FEC?

How do you set your FEC during the receptions? Through the flash, or through the camera?

on average what do you use? I am thinking -1.5 for the average reception light

I shoot manual flash at the reception. You have consistant light - so go manual.

Setting FEC through the flash or the camera gives the same result. I think it is easier to change on the camera personally.

On the camera, but that's just my personal preference.

You must be at some bright receptions. I'm typically at +1 when I am shooting TTL at receptions.

jamiewexler wrote in post #4224967
On the camera, but that's just my personal preference.

You must be at some bright receptions. I'm typically at +1 when I am shooting TTL at receptions.

Huh? I'm a little confused? When the ambient light is low, and the meter on the camera is calculating based upon that, but your flash will bring in a lot more light, would not lowering the FEC -1.5 increase the shutter speed in preparation for the flash?

Am I missing something?

Nope - FEC has no effect whatsoever on SS, only on the output of the flash. When you use an ETTL flash, you camera takes two meter readings: one when you half press the shutter (for ambient) and one when the preflash fires (for flash exposure).

The SS that the camera chooses is completely dependent on the mode that you choose, and the ambient reading.

In a dark reception hall:
P - will set a minimum exposure and rely on the flash to do the rest. Exposure is usually 1/60 f4 IME.
AV - will choose a SS based on the correct ambient exposure - even if the SS is 1/4. When you turn an ETTL flash on, it will pick a SS that underexposes the ambient by one stop. The flash will then act as fill. Using this setting in a dark reception hall will likely result in a LOT of blurry photos with crappy orange light.
TV - will choose an aperture based on the correct ambient exposure. If you are using an f2.8 lens, it can't get any wider so it will stop there. The flash will act as fill. If the room is dark enough, you should be able to get away with it, but YMMV
M - will go with the aperture and SS that you choose and rely on the flash to do the rest.

In none of those instances will the FEC change the ambient exposure settings.

Here's how I use FEC in receptions:
Camera in M mode with exposure appropriate to the scene (usually 2 1/3 stops under). Fire the flash, chimp the histogram, if more or less flash is needed, adjust the FEC. Repeat as necessary...

I think I'm missing a lot, so I just want to hear what others are saying. Thanks for asking this.

EDIT: Okay, i do the same thing Jamie does.... although I don't think it's working quite as well for me.

jamiewexler wrote in post #4225099
Nope - FEC has no effect whatsoever on SS, only on the output of the flash. When you use an ETTL flash, you camera takes two meter readings: one when you half press the shutter (for ambient) and one when the preflash fires (for flash exposure).

The SS that the camera chooses is completely dependent on the mode that you choose, and the ambient reading.

In a dark reception hall:
P - will set a minimum exposure and rely on the flash to do the rest. Exposure is usually 1/60 f4 IME.
AV - will choose a SS based on the correct ambient exposure - even if the SS is 1/4. When you turn an ETTL flash on, it will pick a SS that underexposes the ambient by one stop. The flash will then act as fill. Using this setting in a dark reception hall will likely result in a LOT of blurry photos with crappy orange light.
TV - will choose an aperture based on the correct ambient exposure. If you are using an f2.8 lens, it can't get any wider so it will stop there. The flash will act as fill. If the room is dark enough, you should be able to get away with it, but YMMV
M - will go with the aperture and SS that you choose and rely on the flash to do the rest.

In none of those instances will the FEC change the ambient exposure settings.

Here's how I use FEC in receptions:
Camera in M mode with exposure appropriate to the scene (usually 2 1/3 stops under). Fire the flash, chimp the histogram, if more or less flash is needed, adjust the FEC. Repeat as necessary...

So in other words, you shoot in M and roll back the SS a little bit to compensate for the flash that will fire?

Not exactly. SS has no effect on flash exposure whatsoever.

Try this experiment. Set your flash and camera to M, shoot it at a stuffed animal, and find the correct combination of SS and aperture to correctly light the animal. Then change the SS leaving the aperture as is. You will see that the flash exposure on the animal does not change. The ambient light levels around the animal will change, but the flash exposure will remain constant.

When I use flash, I don't change the ambient exposure settings to compensate for light that is put out by the flash. That is controlled by the flash metering system, and I adjust it by only using FEC.

I DO adjust my SS to control the amount of ambient light that is present in the scene. If I want to bring more ambient light into the background, I lower my SS - if I want to reduce background distractions, I raise my SS. In both cases the flash exposure on my subject remains constant...as long as they are the same distance from me, and filling the same portion of the frame...

Flash is for a micro second - so SS has nothing to do with it. Like Jamie said.

Wedding Shooter wrote in post #4225218
Flash is for a micro second - so SS has nothing to do with it. Like Jamie said.

well, then my real issue is with the fact that even at 1000 iso at my last shoot I was only getting decent exposures at 1/15, which is too slow, and that was at 2.8...

So what to do ?

mezorn26 wrote in post #4224876
How do you set your FEC during the receptions? Through the flash, or through the camera?

Do whatever is easiest for you. With your 40D you can do it without removing your eye from the viewfinder if you know where the buttons are. With your XTi it's probably easier to adjust it on the flash than dig through the camera menu.

When using flash, you need to think about the ambient exposure and the flash exposure separately. It's important to know how to manage both. You would probably benefit from some of the flash articles in this thread, as well as The EOS Flash Bible (link in my sig).

Set an ambient you are happy with and then manually adjust your flash to an output that is getting you results. Just try it - you will be pleasently surprised.

Wedding Shooter wrote in post #4225367
Set an ambient you are happy with and then manually adjust your flash to an output that is getting you results. Just try it - you will be pleasently surprised.

I'm embarrassed:o:o:o to say this, but I have no clue how to do that. As I said in a previous thread, I have ZERO experience in flash photography, and tons without flash

I Use the FEC on camera as it is a pain on the Metz to change it at speed

I just had a weird thought though. Would +1 on camera and -1 on flash at the same time cancel each other out or does one setting overide the other?

Back on topic, if you are shooting iso 1000 with 1/15 at 2.8 then i guess your flash is not helping because you are shooting in a large area which the flash cannot fill.
Your flash behavior is also dependant on your shooting mode.

Jonny wrote in post #4225397
Back on topic, if you are shooting iso 1000 with 1/15 at 2.8 then i guess your flash is not helping because you are shooting in a large area which the flash cannot fill.
Your flash behavior is also dependant on your shooting mode.

Not sure I understand this. The OP didn't mention the size of the venue - and it shouldn't really matter. As long as the people you are trying to light are within the range of the flash, the size of the room should have very little to do with it.