Product Details

• Format: Color, Full Screen, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Blue Crane Digital
• DVD Release Date: December 3, 2005
• Run Time: 61 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000CQM2LM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,821 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

New owners of Canon Speedlites are often bewildered about how to use the flash unit effectively to produce the type of shots they want. Although the supplied manual does provide some technical assistance, Speedlites have been, and remain a mystery for many owners. This DVD sets out to change all that.

With a running time of just over an hour, your host professional photographer Tim Mantoani, takes the mystery out of using these flash units. Whether you own just one or several of these speedlites, Tim walks you through real world photographic situations that can be helped with these flash units. He not only tells you HOW the flash operates, but WHY the engineers designed the flashes with their current set of features.

Once this DVD covers the basics of lighting and flash compensation, it quickly moves into more advanced topics like wireless slave operation, groups, and ratios. By the time you finish watching this DVD, you’ll have the skills necessary to create better photos. You will look at your subjects with the eyes of a lighting director.

You’ve spent a lot of time and resources getting great camera equipment and learning how to use you camera effectively. This DVD will take you to the next level by allowing you to add light where you want it. Photography is all about communication. With a little information, and one of these great speedlites, you can evoke exactly the response you want.

This DVD is REGION FREE.

Topic Covered:
• Flash Exposure Compensation
• Using the Flash as a Key or Fill light
• FP or High Speed Sync operation
• Slow Sync demystified
• Controlling the hardness or softness of the flash
• Auto and Manual Zoom control
• Flash Bracketing
• Manual Mode and Exposure Compensation
• Wireless Operation
• A:B and C groups – why they exist and how to use them
• Group Ratios
• Flash exposure lock
• Getting the flash off the camera
• First and Second Curtain Sync
• Manual and Stroboscopic modes
• And much more!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Covers mainly studio photography, October 15, 2007

By 

George Sand (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Understanding the Canon Speedlite 580EX / 430EX (DVD)

This DVD focuses almost entirely on studio photography: use of the 580EX with carefully positioned diffusers and reflectors and use of multiple Speedlights under master-slave control (even though I suspect most studio photographers use strobes, not compact Speedlights).

My shooting style is to take travel pictures and people candids. I wanted to learn how to use the 580EX mounted on my Canon EOS 5D camera to improve those types of pictures. On this subject the DVD is virtually silent. So if that's your objective, don't buy this DVD.

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Speedlites for Novices, October 20, 2006

By 

Richard Carleton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding the Canon Speedlite 580EX / 430EX (DVD)

Being new to the Canon Speedlite, I've spent several days on internet reading up on them and how best to utilize them. That coupled with the manual that came with my 580EX gave me a good idea of features etc., but what none of my research did for me was let me wrap my head around how it all came together in real world photography. This DVD in one short hour took care of that for me. It is beautifully balanced between explaining the basics of lighting for photography and then showing how to use Speedlites to accomlish this. I've already watched it several times and I plan on watching it a few more times after I've taken some more pictures.

If you're new to the Speedlite and confused a bit about all the features and how to put them to work, this is the DVD for you. Highly recommened.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Complex Products and Techniques, August 4, 2007

By 

T. J. Loeb - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Understanding the Canon Speedlite 580EX / 430EX (DVD)

Flash lighting is a complex subject which I'm sure is why so many flash photos come out looking as they do. Highlights blown away, backgrounds dark as a cave and not much in between.

Some of these problems are due to equipment, but more are directly related to a poor understanding of how modern flash units work and what it takes to get the most out of them.

The Canon 580EX II and 430EX are marvels of technology and will enable you to produce studio quality images every time.

The manuals the come with these units are very detailed and will explain every button, switch, and function on the units. What they don't do is tell you when you use these features and what else you need to know to get to best results.

This one hour long CD fills this gap and more. If you follow along, take the time to do the exercises, and review your results you will see a startling improvement in your flash photography.

You will no longer look at these units as just bright lights, but a real creative tools.

The CD is not perfect. Some sections are passed over too quickly or not discussed at all. But for the most part you will get the information you need to make your investment in your Speedlight pay off for you

The 580EX II is not specifically covered as I guess it was too new at the time this CD was produced. But the basic information you will require to use it is there.