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04/22/2004 11:04:48 PM · #1 |
With my old camera (a simple P&S) the flash was easy to use. If you turned it on, you ended up with a faster shutter and the flash exposed the shot. It wasn't the best of results, but it worked.
The flash on my Rebel has me confused. With the flash on, there is a slow shutter speed still and the shot doesn't necesarily end up exposed properly. What am I doing wrong? Is there a different setting to use with the flash?
Is there an online tutorial that someone can point me to to help with these and other flash issues (like what kind to buy, what they do, how they work, and the terminology)? Any help would hopefully make me less confused!
TIA
TC |
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04/22/2004 11:27:32 PM · #2 |
There is a really in depth write up on falsh that explians all that in detail, probably more than needed for non professional photographers. It was based on the EOS system as well, which is very helpful for us Canon people.
I can't find the link, but think I may have it bookmarked on my home PC, I'll look and post it here later.
I think I got it off a forum here originally, so you may even get lucky here.
Ok, found it, try this for size :)
//photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
Message edited by author 2004-04-22 23:30:14.
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05/01/2004 12:37:23 AM · #3 |
| Holy crap, this was WAY more information than I bargained for, but extremely useful. It's gonna take a while for me to totally absorb. Thanks for the link! |
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05/01/2004 07:01:51 AM · #4 |
Toocool, you're getting the slower shutter speeds because you are using Aperture priority (Av). You need to either use Program mode (P) or semi automatic (M) - (some people call it Manual). When you use Av, it tries to properly expose the background also, which requires longer shutter speeds. Use P, Tv, or M if you want 1/60 and up for flash. Poof! problem solved.
Use M if you want to controle DOF. Just set the aperture you want, and a minimum shutter speed of 1/60 sec. However remember that the smaller the aperture (higher F number) the more light you need.
Originally posted by TooCool:
With my old camera (a simple P&S) the flash was easy to use. If you turned it on, you ended up with a faster shutter and the flash exposed the shot. It wasn't the best of results, but it worked.
The flash on my Rebel has me confused. With the flash on, there is a slow shutter speed still and the shot doesn't necesarily end up exposed properly. What am I doing wrong? Is there a different setting to use with the flash?
Is there an online tutorial that someone can point me to to help with these and other flash issues (like what kind to buy, what they do, how they work, and the terminology)? Any help would hopefully make me less confused!
TIA
TC |
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05/01/2004 10:00:30 AM · #5 |
| OK...I thought I was learning but, While I was in GA I was shooting a dance at a pavilion. I used flash the whole time I was at this event. I was in program mode. Some of the pictures came out fine! Some of the pictures came out dark background with a properly exposed subject. Some of the pictures came out blown out... Why the wide range of quality? |
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05/01/2004 01:51:54 PM · #6 |
The ones that were blown out I would suspect you were too close and the flash overpowered your composition.
The ones where the background was dark and the subject was exposed properly indicate to me that the background was out of the range of the flash.
The ones where everything was exposed properly indicate to me that everything was within the range of the flash without being too close.
Message edited by author 2004-05-01 13:52:11. |
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05/01/2004 02:22:54 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
The ones that were blown out I would suspect you were too close and the flash overpowered your composition.
The ones where the background was dark and the subject was exposed properly indicate to me that the background was out of the range of the flash.
The ones where everything was exposed properly indicate to me that everything was within the range of the flash without being too close. |
Looking at the compositions, I'm not sure that this is a totally correct explanation. The shots themselves are on my friends laptop that I don't have access to till a little later today. As soon as I have them back I will post examples here! |
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05/01/2004 02:49:16 PM · #8 |
You must remember that flash photography is essentially a double exposure - the ambient exposure that your combination of shutter speed, aperture and film speed will give you. The second exposure is from the flash. This is true of ANY mode you're in.
In Av mode, the camera assumes that the flash is NOT your main source of light (provided the shutter speed is not locked - see below) so the metering will attempt to expose properly on an ambient basis, and use the flash as fill flash. In P mode, it assumes that the flash is the main source of light. If it's really dark, personally, I use Av mode with the shutter speed locked at 200 (custom function). This forces the camera to use the flash as the main source of light, and the 1/200th is usually good enough to prevent too much ambient blur.
The on-board flash is weak and is mounted near the lens, so will give harsh results in the dark and will likely cause the problems you're experiencing. If you're serious about flash photography, I'd suggest picking up a 550 EX so that you can control the flash exposure compensation and use bounce flash and other techniques to give your flash shots a better look. |
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