How do you use your external flash

[clkgtr37]

Due to the extremly difficult art known as "flash photography with a D30" I have started a thread to try and gather a bank of knowldge about using external flashes. I have a 420EX and 550EX on the way and have not been able to take a constistant flash photo worth a darn. For those of you who have nearly mastered this I ask that you please post some hints or advice that might help me and all those suffering the same frustration that comes with the use of external flashes with my D30
Thank you for any help,
Blair

[Rudi]

Blair,

I try to avoid flash photography whenever possible. Think of flash as a compromise, which it IS!

When you HAVE TO use flash, try to make use of FEL whenever possible, and keep notes (mental or written) on which exposure settings seem to work best for you (this is especially important with portraits and such, where you're trying to get a good balance between lighting and skin tone and detail and so on).

A lot of the time you will find that a slight underexposure (negative flash exposure compensation) works best, but this will depend on your lenses and what sort of result you like to get. Some people are really happy with the standard Canon flash exposures (and so they should be, there was a reason for Canon to set the exposure the way they did!).

One last piece of advice: Get yourself a Stofen OmniBounce for your flash. This one piece of equipment will probably do more to improve your flash photography than all the advice I just dispensed... :D

[picnic]

Blair, there has been a lot of discussion at dpreview about this as well as on the robgalraith forum. There is some good info at
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/index2.html
http://www.dlcphotography.net/CanonLetter.htm

These have been helpful to me. I have the 420EX from my G1 days and am most likely going to buy a 550EX in addition. I work primarily in available light but for the small bit of commercial work I do (interiors), it is a necessary thing. I've had quite good luck with the 420EX after reading the above pages and doing some practicing. Understanding that the camera will expose the background correctly while the flash exposes for the subject (FEL) is really helpful and for the first time I was able to shoot a dark interior (correctly exposed) with bright windows in the background (correctly exposed). In the past, with my E10 and an Oly FL40, I would shoot several at various exposures (manual) and layer in PS for the image I wanted. Also, just shooting in manual with the 420EX worked great. I will have more flexibility with the 550EX--plus the ability to use 420EX as slave.

Hope this is helpful to you.
Diane

[philw]

Well first of all I think that you're perhaps missing something, as for me the canon flash system is the easiest portable system I've yet used.

I know that some people have had difficulties, and I don't really know why that is. A couple of possibilities:
(1) you have bad hardware;
(2) you haven't understood how the system works.
I can't think of any other possibilities, as the system clearly does work for some of us.

If you're suffering (1) then just take the stuff back to the shop. If it's (2) then I can understand that because the manuals do seem to be particularly bad.

The references already listed here are good and should cover it. I'd summarise it something like:

(i) bear in mind that you meter the background and the flash exposure independently but with the same focus point information;

(ii) you have to have an active focus point on the bit you're exposing for - either compose that way or use FEL (refusing to assign * to FEL and then complaining that the system doesn't work is silly). I mostly run with just the centre point selected.

(iii) everything you learned about 18% grey works for E-TTL as well as non-flash exposure. Focus on something black and you'll get over-exposure elsewhere.


In short, you need to understand what the machine's doing and then exploit it. E-TTL isn't idiot-proof.

Phil

[D30Photo]

Here's an example:
http://photos.imageevent.com/d30photo/nhutlynn2002june29/websize/CRW_5249.jpg

There are about 150 indoor flash pictures from this engagement party that I was asked to shoot. If you like the lighting, let me know and I'll share my setup.
http://imageevent.com/d30photo/nhutlynn2002june29

PS: I did shot with a 550EX, and no I hate & often don't use FEL. Almost all of the flash pictures are around 1/125-1/200 at f6.3-f9.0. Also there's not too much available light.

I'm getting into wedding as a pro so getting consistent results with flash is almost a must. Comments and feedbacks on the photos are also welcome.

Some of the photos came out a little on the red, but I prefered the soft look on the skin tone.

[Rudi]

D30Photo wrote:
If you like the lighting, let me know and I'll share my setup.

... or you could just share it with us anyway... Just kidding, the photos look nice. :D

Please share your setup, as I'm sure there are plenty of people here (myself included) who would like to learn all they can about different flash setups...

[philgabe]

I agree with Phil, if you use the system correctly it works wonderfully well. Try a few of the tricks below and compare the results.

1. Have someone sit on a chair indoor in a room that is not totally dark but where the light would call for something like 1/30s at f/3.5 or so. The best is to sit your subject next to a window (to the side of the window and about 2 feet in front). Turn on the flash unit. Plase yourself not too far from the subjet (use a 50m lens or so).

2. Set the camera in Av mode, select f/3.5 and focus with center focus point on the person's face. The camera will set speed at 1/30s (or whatever it should be). That's the measure of the background light (to get an 18% grey exposure). Keep shutter half way pressed and DO NOT RECOMPOSE THE PICTURE.

