flashunit

Create a DIY Optical Fiber Attachment to Guide and Shape Your Flash’s Light

Photographer Váncsa Domokos created a neat do-it-yourself camera accessory that uses optical fibers to control the direction and intensity of a flash unit's light. Instead of having light come directly out of the flash unit, the accessory redirects it through a thick bundle of optical fibers, allowing you to point the light in any direction -- and in different directions if you'd like.

What a Camera Flash Looks Like in Super Slow Motion

Photographer Florian Knorn recently took a Fastcam SA4 high speed camera -- ordinarily used for observing things like ballistics and fluid dynamics -- and pointed it at a Sony HVL-F58AM flash unit, capturing what a camera flash firing looks like when captured at 500,000 frames per second and then slowed down to to 25fps.

Metz 52 AF-1: The World’s First Hot-Shoe Flash with a Touchscreen Interface

The world of camera gear is getting really into this whole touchscreen thing. Touchscreen interfaces appeared on a bevy of cameras at Photokina this month (especially when paired with Android OS) and even on a new light meter, the Sekonic L-478D. The latest guest to crash the party? The flash.

The new Metz 52 AF-1 is the world's first hot-shoe mounted flash unit to offer a touchscreen interface. Granted, the screen isn't as flashy as the touchscreens found on the devices mentioned above -- it won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon -- but it gets the job done.

Make Your Flash Shine Again with a Dab of Toothpaste

If you've used your flash for quite a while, you may have noticed some yellowish haze where the plastic has oxidized. For flash units that have a smooth surface, here's a pro tip: you can make it shine again by simply dabbing a little toothpaste onto a cloth and wiping off the haze in a circular motion.