Know Whether Canon Speedlite is the Right Choice for You or Not
Certain conditions may render your Canon's flash or on-camera flash inadequate. This is why professional photographers add off-camera flashes or speedlights.
While using the on-camera flash is the simplest way to illuminate your subject and capture an image, this alone may not be able to give you the flexibility to express yourself creatively. With a Canon Speedlite, you can have more control of light and quality of photos you are capturing.
Canon Speedlites are used in a variety of ways in photography. You can use it as the primary source of light, add it as a secondary source of light for fill for outdoor photography, or shoot with two or more speedlights at the same time. Whatever setup you want, you'll surely enjoy the freedom and flexibility, especially now that Canon's latest Speedlites have been outfitted with radio transmission. This makes wireless triggering of cameras and off-camera flashes much easier.
Do you really need to invest in a Canon Speedlite? The answer depends on your requirements or the nature of your work as a photographer.
Compared to studio strobes, Canon Speedlites have weaker lighting with lower lighting output. Even if you set them to full power, they can only emit about 1/4 of the light a studio strobe or a monolight can emit. And because speedlights are small, they only produce a narrow beam of light. This may result in hard-edged shadows. This also makes the lighting of the photo obviously artificial and nowhere near the quality of natural light from the sun and other larger light sources.
The following benefits provided by this accessory outweigh these disadvantages, though:
Add dimension - The hard-edged shadows can add drama and dimensionality to your photos. Photographers use an off-camera flash when they want to have a clear distinction between their subject and the background. They also use it when highlighting texture and casting interesting shadows.
Flexibility - Speedlites are more flexible than strobe lights. You can use it as an on-camera flash when you need to shoot a wedding ceremony in action. You can also use it as off-camera to create more interesting photos.
Portable - Speedlites may not be able to promise the same quality of photos as studio strobes do. Nevertheless, photographers still love them as they are small, easy to carry, and fast to set up. If you are always shooting outdoors, then you should really invest in Canon Speedlights.
