350D and the built-in flash

[Trik]

I have a 350D plus 75-300mm IS USM lens and am trying to get shots of a great tit as she leaves the nesting box. With the Nikon Coolpix 4500 that I also have, I can flip the built-in flash and set really high shutter speeds. OK, without any other flash units, backgrounds are very dark, but I have been able to get sharp shots of water droplets falling, for example. However, with the 350D, if I open the flash, the shutter speed defaults to 1/200th at f/5.6 - much too slow. Is there some special setting that I need to use, please? I mostly use Tv mode, BTW.

Many thanks
Trik

[robertwgross]

With an external -EX flash, you can use High Speed Sync mode.

---Bob Gross---

[Trik]

Thanks, Bob. I looks as though I do need an external flash after all. I know that the manual says that 1/200th is the fastest speed with the on-board flash, but I was rather hoping that there might have been a work-around and that it wouldn`t be necessary to get an external flash because of the extra weight. Still, do all of the Speedlites work in High Speed Sync mode, and which one would you recommend?

Trik

[robertwgross]

420EX, 550EX, and 580EX all have it.

I have the first two.

---Bob Gross---

[Trik]

Thanks again.

Incidentally, the great tit I mentioned in my first message (a single parent) has been taken by a sparrow hawk, and her only fledgling taken by a crow - both today within a few hours of the fledgling leaving the nest. :cry:

Kate

[Jesper]

If the flash is the main light source, it doesn't really matter that the camera doesn't go faster than 1/200s.

If you're using the flash as the main light source, the majority of the exposure of your photo will happen during the very brief flash burst, which is much faster than 1/200s. So you can easily freeze a moving subject using flash even with slower shutter speeds.

[Trik]

The main light source would have been the sun, I guess. Would that make a difference? I was several feet away from the bird, which was mostly in shadow at the time. I didn`t get another opportunity to try again (see my earlier post), but for future reference it would be very helpful to know what set up would give me the best chance of getting a shot of a small bird in flight - apart from a lot of luck and patience, of course!

Thank you for the reply.
Trik

[Jon]

If the nest was in the shade, the flash would likely have been the main light source, so the shutter speed wouldn't matter so much. Depending, of course, on how deep the shade was.

[Trik]

Hmm, it`s getting more complicated than I thought. Although the bird leaving the nest box was in shadow, I was standing in the sun. Of course, this won`t always be the case; I could be in the shade and the bird in the sun; both in shade; both in sun. Any more tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Trik

[Jon]

Doesn't matter what the light is where you're standing - it's the subject that counts. If the bird were in the sun, you'd probably want fill-flash to take care of some of the shadows. But you've got an empty nest - pick up a cat toy that's about the right size and use it as a stand-in for some practise shooting.

[Trik]

That`s useful to know, Jon. Thank you. However, although in this particular instance I could predict more or less where the bird would be, and could set up slave flash units, this won`t be the case where I have to "seize the moment". I guess that under those circumstances, an external flash would be essential equipment?

As regards getting some practice trying to get shots of birds taking off, for example, perhaps I could get my husband to throw a toy into the air. :) It is my ambition to get a shot of a dragonfly on the wing, eventually. I took up photography just a couple of years ago and have only recently progressed to a DSLR but you`ve gotta aim high!

Trik

[Jon]

For practise tracking, head for an airport or airshow, or down to the shore and try to catch the gulls . . .

[Trik]

As I live only about 12 miles from the coast, the idea of trying to track gulls is a good one. I am getting a 300m L f/4 IS USM soon, so with IS2 I may have some luck.

Thanks
Trik