Expert: Akshay Singh Jamwal - 10/5/2009

Question
Hello I shoot (just snapshots and basic portrait stuff) with a canon xti with a 18-55 zoom maximum f4.  That said i want to become less dependent on the little junky onboard flash, it recommends a flash most times.  My question is I would rather not use a flash most times so what lens could I use I hear that the "L" series from canon will help but the ones i found all have max of f4 also.  If not what kind of flash would you recommend?  on a  budget of course.  thank you much Tim

Answer
Hi Tim

If you're using the pop up flash as your primary light source, it's going to create flat, unflattering light (as I'm sure you've seen).
The only time you should use it is when you need fill, such as when a subject is backlit or in direct mid-day sunlight. I rarely use the pop up flash myself.

The kit zoom you have is the 18-55mm/3.5-5.6, if I'm not mistaken. You'll have a max aperture of f3.5 at 18mm and a max of 5.6 when at 55mm. While not exactly the 'fastest' lens out there, it certainly isn't the slowest either. It should suffice for most situations.
Do you often shoot indoors? In what kind of situations do you find yourself having to use the flash?  What exposure mode do you use most often? Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Auto/Program? I'm guessing you use Auto, and the flash pops up of its own accord, since you said that it recommends a flash most times.

Try shooting in Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority mode. Boost your ISO if you need to. Today's cameras fare pretty well even at 800 and above. You'll gain experience and begin to understand how steady your own hand is, i.e. you'll figure out how steady you can hold the camera before low shutter speeds begin to cause visible camera-shake in your images.
A guideline often used by photographers is to shoot at shutter speeds that are a reciprocal of focal length, i.e. if you're shooting at 55mm, ensure that your shutter speed is at least 1/55 of a second. The closest comparable shutter speed in this instance would of course be 1/60. Similarly, if you're using a 100mm, a 'safe' shutter speed would be 1/125th.
I say that it's a guideline because a sharp image without use of a flash largely depends on how steady your hand is.  As an example, I can comfortably take a shot at 1/30th of a second for, say, a 90mm lens. Below that and it's pot luck- sometimes perhaps the subject moves, other times my hand just isn't steady enough.

Don't bother with the L series lenses just yet, they're expensive- the cheapest is more than $500.
A flashgun would probably set you back a couple hundred dollars, too. You might find better deals on eBay, but flashguns are also relatively expensive. While a flash on a hotshoe (placed higher and further away from the lens axis) would indubitably fare better than a popup flash, the difference in quality of light wouldn't be substantial enough to justify the cost. You could bounce the flash's light off a ceiling or wall, but walls aren't usually white (meaning you'd get a colour cast on your subject) and some ceilings are too high to bounce off of, or aren't white either.
If you're going to buy a flash, make sure that you know how to (or plan to learn how to) use it off-camera. Else, it's just a more powerful replacement for your pop up.
I hope that helps. Please feel free to post a follow up if you need to.

Regards,

Akshay.