I am flash photography illiterate, can someone help?

[safehaven]

So, I know I am clueless when it comes to using a flash, so I am hoping that some of you may be able to answer a few questions I have regarding flash photography.

My primary reason for looking into a flash is to shoot indoor basketball. My f2.8 lens and ISO 1600 is just not enough. With just the little bit I know of flash units, I think I would be considering the 580EX or the Sigma 500 Super. So my questions:

1. Realistically, how fast of a shutter speed can I use with a flash? I can get to about 1/320 in a "good" gym without a flash. On average, I get more like 1/250. I'd like to get to at least 1/500.

2. If I use a flash, will I more than likely be able to reduce the ISO? How far could I go down?

3. How far will the range of the pre mentioned flashes reach? Will they reach across a basketball court, approx. 100 ft? If not, will they reach the width of a court, approx 50 ft?

4. How long (an approximation) would the typical learning curve be for someone who has never used a flash before?

I realize that there may be no definitive answers for some of those questions. But, generallizations and approximations are fine. Anything would be more than I know now.

Thanks!

[JeffreyG]

1. Realistically, how fast of a shutter speed can I use with a flash? I can get to about 1/320 in a "good" gym without a flash. On average, I get more like 1/250. I'd like to get to at least 1/500.

The fastest you can go is the synch speed of the camera. Mine is 1/200. This is OK though because the flash light itself is very quick so the flash will stop the action. You need to actually stop down a bit so the primary illumination is flash or you may see a strange dim blur around the stopped "flash" lit subject.

2. If I use a flash, will I more than likely be able to reduce the ISO? How far could I go down?

Depends on how far, high ISO really boosts the range of you flash. In a gym you can probably come down to 800.

3. How far will the range of the pre mentioned flashes reach? Will they reach across a basketball court, approx. 100 ft? If not, will they reach the width of a court, approx 50 ft?

My third party flash can reach across a basketball court at ISO800 pretty easily. I think I can reach about 130 feet at ISO1600.

4. How long (an approximation) would the typical learning curve be for someone who has never used a flash before?

I think they are tougher to learn than a lot of other aspects of photography. I've never been a real serious photographer and I still can get a lot of hit or miss results.

[Curtis N]

There's some good basic info here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138907) in the EOS Flash Sticky in the flash section.

As for the learning curve, I think using flash is one of the more difficult areas of photography in technical terms. Every flash shot is two exposures in one. You need to think about every shot twice - the ambient light exposure and the flash exposure. And you have to learn to manage both, within the limits of your flash power and flash sync speed.

... but the ability to add light this way can make a dramatic difference in your shots. Flash ain't easy, but it's worth the effort!

[safehaven]

There's some good basic info here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138907) in the EOS Flash Sticky in the flash section.

As for the learning curve, I think using flash is one of the more difficult areas of photography in technical terms. Every flash shot is two exposures in one. You need to think about every shot twice - the ambient light exposure and the flash exposure. And you have to learn to manage both, within the limits of your flash power and flash sync speed.

... but the ability to add light this way can make a dramatic difference in your shots. Flash ain't easy, but it's worth the effort!

I have read all of that months ago, but I reread it all again anyway. At least I understood it a little better this time.

So this is what I got out of rereading that FAQ.

You CAN set a shutter shutter faster than 1/250, but at a cost of effective range. Correct?

I am assuming to stop fast paced action, even with a flast, I still need to set my shutter speed higher than 1/250, correct?

I am not fully understanding the working distances as I don't actually have a flash unit to trial and error with. So, assuming I have a 580EX, shooting at ISO 800, 1/500 (to stop motion), and f/4 (a stop down so that it takes some of the softness away), what would be my effective working distance?

If I am shooting basketball and I set it up so the flash is illuminating the otherside of the court (100 ft away), and there is a fast break that brings the action to my end of the court (15-30 feet away), the settings of the flash and the camera (assuming there is no time to adjust anything) would be such that the photo would be blown out by the flash at the closer distances, correct?

Wouldn't the inverse be true if I set it up for close and tried to shoot far, the far pictures would be dark?

[Curtis N]

You CAN set a shutter shutter faster than 1/250, but at a cost of effective range. Correct?Yes. This requires high speed sync, which is a feature of EX Speedlites and some aftermarket units.I am assuming to stop fast paced action, even with a flast, I still need to set my shutter speed higher than 1/250, correct?This depends on how you decide to expose the ambient light. With "normal" flash (not high speed sync) the flash exposure will be "frozen" but the ambient exposure will have as much blur as your shutter speed allows. However, if the ambient is underexposed by more than two stops or so, then the flash will provide the bulk of the light and freeze the action.

