| Author | Thread |
|
|
04/06/2005 12:44:34 PM · #1 |
Well, it is here - my new flash. A Metz 54-MZ4 and Lightsphere 2!
I took a few shots to verify it all works...now how does one test a flash, so to speak? (as in practice)?
Right now it it is broad daylight and sunny...do even indoor shots don't need flash - perhaps tonite. I'll post some of the results.
|
|
|
|
04/06/2005 01:04:51 PM · #2 |
Who says you have to wait until it gets dark?
Daytime flash use is a must all too often to kill harsh shadows, and also helps with white balance.
Here is an extreme example:
Bright afternoon sun behind the flower, flash to fill in.
Granted it isn't all that great and I didn't get the results I wanted, but still an experiment of sorts that would never have been attainable without the use of flash in the daytime.
|
|
|
|
04/06/2005 01:13:09 PM · #3 |
A very wise and extremely talented photographer on this site recently told me that you should definitely use the flash outdoors and not indoors. Well, not indoors unless you have other good lighting to even out things. You don't want a "deer in the headlights" flash shot with black backgrounds and overly-lit subjects. Just a thought. ;o)
|
|
|
|
04/06/2005 01:16:45 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by laurielblack:
A very wise and extremely talented photographer on this site recently told me that you should definitely use the flash outdoors and not indoors. Well, not indoors unless you have other good lighting to even out things. You don't want a "deer in the headlights" flash shot with black backgrounds and overly-lit subjects. Just a thought. ;o) |
Depends... if you have a good diffuser and can bounce the flash.. using it indoors is the only way to *get* good "on the fly" indoor shots :)
|
|
|
|
04/06/2005 01:22:14 PM · #5 |
The Lightsphere is supposed to stop /kill the deer in headlights look. It is also suppsed to help eliminate the shadows behind people...and eliminate the need for a flash bracket...if it only made coffe...althought it looks like it might make a dandy funnel and ice cream bowl ;)
|
|
|
|
04/06/2005 01:22:25 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by Artyste:
Depends... if you have a good diffuser and can bounce the flash.. using it indoors is the only way to *get* good "on the fly" indoor shots :) |
Agreed.
Indoors, on-camera flash & off-camera flash
with diffuser and bouncing off the ceiling:
 
Message edited by author 2005-04-06 13:45:07. |
|
|
|
04/07/2005 12:20:36 AM · #7 |
Okay, had a chance to try some things...
All taken at night in my living room, e-TTL mode, P mode (F4.0 1/60sec), Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. No adjustments in PS at all (crop and resize only). Ambient light is 1 100w incandescent light in about the middle of the room (13x18 foot room)
Metz 54 MZ-4 flash and lightsphere 2 (Canon 300D)
the critter in question, with the tilt/swivel flash straight up. (laying on my backpack...yes it fits in there)
Portrait orientation, flash tilted 90 degrees for direct flash - note the harsh shadows and the orienteation of them.
The same as above - BUT with the flash tilted and swiveled (so it points to the ceiling). Shadow much less harsh. In all of these my son is about 16" from the wall. I am about 6 feet from him. 8' ceiling (white)
The camera is in normal/lanscape mode, the flash is pointed stright up with the lightsphere on. No shadows!
One 'compalaint' i have heard is the limited distance using a LS...so here is my test for this. This one is at F 2.5 and you can see the focus grabbed the wall, not the subject.
For the others i was sitting. here i was standing. the doorway is about 15 feet from me, the far wall (window/curtain) is about 26 feet away - with a wall/doorway blocking much light.
Alright, enough tests - here is a typical shot - again, the same living room, lens, etc. Evenly lit, not too shabby! I'd say this mix of stuff works rather well.
|
|
|
|
04/07/2005 01:28:48 AM · #8 |
That looks good..
I'd not seen one of the lightspheres before....
I took a heap of shots with the 580ex bounced at a wedding a couple of weeks ago and got pretty good results, although where the ceiling was too high (Really old house) I had a few under exposures.. The lightsphere would probably fix that, as you'd get more light 'out the front' than with 'bounce card' on the 580ex.
Thanks for sharing...
Cheers, Me.
|
|
|
|
04/07/2005 01:34:58 AM · #9 |
Someone in the FM forums doubted what it could do without a ceiling...so i just went outside and took 2 shots on my back deck - one with the LS and one without...damned amazing if you ask me!
 
|
|
|
|
04/07/2005 01:37:08 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
Someone in the FM forums doubted what it could do without a ceiling...so i just went outside and took 2 shots on my back deck - one with the LS and one without...damned amazing if you ask me!
|
I assume this is with the flash pointing upwards? Otherwise your 'no LS' shot is a little worrying. :-).
|
|
|
|
04/07/2005 01:47:18 AM · #11 |
Yep. This is to demonstrate that the LS is NOT useing the ceiling to bounce the light. How it exaclty works i have no clue - it is no more than a opaque piece of think plastic shaped like a bowl. You'd think the light beam of the flash would just pass by it and that would be that - darkness. But NOOOO - as you can see.
I had to manually focus in the dark...i just got the flash today - i don't think it will do a focu beam with a canon camera...120 page manual to read to figure all this out.
|
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/15/2025 01:32:19 PM EDT.
