Have I already hit the limits of the 420EX?

[Persephone]

I got the 420EX as part of a package deal...looked cool...thought I could use it for a long time. Apparently, though, I need a stronger flash? Here's my last example of why i think I need it:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v32/hbdragon88/IMG_1825_2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v32/hbdragon88/IMG_1826_2.jpg

Both were taken taken at an ASI Senate meeting. For the first, I swiveled the flash so it would bounce off the wall nearest to me (the left one). I thought it looked OK, but the reporter/photographer there said that it was too dark, and my photo editor said he liked the second one better, which was taken forward at 60 degrees.

If I had a much stronger flash, would it have come out better than the second image?

[Gatorboy]

What were your camera settings? Av, Manual? Any FEC on the flash?

Why do you feel you need a stronger flash?

[Persephone]

That's a good question. Opanda EXIF tells me that I was in Av mode firing at 1/250th of a second at f/4.5. I do not know how to set the FEC and just fired after putting the flash unit on.

The current pinned FAQ says that the 420EX has a weaker flash than the more expensive ones, which is why I thought a stronger one would help in this situation.

[cricketboy75]

i might also have been ISO, aperture and/or shutter speed. the room does't look that big to me i have a 420ex too and it's good enough for room that size.

[DDCSD]

The 420EX is not all that weak. Yes, it is weaker than a 580EX by about a stop, but that really isn't all that much. You shot at ISO 200 for these. If you had gone to ISO 400 you'd have about the same output as a 580EX.

In your examples, you have quite a bit of falloff. Bouncing off the ceiling (if possible) might have been a better bet to get more even lighting here.

All you really need here is some more knowledge, not necessarily more gear.

Have a few good reads of this site, it helped me tremendously.
http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/

[Titus213]

You're shooting a 20D. ISO can be bumped to 1600 without issues if you have light. I would suggest shooting in M mode on the camera, meter your scene the best you can for available light, shoot.

[Persephone]

Thanks for the reassurance. I'll read up more on how to use my flash unit.

I had kicked up the ISO to 1600 when I was attempting no flash (didn't work - even at f/3.5 it was still at 1/40th second; also probably why I was in Av mode since I had just turned on the flash) but dialed it down to 200 because I thought the flash made it possible to use low ISOs.

[DDCSD]

My standard ISO for ETTL flash use is 400, and I adjust it from there. The ISO setting and the aperture setting is what affects your flash exposure. If your flash is running at full power, you need to crank the ISO up or open up your aperture to let more light get to the sensor.

The most important thing for a situation like this is to get the camera out of AV/TV and use manual. In AV/TV, it is trying to equal out the flash exposure and the ambient light. Indoors like this it is usually best to drop the ambient light down do expose -1 to -2 stops.

When bouncing, I always set my FEC somewhere between +1 and +1 2/3, depending on the situation.

[tim]

You have to learn how to use FEC. This scene is mostly white, FEC of between +1 and +2 would be needed.

[gofer]

I'd also add that the guy with the white top isn't helping any likewise the light tops of the tables. In Av mode the camera will expose for ambient and add the flash as fill in. The guy with the white top could be throwing the exposure.

[Gatorboy]

In Av mode the camera wants to use the flash for fill -- use MANUAL mode.

[SkipD]

The significant advantage of a "better" flash unit (430EX or one of the 580EX series) is that the flash unit can also be set in manual mode. The 420EX (which is what I still use for portable stuff) has no manual mode.

If you had BOTH the camera and the flash in manual mode, then you would have control over the exposure settings.

Positioning and aiming of the flash are the only things that will help the light falloff issue (overexposure of subject elements close to the camera relative to distant elements). Sometimes, getting the flash off the camera is the only real way to get what you need.