On the other hand, if you use high speed sync, the "flash" is actually a continuous light source that lasts throughout the exposure. In this case, the motion blur will be the same as a non-flash shot at the same shutter speed. Because of this, it's often easier to freeze motion by selecting 1/250 shutter and not using high speed sync. Reduce the ISO and/or stop down the aperture to underexpose the ambient and let the flash do the work.I am not fully understanding the working distances as I don't actually have a flash unit to trial and error with. So, assuming I have a 580EX, shooting at ISO 800, 1/500 (to stop motion), and f/4 (a stop down so that it takes some of the softness away), what would be my effective working distance?Let's start with a simpler calculation, since the guide number info of the 580EX with high speed sync is not published info.

Let's assume the flash head is zoomed to 105mm and you're shooting at 1/250 shutter, f/4 and ISO 100.
The guide number of the 580EX is 58 meters or 190 feet at ISO 100.
Your maximum range will be 190/4 = 47.5 feet.
At ISO 400 you can double that to get 95 feet.
At ISO 800 you can multiply that by 1.4 to get 133 feet.

Now you can double your shutter speed to 1/500 and open up the lens to f/2.8 (to get the same ambient exposure). Since this requires high speed sync, your range will be about half or maybe two-thirds what it was at 1/250 and f/4 with "normal" flash (I don't have a 580EX to check it).If I am shooting basketball and I set it up so the flash is illuminating the otherside of the court (100 ft away), and there is a fast break that brings the action to my end of the court (15-30 feet away), the settings of the flash and the camera (assuming there is no time to adjust anything) would be such that the photo would be blown out by the flash at the closer distances, correct? Wouldn't the inverse be true if I set it up for close and tried to shoot far, the far pictures would be dark?No. This is the beauty of E-TTL and other forms of automatic flash metering. It measures its own light (from the preflash) reflecting off the subject and automatically adjusts for your subject distance. However, if you use manual flash, you will need to make these adjustments yourself. But I don't think you would want to use manual flash for sports. Manual flash is only useful in situations that are somewhat predictable in terms of subject distance.

[safehaven]

Curtis... Thanks so much for your help.

When you say the flash will do most of the freezing of motion when the ambiant light is 2 stops underexposed, does that me that if I meter it as if I were not using the flash and it needed f/2.8, I would then stop it down to f/5.6 and the flash would then take over the lighting demands?

So, eventhough in flashless photography it wouldn't freeze motion very well, 1/250 with a flash will stop the action?? Will there be any motion blur at all using a flash at 1/250?

I appologize if I seem a little dense, but I am stuggling some. I typically like to learn things by doing it, seeing what it does, and adjusting. Trying to figure some of this stuff out without actually trying it is a little foriegn to me.

[Curtis N]

When you say the flash will do most of the freezing of motion when the ambiant light is 2 stops underexposed, does that me that if I meter it as if I were not using the flash and it needed f/2.8, I would then stop it down to f/5.6 and the flash would then take over the lighting demands?Yes. Or you could drop the ISO to accomplish the same thing.So, eventhough in flashless photography it wouldn't freeze motion very well, 1/250 with a flash will stop the action?? Will there be any motion blur at all using a flash at 1/250?Think two exposures in one. The flash itself is very fast, so the flash exposure won't be blurry. But you will get blur from the ambient light if the ambient part of the exposure is significant.Trying to figure some of this stuff out without actually trying it is a little foriegn to me.That's understandable. This stuff is hard enough to figure out when you have the equipment to experiment with. A flash unit will do a lot more than shoot sports. It can improve almost any shot of a human, once you learn to use it. Once you get one, the learning will begin in earnest.

[safehaven]

Curtis, I cannot tell you how much I really appreciate your help. I am actually starting to understand.

One last thing, of all my past reasearch and current research, I am really leaning toward the Sigma 500 Super for the simple fact that is more powerful than the 430 and much cheaper than the 580. The one thing people seem to complain about most is the fact that the first bounce flash setting is 65 degrees, instead of 45 degrees on the 580. Is this that big of deal?

[Curtis N]

The one thing people seem to complain about most is the fact that the first bounce flash setting is 65 degrees, instead of 45 degrees on the 580. Is this that big of deal?It's not a big deal for me. If I'm bouncing I usually point it straight up. Angled flash has its place, but I've seen posts here from people who shoot at 45 degrees and then wonder why the top of their image is brighter than the bottom.

Honestly, the Sigma Super is a great unit for anyone short of a full-time pro or someone doing a wedding every Saturday. The 430EX is a great unit too, and the power difference really isn't very significant. Both have their pros and cons, but either one will get the job done for 99% of photographers.