Isn't the 580EX II supposed to be a beefed up version of the 430EX?

interesting,

I was fidling with the flash trying to get good results and I kind of accidentally put the flash on "Multi" with the the ratio A:B at 1/4 : 1/128 and the pics I get are stunning!

Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: F/4
ISO: 100

what did I do correctly?

Hahahaha. Interesting indeed.
From the sound of it, you've set the 580 to Master, (with no slave present) manual power, 1/4.
If the ISO, aperture and distance (about 3 meters, depending on zoom setting ) are correct, you'll get good exposure

caesar2164 wrote in post #5516381
interesting,

I was fidling with the flash trying to get good results and I kind of accidentally put the flash on "Multi" with the the ratio A:B at 1/4 : 1/128 and the pics I get are stunning!

Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: F/4
ISO: 100

what did I do correctly?

Mostly nothing......

Please take Curtis's suggestion and read the "Flash 101 posts. Another good source of flash info is http://super.nova.org/​DPR/Canon/Exposure/

Just trying different things, without understanding what you are doing, will just drive you (and us :lol crazy.

Definitely read the flash 101. It helped me out a lot. It didn't make sense the first time I read it but after messing with my flash for a month or so... it now makes so much more sense and properly exposing is not a problem as much.

I usually shoot in manual mode for flash photography and make sure the exposure is blinking -2 as to remove ambient light and use the flash as the main light source.

As you'll read flash photography is balancing the flash light and the ambient light.

Curtis is the man for real. He's helped me out a bunch.

I read Flash 101 once through and it didn't help too much,

let me try again... =D

I recently purchased a 430EX and still have basically no idea what im doing

After reading a considerable amount of online tutorials etc I determined:

Indoors (when flash is the only descent light):
Manual mode, 1/200, pick a suitable aperture, ISO100. The ETTL will work out the correct exposure for you. If the green light on the flash doesn't show (and the photo is obviously underexposed) then the flash can't keep up. So pick a higher ISO, or lower F-value. (slower shutter won't make any difference)

Outdoors, or when you want fill-flash:
AV mode (or Tv), meter on the background. Shoot. If the person your trying to fill-flash with is too bright or dark, then adjust the flash-exposure-comp (either on the flash itself, or the camera)

The bit that threw me, is that using manual mode when using a flash is NOT the same as normally using manual. Using M for normal outdoor shooting you have to work out the correct exposure yourself. When using M with a flash, the E-TTL works out exposure, you just tell the camera a few starting settings, and it makes sure there is enough light.

kniteshade wrote in post #5520827
I recently purchased a 430EX and still have basically no idea what im doing

After reading a considerable amount of online tutorials etc I determined:

Indoors (when flash is the only descent light):
Manual mode, 1/200, pick a suitable aperture, ISO100. The ETTL will work out the correct exposure for you. If the green light on the flash doesn't show (and the photo is obviously underexposed) then the flash can't keep up. So pick a higher ISO, or lower F-value. (slower shutter won't make any difference)

Outdoors, or when you want fill-flash:
AV mode (or Tv), meter on the background. Shoot. If the person your trying to fill-flash with is too bright or dark, then adjust the flash-exposure-comp (either on the flash itself, or the camera)

I disagree with your settings. ISO100 uses a MASSIVE amount of flash power, you get no ambient light which makes the place look like a cave. The only time I use ISO100 is in the studio when i'm in total control of the light, and there's LOTS of light to use. My suggestions:
Indoor default: Camera on manual, ISO800, F2.8, 1/60th, flash on ETTL FEC+1. When I photography indoors I range from ISO800 to ISO3200, shutter 1/10th to 1/250th, aperture usually wide open, and use between zero and four lights.
Outdoor: ISO100-400, Av, aperture to suit, FEC-1 or fill flash.

Good point.

Though if the room is small enough, and the flash doesn't look too crazy wouldn't I be better off with ISO200-400 to minimise noise ? Or will that generally never be the case? (I haven't played around enough to really get the hang of it yet)


Also - I understand the use/need of FEC for fill-flash, but you mentioned FEC+1 for bounce/direct flash. Is that just to slightly overexposing images (ie same as EC+1 for non-flash photos), or something to do with using a flash specifically ?

You'll get more noise at ISO200/400, but still so little it won't matter. ISO is one way you choose how much ambient light gets in, what you do is a creative decision - but ISO100 will usually look less creative and more like you used a P&S!

EC = exposure compensation, it tells the camera how much ambient light you want it. FEC is for flash, it tells the camera how much light to put out.

FEC tells the camera the tone of your subject. FEC of zero means the subject is on average 18% grey. Most of the time the subject is people, who aren't great, they're closer to white, so you use FEC+1 or so. For women wearing white wedding dresses you use +2. For guys in dark suits you use -1 or -2. Really you just have to watch your histogram.

This probably sounds complex, it's really not, it's just a little hard to explain - especially since it's almost 1am here.

The book thread in my sig links to "understanding exposure", which is a good book. I don't think it mentions flash photography though. Time for a new version of the book methinks. Or maybe I should write one.

Curtis N wrote in post #5516115
Caesar,

Flash Photography 101 (link in my signature) is a short series of articles covering some basic concepts that will make your learning experience less painful. Have a look, I think it will help.

this is a fact! curtis's posts here (especially that one in particular) have helped me learn a wealth of knowledge about speedlites, and more specifically, off camera flash.