Underexposure with the 20D - DPChallenge Forums

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/26/2005 02:15:35 PM · #1

Hey guys.... having an issue with the new camera in studio situations. It grossly underexposes my shots when I use studio lighting, I have tried everything I can think of to compensate for it, but seems the more light I give it, the more it underexposes.

Shots outdoors or in normal ambient light are great, even with flash.

I found this Thread plus 2 others which were similar, so seems I'm not the only one experiencing this.

Any ideas/suggestions?

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

10/26/2005 02:25:37 PM · #2

If by studio lighting you mean strobes on light stands, you need to use manual settings like a "real" photographer :-) Your camera only has smart flash metering on dedicated units. There's probably an add-on solution that will allow the 20D to meter for standalone flashes, but this isn't an area I'm up to date on.

The shutter speed is irrelevant as long as it's within flash-synch speed (I think 1/250 or lower on 20D) and the aperture and/or the intensity dial on the strobe units will determine the exposure.

R.

BlackDot

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

10/26/2005 02:27:55 PM · #3

How do you trigger the studio lights?

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

10/26/2005 02:53:23 PM · #4

Strobes are being triggered via 420ex canon flash - am starting to wonder if synch cord will be a necessity - but i have the same issue when i just use onboard flash or 420 by itself in the studio.

BlackDot

Canon EOS-20D

10/26/2005 03:14:41 PM · #5

I don't catch the strobes with the onboard flash. I use a cheap no name (don't ask the model) low intensity flash that triggers them just fine. If you get the same underexposed result with only onboard, I think you might want to give Canon a call.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/26/2005 03:25:15 PM · #6

Just tried a few shots with exposure comp set to +2 and they look much better. maybe that's all I needed, will do a full test later when work is finished.

Prof_Fate

10/26/2005 03:33:14 PM · #7

what is the 420 set to? If on auto or manual you should be fine, but it set to ettl mode it may be pre-flashing to measure exposure and that will trigger the studio flashes.

also, there is a slight delay with studio flashes optically triggered, so try a 1/125 shutter speed and see it that helps.

unless you are using the 420 for added light, the onboard flash should be enough to trigger the strobe units. usually you run a PC cord from the camera to the nearest strobe, and the rest can be triggered optically.

NOTE Exposure compensation does not work in M mode, so you are NOT in M mode - for studio strobes work properly that is the ONLY mode your camera should be in!

Message edited by author 2005-10-26 15:34:19.

doctornick

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

10/26/2005 03:33:18 PM · #8

Mixing different strobes with your Canon flash is not recommended...harder to get consistent results. Use only the strobes triggered by a synch cord and use Manual mode, experiment to get the exposure right or invest in a good light meter.

Message edited by author 2005-10-26 15:33:57.

Ness

Canon EOS-20D

11/08/2005 08:54:58 AM · #9

I also have the same problem with my 20d.My camera tends to under-expose by 1 stop when using the pop-up flash or my 550EX speedlite.I now dial in +1 flash exposure compensation to get better results.maybe this problem can be solved by Canon with a firmware update or bring back E-TTL(1) as on my film Eos 33 which gives me great results with my 550Ex or its pop-up flash.

Spork99

OM System OM-1

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

11/08/2005 09:11:44 AM · #10

You can use the 420EX or other Canon Speedlite to trigger your studio strobes, but you will need to make sure the trigger on the strobes is set to ignore the preflash. I'm not sure if that can be turned off. I'd recommend either using a sync cord, buying a small, cheap manual flash or investing in a radio remote sync system like the Pocket Wizard.

hankk

Canon EOS-5D

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical DF for Canon

11/08/2005 09:47:56 AM · #11

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

And make sure the camera doesn't meter off the preflash, or (as others have suggested) just get rid of the preflash--that is, set both flash and camera to manual.

Message edited by author 2005-11-08 09:48:36.