10d Flash Problems - HELP!!!!

[Radtech1]

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?!?!?

Anyone sense frustration? In a nutshell, I cannot get a decent exposure using the built in flash on my 10d - everything is a bit overexposed.

Here is a sample image using the Program mode, flash up. The exposure came out to 1/60 at f4. This is also how most of my holiday photos turned out.

http://users.adelphia.net/~radtech1/Photos/60F4.JPG

For my taste that is a bit too glaring. So I dial the exposure down to -2. This results in 1/60 at f8.

http://users.adelphia.net/~radtech1/Photos/60F8.JPG

Slightly less bright and definitely less natural light (from the lamp on the right), but whatever it is, it is NOT a 4 stop difference! So, what am I doing wrong? It seems as though the flash itself compensated for the different f-stop by firing brighter. Does that make sense? Why would it ignore my -2 command? Is this one of those “That’s not a bug, it’s a feature.” problems?

When the kids are tearing through the wrapping paper, I don’t want to have to worry about setting a manual exposure, but I would STILL like to be able to set a *relative* exposure by quickly dialing from -2 to 0 to +2 as need dictates. How can I override what it probably called “Canon SmartFlash” TM, and have the camera respond to MY settings?

Rad

[PacAce]

Radtech1 wrote:
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?!?!?

Anyone sense frustration? In a nutshell, I cannot get a decent exposure using the built in flash on my 10d - everything is a bit overexposed.

Here is a sample image using the Program mode, flash up. The exposure came out to 1/60 at f4. This is also how most of my holiday photos turned out.



For my taste that is a bit too glaring. So I dial the exposure down to -2. This results in 1/60 at f8.



Slightly less bright and definitely less natural light (from the lamp on the right), but whatever it is, it is NOT a 4 stop difference! So, what am I doing wrong? It seems as though the flash itself compensated for the different f-stop by firing brighter. Does that make sense? Why would it ignore my -2 command? Is this one of those “That’s not a bug, it’s a feature.” problems?

When the kids are tearing through the wrapping paper, I don’t want to have to worry about setting a manual exposure, but I would STILL like to be able to set a *relative* exposure by quickly dialing from -2 to 0 to +2 as need dictates. How can I override what it probably called “Canon SmartFlash” TM, and have the camera respond to MY settings?

Rad

How are you dialing in the -2 stop exposure compensation? Are you half pressing the shutter release button and then dialing in the -2 stop by turning the Quick Control Dial? Or are you pressing the Flash Exposure Compensation button at the top of the camera and then using the Quick Control Dial to dial in the -2 stop compensation. With the first, all you're going to be doing is changing the exposure for the ambient lighting. You need to use the 2nd method to alter the actual flash output.

BTW, f/4 to f/8 is not a 4 stop difference. It's just a 2 stop difference.

[scottbergerphoto]

I agree with PacAce. You are using Exposure Compensation which has no effect on flash output instead of Flash exposure compensation which does. You don't see any change in f stop on the camera when you do FEC only EC. You reduced the exposure for the ambient light by 2 stops or 1/4 the amount of light. That had no effect on flash output. It did however reduce the ability of the flash to cover distance. (Maximum Flash Distance = Guide Number / f stop). The Guide Number of the camera flash is 13 meters at Iso 100. If you look at the exposure of the books and lamp on the right, you see the results of your EC, they are darker, while the flashed area is unchanged.

Secondly, your pictures are the usual result of using on camera flash. They are flat and not particularly appealing. To improve on them you need to invest in a speedlite like the 420EX, an Off The Shoe Cord II and a flash bracket. This gives you full ETTL. The flash will be up and to the side of the camera. That will give you more depth, less red eye, and look more apealing. It also gives you more power(distance), the flexibility to angle the flash 45-60 degrees and/or use a diffuser like the StoFen Omnibounce. The on camera flash is really there only for convenience in a pinch.

As an aside, the pictures to my eyes, actually look underexposed, not overexposed. The white fur of the subject looks grey. That indicates 1-2 stops Flash underexposure(+1-2 FEC). Just my opinion.
Scott

[RichardtheSane]

Because you are using exposure compensation on the camera and not flash exposure compensation then the final exposure will not look much different.
This is because of ETTL, whatever exposure you set the camera to ETTL will do a preflash and meter from that to set a flash exposure. The result is exactly as you see, less light is getting to the subject from the lamp so the flash makes up for it by putting out more power in an attempt to get the correct exposure.