/400D, XS/1000D, XSi/450D. The following Canon flash the MiniTT1 and Flex TT5 are compatible is 580EX, 580EXII, 430EX and 430EX II.

No with the new PocketWizard’s you can use the 430EX and 430EX II to act as a master flash. Back when you can only do this with the 580EX flash now you can set as master and trigger other Canon flash using the PocketWizard and 430EX unit.

The new design offers a low profile. The design is wider and does not spread upwards like the older design. This is the most compact design for PocketWizard to date. In addition the new Pocketwizard has 52 wireless channels and 20 ControlTL channels for the new protocol. The MiniTT1 measures at 2.8in,length x 1.9in,width and 1.3in, height and weights 2.3oz with a battery installed.

With the new PocketWizard, MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 you can still use your old PocketWizard but just not in TTL mode. Wireless remote TTL, for example, is possible only with the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5. That said, HyperSync works with a MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 at the camera and any PocketWizard connected to a studio strobe or similar flash. While the list of reasons to purchase an older PocketWizard just got a lot shorter with the introduction of the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5, the overall interoperability of the new units with existing ones means your Plus IIs, MultiMAXes and even Pluses, MAXes and Classics are still useful. In fact, we’re betting the MiniTT1 transmitter will be bought up in large numbers by photographers solely because of its compactness, even if they intend to operate it exclusively with existing PocketWizard receivers.

One of the new features from the new PocketWizard’s is the HyperSync. It can increase the shutter sync speed while simultaneously not sacrificing strobe brightness or have the black band at the lower part of the frame. The HyperSync mode is used best when you want to minimize ambient light and increase strobe efficiency.

The PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 are available in stores now. Release date for this new product was March 1, 2009.

Some new feature upgrades, changes and differences between the SB900 and the SB800 speedlight strobes. The first impression almost all Nikon shooters is “it’s huge!” The Nikon SB900 Speedlight price is $430.00. The SB900 compare to the SB800 is about 20% larger in size. The new SB900 pair with the Nikon D3 will be a great combo.

After using this flash without any doubt get the SB-900 is you’re heavy using flash lighting. This speedlight is great for wedding and event photographers. The user interface has been improved for better control on the flash. The SB900 can easily be setup for wireless use much quicker and easier than the SB800.

The SB900 gives more range and zoom further than the SB800. It can zoom up to 200mm. Most importantly you can change the “shape” of the light to add more control and concentrate to distribute the lighting evenly. The SB900 has faster recycle time, average time on a battery pack is 1 second or 2-3 seconds on fresh AA batteries.

With the new SB900 firmware updating is allow with certain camera bodies. The SB900 has a clever system which can tell certain, bodies (D3, D3x, D700 and D90) which white balance to set to. The photographers that will most benefit from this new speedlight will be heavy flash users such as wedding, event and photojournalism photography.

In conclusion this is the best flash ever made from Nikon. It works perfect with my D700 and D3 and is a must for professionals who are depended on flash photography. Great power and range at 200mm and has better control than the old SB800 speedlight. Best of all you can turn the flash head 180 degrees in both directions!

Wireless flash is becoming more popular in our photography work these days. Off camera lighting gives better lighting on the subjects and provides more control lighting conditions. Our thoughts on the new Alien Bee Cybersync can be found on this article below.

We ordered a battery power CST trigger transmitter $59.95 and CSR receiver for some testing. The receiver is small about 2 inches long, the cables provided with the receiver is good quality and a good vinyl feel and very flexible. Batteries are included with the receiver and 1/8 mini to PC cable used to connect directly to a flash. The receiver can also be used as a repeater if need for long distance. The Cybersynce has 16 selectable frequencies on a 2.4 GHz band. Once the receiver is powered on the unit stays on for about 1 hour after use on idle. There is no off button to turn the receiver off but the Cybersync uses very little power running on two AA batteries. The build quality of the Cybersynce receiver is good, the plastic is strong and antenna is part of the mold. After some intense testing I was able to fire 100% at about 50 feet distance. I normally do not need to long range and the Cybersync fits well into my budget than a Pocket Wizard.

The Cybersync transmitter is small! This thing is tiny and fit onto the hot shoe perfectly without any place. There is not locking mechanism like the Pocket Wizard has where you can screen a dial down to secure it onto the hot shoe. But the Cybersync fits snugly on to the hot shoe and will not fall off. The Cybersync transmitter is also on 16 selectable frequencies. The build quality is also similar to the receiver, very strong plastic and antenna is part of the plastic molding. The Cybersynce transmitter trigger voltage is 3v, so it is safe to use on any camera with built in hot shoe.

In conclusion, this unit does it all. I am not a big fan of using bulking wireless units such as Pocket Wizards and the price is just a fraction of what a Pocket wizard costs. This unit is definitely a great improvement over the Cactus V2 poverty wizard from Ebay. Highly recommend great for amateur and pro photographers.

Westcott Photo Basics 7.5’ Free sliding black light stand

The dimensions of this light stand are 29.5 x 3.6 x 3.6 and weights 2.5 pounds. This light stand is great for beginner photographers looking to have an affordable, light weight and good quality light stand to hold up medium size umbrellas, strobes and small to medium soft boxes. For $30.00 this stand is great for single portraits and holds up an umbrella and flash in a good balance for indoor use. When extended fully the light stand is a little unstable but will be able to stand without falling. I recommend keep the stand extend no more than 6 feet for best use.

Learning off camera lighting can be challenging at first but eventually you will want to experiment with different lighting angles. One of the hardes part is aiming your light source just right. This is why getting a light weight light stand will allow me to quickly adjust the position of the strobe easily.

I have been using the Westcott Photo Basic 7.5 for more than 2 years now and even though it is made in China, I have to admit that quality has kept upto par for every assignment I have. I use this light stand with a Westcott 32i satin white umbrella and a Canon 580ex flash. The Westcott Photo Basic 7.5 can take a beating. After each shoot it is thrown back into my trunk until the next shoot.

This product is highly recommended for photographer looking to start off camera lighting. Great value for the price!