Frustrated With Studio Flash Setup

[tonyr0584]

Ok.... Thought this would be easy (123)......
Setup AB1600 with Large Softbox
Dialed in sync speed to my handheld meter.... set to 200
AB1600 set to 1/2 power.....
Flashed the AB1600 and the handheld told me to set the f stop to 5.6

Shots came out overexposed...... Took a chance and set to f11 and looked a lot better. But wold love for my handheld to tell me the correct answer..... I'm sure I'm doing something wrong..... Please help.

[SkipD]

Did you dial the same ISO value into the meter as you were using in the camera? That is sometimes easy to overlook.

Precisely how did you use the flash meter? Was it used in incident or reflected mode? Where was it aimed? etc. etc. etc.

[TMR Design]

Hi Tony,

Are you sure you have your ISO set correctly on the hand held meter and that ISO and shutter speed match between camera and meter. When I first read that at half power you were getting f/5.6 it sounded strange unless you had a fairly huge distance between the light and the subject.

That would be the first thing I would check.

[tonyr0584]

Just closed the gab between the model and the light.... ISO is the same (100) Meter now reads f22 @ 1/125 Pic looks much better. Model is holding meter on her nose.

[pacific]

Ditto the other comments about the ISO.... Been there and then only later figured out I was using the wrong ISO.

[TMR Design]

Tony,

Assuming you have your camera and meter set correctly and you've double checked all that then a slight change in meter position is not going to give you drastic changes. Very inconsistent metering positions will. Using the same relative position it could change your reading by 1/3 or 1/2 stop but it should be more than that. If it is then something is very wrong and we need to iron that out.

It sounds like you are using trial and error to resolve this problem and that's not a great way to work.

Please tell us how you are metering? position? where are you pointing the dome? Are you using just one B1600?