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10/07/2010 08:13:43 AM · #1 |
Hi everyone, I'm slowly learning flash by reading on the internet and teaching myself. I'm using a Nikon D300 with a 70-200mm F2.8 mainly sometimes an 18-200mm F3.5-5.6. I'm using the pop-up flash on the D300 as the commander, to fire the SB-800 flash unit I have. I have the pop-up flash set so that the flash from the pop up is very low so that the pulse just fires the SB-800 and doesn't effect the exposure. My question is: In the D300's menu I go into the commander menu and under group A I can move things around to read 1/16, or 1/1, or 1/4, or 1/2 and a whole bunch more.. Is this how I control the flash power? and what does the aperture and shutter speed do? If I read properly, I think the shutter will control how much ambient light will come into the picture, and aperture just controls the depth of field???
Thanks everyone. |
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10/07/2010 08:32:43 AM · #2 |
Start here: //strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html
Then here: //strobist.blogspot.com/2007/06/lighting-102-introduction.html
and what does the aperture and shutter speed do? If I read properly, I think the shutter will control how much ambient light will come into the picture, and aperture just controls the depth of field???
Aperture controls flash power and ambient.
Shutter speed controls ambient only.
ISO controls flash power and ambient.
Flash to subject distance affects flash power.
The best way to think of it is that you have two exposures, the flash exposure and the ambient exposure.
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10/07/2010 08:39:07 AM · #3 |
no.
i don't have a nikon but i believe you are in aperture priority mode, meaning you control the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed. the aperture also controls the amount of light coming in, so your camera will auto set a slow or quick shutter speed depending on the amount of light it senses. the same goes if you are in shutter priority mode (Tv on canons, not sure about nikons). you set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture.
if you want to set both, you need to go into the Manual or M mode.
the number you see are the aperture settings or how wide open your lens is, the smaller the fraction the more light you let in and also the smaller your depth of field.
this is also the number on your lens (2.8, or 3.5-5.6) ,meaning on your 2.8 you can get a max aperture of 2.8 through all the focal lengths, on the 3.5-5.6, the max aperture varies between 3.6-5.6 depending on your focal length (your camera will know what the max is depending on your zoom). since you get a smaller depth of field with the lower apertures the lens with low f stops 2.8, 1.8. 1.4 give better blurring of backgrounds and also allow more light in to allow you take take better photos.
here is some more info.
//www.slrphotographyguide.com/camera/settings/av-mode.shtml
none of these control your flash |
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10/07/2010 08:56:19 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by mike_311:
no.
i don't have a nikon but i believe you are in aperture priority mode, meaning you control the aperture and the camera sets the shutter speed. the aperture also controls the amount of light coming in, so your camera will auto set a slow or quick shutter speed depending on the amount of light it senses. the same goes if you are in shutter priority mode (Tv on canons, not sure about nikons). you set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture.
if you want to set both, you need to go into the Manual or M mode.
the number you see are the aperture settings or how wide open your lens is, the smaller the fraction the more light you let in and also the smaller your depth of field.
this is also the number on your lens (2.8, or 3.5-5.6) ,meaning on your 2.8 you can get a max aperture of 2.8 through all the focal lengths, on the 3.5-5.6, the max aperture varies between 3.6-5.6 depending on your focal length (your camera will know what the max is depending on your zoom). since you get a smaller depth of field with the lower apertures the lens with low f stops 2.8, 1.8. 1.4 give better blurring of backgrounds and also allow more light in to allow you take take better photos.
here is some more info.
//www.slrphotographyguide.com/camera/settings/av-mode.shtml
none of these control your flash |
That's not really correct
The number the OP is talking about (1/16, or 1/1, or 1/4, or 1/2) is the flash power.
 alohadave pretty much hits the nail on the head with
Aperture controls flash power and ambient.
Shutter speed controls ambient only.
ISO controls flash power and ambient.
Flash to subject distance affects flash power.
The best way to think of it is that you have two exposures, the flash exposure and the ambient exposure.
Though to add to that if the flash is being controlled manually then the aperture will control the flash exposure ... if the flash power is left as TTL then the smaller the aperture the more the flash power will be (up until its maximum obviously) |
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10/07/2010 09:27:34 AM · #5 |
| you could be right, i assumed the OP was looking at aperture settings, isn't on some cameras the aperture listed as a fraction? |
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10/07/2010 09:41:13 AM · #6 |
Hey, Maver!
I'm learning flash as well (both on and off camera.)
I started this thread Hot Shoe Diaries to explore what I was finding.
I've had to delete some of the images, because I was out of space. But it was a place to explore, experiment and talk through results, problems, etc. You're welcome to join me there. I really need to get back to playing.
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10/07/2010 10:31:48 AM · #7 |
| hi everyone. i am also new to this off-camera flash thing. This past couple of weeks i decided to try using them. I put a portable mini-softbox type of diffuser on my wireless flash, and it seems to be working well, producing nice soft lights and shadows. if i put the flash unit at some angles, and let the flash bounce to my subject, the shadows seem very nice, and not flat as compared to putting the flash unit on camera. so everything was doing well. or so it seems. i realise that after only a few shots, barely over a dozen i guess, the model (translation:wife) was complaining that her eyes were feeling really uncomfortable. but as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. but i could not possibly go on practicing with portrait shots like this if i would make my model feel uncomfortable with my flash setup. hmm... any ideas guys and girls? :) |
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10/07/2010 11:38:31 AM · #8 |
If you double the iso the flash power can be halved. If you open the aperture by one full stop again the flash power can be halved.
Or doubling the iso you can move the flash to twice the distance away |
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10/07/2010 12:31:33 PM · #9 |
| yes thank you for the idea. actually i kinda figured it also. i can see the flash' zoom settings, and there's this "level" and "times" and "hz" setting. i played around with them, and i can see by the effect on how the subject is illuminated, the flash level can indeed be tamed. but i haven't tested them yet on humang beings again. :) i'll just wait probably till my wife and kids are willing to be bombarded with my flash again, this time on a less eye-irritating settings. |
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