[shuttertalk]

I've been making good use of my SB600, and there's no way I'm going back to using the onboard flash, ever. Bounce flash is so much fun!

As good as it is, I find I'm getting somewhat inconsistent results -- sometimes I find a 45 degree bounce works well, other times, 75 or 90 (straight up) works better. By inconsistent, I mean that there is quite a noticable shadow area towards the bottom of the frame, indicating that it's not properly lit.

I guess it depends on the distance to the subject, right? I guess you want to find the angle which would bounce the most light onto the subject, and hence you would need to keep adjusting the head depending on the range to the subject. Is that correct, or is there an easier way? Hmm am I answering my own questions?

Also, how do people use their flashguns? Just point it head on and use a diffuser? 45 degrees and a diffuser? And with high ceilings, if you don't have a diffuser, is there any alternative to just blasting head on? The results to me have the same deer-caught-in-headlights look as you get from the onboard flash...

[adam]

pics pics pics

I use 45 degrees and omnibounce - works most of the time if they aren't too far and the ceiling isn't too high. ETTL does the calculations for me

Without a diffuser, I think people use a bounce card?

[Wedding Shooter]

Here is a link to a shot I took at a wedding a few weeks ago. It is done using bounce flash (straight up) and a flash difuser made by Gary Fong called a PJ Lightsphere (it looks like a piece of tupperware on top of your flash but produces some amazing results when used correctly).

http://www.harphampix.com/v2/document.php?id=15103

Cheers,

Chris

[Rufus]

Okay, something I can answer!
Problem with bounce is large effective reduction in output, shadows below protruberances, loss of light, (as you say), near bottom of image, massive power drain due to max outputs, gun overheat.
Solutions:
1/ Dont bounce vertically!! Bounce horizontally.
2/ Use a second / third gun.
3/ Bounce into a reflector, not a wall. It's much more efficient.
4/ Use, (as Adam says), a bounce card.
5/Use a "light modifier" softbox, (Lumiquest, Lastolite etc).
6/Use a brolly.
7/ Experiment with MANUAL flash.

[Schellamo]

I had an omnibounce...but lost it
But I found that comparing using the omni at 45 still wasn't as good as bouncing of the ceiling.
Did your flashgun come with a bounce card? If I'm outdoors or don't have a decent ceiling I generally use mine at 45 degrees with bouncecard, or I stop down the flash a bit.
Just keep playing...and post some pics!!

[Schellamo]

Just had to add- I wish you'd done our wedding, Chris, those shots are stunning!!

[Wedding Shooter]

Gee - thanks Schellamo - wish I could have too.

If you don't have a built in bounce card you can always strap a piece of white card to the head of your flash unit (just use an elastic band) - will give you some fill flash as well as bounce.

[Toad]

I've been making good use of my SB600, and there's no way I'm going back to using the onboard flash, ever.

Well, you will for sure if you ever buy a D70s or D200, because the onboard flash is your "commander mode" control unit to wirelessly control your SB600/SB800 remote flashes. The onboard flash in this mode is an activator for the slave flashes and does not contribute significantly to the exposure of the shot (fires at very low power). The absence of an onboard commander flash is a real oversight on the otherwise superb Nikon D2X.

[shuttertalk]

The absence of an onboard commander flash is a real oversight on the otherwise superb Nikon D2X.

As is on the D50...

I'll need a SB800 for the wireless commander mode...

[Toad]

Not an oversight on the D50, I think. It is one of the few reasons for going to a D70 vs the D50 - Compact Flash compatability being the other significant one. Got to get people to move up to the next step up the ladder somehow, right?