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” external 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.

External flashes are typically mounted on the camera hot shoe, though they can also be used with a flash bracket. 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.

External flash features

Basic external flash units offer automatic and manual flash settings. More advanced units have heads that can be swiveled and/or tilted up or down. Some external flashes have zoom heads that can be 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.