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External flash
Why in the world would anyone want to buy an extra flash when one is built right into a digital camera? For some, particularly advanced digital camera users, an external flash offers much more versatility and power than a fixed position, built-in flash. "Dedicated" flashes are made to work with a specific digital camera.
External flash units provide increased flash range, more control of light direction, faster recycle times and they virtually eliminate red eye.
Most external flashes are mounted on a camera with a hot shoe. Some units can be used as a wired or wireless slave flash, which fires when the built-in flash goes off. A slave flash, which requires no hot shoe, is placed away from the camera.
Basic external flash units offer automatic and manual flash settings. More advanced (and more expensive) units have heads that can be swiveled and/or tilted up or down. Some have zoom heads which are changed to match the focal length of a camera lens.
Most external flashes come with a built-in or attachable diffuser to tone down harsh lighting and expand the flash coverage when taking wide-angle shots.
Bounce flash
One of the main reasons people buy an external flash with a bounce head is to eliminate strong light and shadows that appear in photos taken with a built-in flash. The angle of the head is positioned upward so the flash can be bounced off a white ceiling or reflector, diffusing the light to produce a photo with a natural, softer look. This less harsh lighting is perfect for photographing people, or subjects such as insets for Extreme Macro photography.
A word of caution about older external flash units: Due to differences in voltage, using an older flash can damage a newer camera beyond repair. Adapters may be available so an older flash can be safely used. Contact the manufacturer to make sure.
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Slave flash
Slave flashes work in conjuction with a built-in camera flash. No hot shoe is needed.
