Crop Corner

Before I begin this topic, I want to correct a misconception about lights for digital capture, especially strobes. Some people think you need special "digital" lights and that equipment used previously with film won't work. The manufacturers have encouraged this thinking with expensive hot shoe-type flashes that sport features designed to "enhance" the digital experience. The Nikon SB-800 and the Canon 580EX are examples that come to mind. Don't get me wrong. These are fine little strobes and if you have a DSLR that is fully compatible with those "enhanced" features (and don't mind the cost), fine, go for it. But you don't need them and anyway, hot shoe flashes are not really suitable for studio work, the subject of this article.