External flash?

[Jedimom82]

We're going on our first family Disney trip soon! I've been going crazy planning every detail for at least the past year and dreaming of it for even longer haha. This will possibly be our only trip, and I want as many pictures as possible. I don't want to fork over the dough for memory maker though, because I have a nice camera that I love to use

I'm terrible at remembering the precise names of my lenses so forgive me if I get them wrong, but I plan on bringing my Nikon D5200, my zoom lens, and my fixed length lens with the lower aperture (f1.8 I think?). That one is my favorite. It works great in low light, although I'm still very amateur with tweaking the manual settings and rely on aperture priority mode quite a bit. I've thought about getting an external flash for it in the past but always passed because I've been getting by without it. Well now I'm wondering if I should go for it? I can't use it in the rides, but I should be able to use it for character dining right? And night time shots off ride of course. Do you guys often use your external flashes in Disney? Would it be worth it?

 

[dmaxphil]

Flash would be good for character shots in darker areas, or in bright sun to reduce shadows (HSS). Keep in mind flash is only good for a few meters in front of you. I've never brought a flash to the parks.

 

[Tigerlulu]

If you don't, my flash "hack" is to wrap a white napkin around the pop up flash and secure with a rubber band (or extra pony tail holder since I usually have one on my wrist).

That will diffuse the flash and make it more flattering. I hate carrying the extra flash around the parks and never do it. Ever.

 

[xlxo]

Love my SB-800, SB-900 and now SB-5000. There's a time for natural lighting.... there's a time for artificial lighting.

Only hiccup is more stuff on my flight.

 

[havoc315]

I use an external flash often but rarely at Disney World.
If you go for it, learn how to bounce the flash. It's a very simply technique but makes a world of difference in your photos.

 

[mom2rtk]

I use my external flash a lot at Disney. That's probably because we do a lot of character meets. You can end up with a lot of harsh shadows on those. And oddly enough, some of the fixed character meet locations have really poor lighting.

Better light quality is definitely a big reason to use the external. But I also found that I tend to take a lot of photos in quick succession at character meets, and having the flash powered by batteries means recycle time is never an issue.

I actually bought a smaller profile external flash to use on our Disney trips, so the camera with flash attached is easier to carry around.

 

[boBQuincy]

I bought one of these inexpensive LED lights:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/512089-REG/Sima_SL_20LX_SL_20LX_Universal_LED_On.html

It works well up to maybe 12' or so, has zero recycle time, and doesn't cause red-eye. It is about the same size and weight as a small flash. This may be a good option.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• It may not cost red-eye... it will cause squinting!
• how long will that battery last?
• my SB-5000 is brighter. With iTTL... the flash will adjust power as needed
• my SB-5000 has mirrors that reshape the light depending on the lens zoom. That is it can spread or concentrate light as needed. The video light has a fixed pattern.

 

[mcraige]

I use an external flash often but rarely at Disney World.
If you go for it, learn how to bounce the flash. It's a very simply technique but makes a world of difference in your photos.

I second this. I bought a new flash and didn't really use it before heading to WDW. I got very few keepers where I used the flash.

 

[boBQuincy]

Thoughts....

• It may not cost red-eye... it will cause squinting!
• how long will that battery last?
• my SB-5000 is brighter. With iTTL... the flash will adjust power as needed
• my SB-5000 has mirrors that reshape the light depending on the lens zoom. That is it can spread or concentrate light as needed. The video light has a fixed pattern.

I used it in December, squinting was not a problem.
The battery is claimed to last an hour, it lasts for many photos when it is only on for 30 seconds at a time.
Most flashes are brighter. With a constant light source the camera adjusts settings as needed.