G6 Flash help please read !!!!

Hi All,
I was wondering if you can help me...here is my situation:


I need help with taking indoor flash pictures...whether I use the built in flash or my external 430EX or 220EX most of the pictures come out overexposed and blown out...I mostly shoot in Program mode and when the 430EX is used it is tilted at least 45 degrees with a Sto-fen onmi bounce attached


Why does the G6 consistently overexpose ??

Am I better off using full manual mode ??

Some say to decrease the flash by 1/3 stop ??

Any advise would be greatly appreciated !!

Check your flash exposure compensation - the G6 can automatically add or subtract flash power by up to +/- 2 stops. I don't know if this will affect an external flash or not, but check it out. Note that this is separate from your "regular" exposure compensation; it should be in your manual somewhere.

My G6 overexposes also, so I normally dial down my FEC when I'm using the either the onboard or external flash.

Just try using a little FEC. If using your 220ex you will have to do it in the camera menu. Using the 430ex you should be able to either do it on the camera, or via the control panel on the flash. Just play around with it, take the same shot using varying degrees of compensation and see what works best.

What is a suggested setting ot "turn it down"

SHKJ wrote:
What is a suggested setting ot "turn it down"

Press the "Function" button and then move the arrow down to the "+/-" with the lightning bolt next to it. that's the Flash Exposure Compensation control. You can press the left arrow to "turn it down" or press the right arrow to "turn it up". I don't have my camera here with me, but I'm sure that's it.

The big breakthrough for me on flash was thinking about metering... if you're taking a picture of a person taking up 1/3 of the frame, with a dark background, and you have metering set for 'average", it's going to blow out the subject and still not do much for the background, because it's trying to expose the subject AND the background properly.

Rather than fudging exposure compensation to fix it, if you meter properly, all your problems are solved.

Use spot metering and exposure lock to set the exposure based on what you're trying to light up (and/or the point closest to the flash), not the whole scene. That's been working great for me, even with just the built in flash.

Bryan

I have been using spot metering for the exact same reason, good post Bryan!
Have not used the exposure lock though....and things have been coming out very well. Please tell me if I am missing something by not?

TIA

Joe

just easier to find the area i want to expose for, set exposure lock, and then focus/shoot, unless the point i'm focusing/exposing for is right in the center.

Bryan