3. Press the FEL button, shooting a pre-flash. Take the picture. You should end-up here with a well exposed picture with good balance between subject light and background light.

Then do the same exercise but at the end of step 2, recompose the picture so that the central focus point is no longer pointing at the face of the person but at a point behind the subject (if you set-up your model next to a window, point at the window which should be much brighter than subect). Then press FEL and take the picture.
If the background was lighter than the subject face, you will get here an underexposed face for your subject. That is because the flash output was measured to give 18% grey exposure to something that was more reflective than your subject face.
If the background was darker than the subject face, you will get an overexposed face for your subject. This is because the flash output was measured to give 18% grey exposure to something that was less reflective than your subject face.

The lesson of this is that you should ALWAYS take your reading of exposure using the correct focus point focusing at what you want to expose correctly (a face, or whatever). If what you want to expose correctly is not 18% grey reflective (such as a very light skin swedish babe or a very dark black hunk), use flash exposure compensation to avoid underexposing (swedish babe) or overexposing (black hunk) your subject.

The bad reputation of the D30 for flash photography in my eyes is totally unjustified. However, compared to film photography, any mistake you make with the D30 will show up much faster than with a film camera because of the limited latitude of sensors versus film.

Cheers.

Philippe
www.epochphotos.com

[D30Photo]

For anyone interested, this is what I use to achieve consistent reliable flash.

I use a two-flashes setup. One for bounce, the other for fill.

In my last assignment (http://imageevent.com/d30photo/nhutlynn2002june29), I have my 550 on the D30 shoe mount with it always in the bounce position. My second flash (Vivitar 285HV connected via PC sync) is mounted on a flash bracket (http://imageevent.com/d30photo/vivitar).

Why not just one bounce flash? With the 550, good consistency can be achieve by bouncing the flash, but I find it sometime lacking by itself.

Why not just one direct flash? The Vivitar 285HV is Auto Thrysitor, and is very consistent, but the use of one direct flash can leave your pictures coming out harsh.

Why I like this two-flashes setup?
1) I like the ways the photos come out. I get the even light look with bounce plus fill to brighten up shadows under the nose and chin.
2) This setup gives me the ability to take a flash picture without having to FEL or recompose.
3) In situations where the bounce light is not up to my liking, I have enough power from my straight-on flash to do the job.

Is there a flash unit that provide both fill and bounce at the same time? I think the Metz 54 does, but I don't have it and don't want to purchase another $350 flash to find out. I still like my 550 and 420 for wireless application, and combine with the Vivitar 285, I can honestly say that I am more comfortable now with getting a well lit flash photo right the first time.

Is this setup the way to go for everyone? Probably not since having two flashes mounted on your camera will make you look out of place (if not out of this world). But for me, I'm not trying to blend in, I'm trying to get the photos to come out the way I want.

There are many ways of using your tools as there are many tools to do a job. Experiment and select the best methods and tools that work best for you.

Cheers,

[jonsimpson]

I use the 550ex.
And I never shoot with the flash straight on.

I got a Stroboframe Pro T frame.....that lifts the
flash up and away from camera in both landscape and portraiture positions. I also ust the Shoe cord 2 which keeps all the ETL features. I also often times use the nearest white wall......a passing pedestrian to hold up an open white napkin.....concrete floor.....whatever surface I can to bounce the flash to create a more natural look.

But.......learn from MY mistakes......I now make it a point to use the FEL (flash exp. lock). Use center weighted
metering....put the most important part of the picture dead center...press the * FEL.....and within 16 seconds reframe and take the pic.

Below is bounced off a white ceiling.
http://jonsimpson.com/post/sarandhan.jpg

HOWEVER THREE THINGS GET ME IN TROUBLE......
I don't think the D30 moves the metering with the selected focus point. There is nothing in the manual that says metering moves with focusing point. And when I've shot camera turned to portrait, subject with light complexion and black sweater, center weighted selected....and side focus pt selected.....the camera still meteres in the middle (black sweater) and not on the side focus pt on the face. So i no longer rely on this...and I meter using center of frame...FEL...then reframe.

Also.....the rule of always having the shutter speed faster than the focal length has got me into trouble.
Especially with the ratio being off on the D30 (100 is realy 160) So....since I shoot portraiture with the ACTUAL focal length around 200....I set the shutter speed to 200 or 250...the camera to TV.....the flash to HIGH SPEED SYNCH...the then FEL.

Also....when I first got the D30 I would shoot in the dark backgrounds got me into trouble....setting the camera to AV and F4....then the slow shutter speeds would get me into trouble with my long lenses.

Just FYI.

[michaelchristensen]

Hi,
I've just bougt the D30 in Denmark and I'm VERY satisfied with it's performance. I can't understand the stories about flash problems with the D30 - look at some of my D30 pictures, shot with the built in flash!

Let me know what you think!!

Regards
Michael

[michaelchristensen]

Oooops - AND the link too!

http://www.christensen.tv/d30.htm

enjoy