Quick Flash Question

As i was shooting regular family shots in my living room the other night, i was using the on-board flash and the shots were coming out perfectly focused and exposed properly. However, the meter was showing that it should have been a REALLY underexposed shot, but it wasn't...Why is this? how, in the future, can i take flash shots and set up the shot using the meter exposure if it's ALL wrong??

The meter shows you how the exposure you would be with the ambient lighting. Since it was relatively dark in your room, it correctly showed that the picture would come out underexposed if taken with just the ambient room lighting. The reason the actual picture came out exposed properly is because the flash served as the main light for the picture and the camera took care of the flash exposure for you automatically.

PacAce wrote in post #6026522
The meter shows you how the exposure you would be with the ambient lighting. Since it was relatively dark in your room, it correctly showed that the picture would come out underexposed if taken with just the ambient room lighting. The reason the actual picture came out exposed properly is because the flash served as the main light for the picture and the camera took care of the flash exposure for you automatically.

So how do i use the flash in order to properly expose for the shot using the flash??

izzy35 wrote in post #6026578
So how do i use the flash in order to properly expose for the shot using the flash??

As long as the flash is in ETTL mode (and the built-in flash always is) and the viewfinder meter does not show that the ambient light is going to overexpose the shot (underexposure is OK but not overexposure), then the camera will always try to get you a properly exposed picture with the flash.

What mode are you using on the camera? If Av, you should check what shutter speed the camera has selected for you. If it's too long, you might end up with a blurry image due to camera movement.

PacAce wrote in post #6026700
As long as the flash is in ETTL mode (and the built-in flash always is) and the viewfinder meter does not show that the ambient light is going to overexpose the shot (underexposure is OK but not overexposure), then the camera will always try to get you a properly exposed picture with the flash.

What mode are you using on the camera? If Av, you should check what shutter speed the camera has selected for you. If it's too long, you might end up with a blurry image due to camera movement.

I usually shoot in Av or M....so i'm always trying to make sure the exposures are good but i could't figure out how the meter blinking at the -2 mark, was still coming out good. It through me off and i found it hard to get a decent shot when i did set the settings properly...

Indoors in a home with low ceilings you can set to f5.6 (or 6.3), 1/125 and ISO 200 or 400 and your SLR will become a point and shoot with high keeper rate. This will reap extremely sharp images with almost any zoom. With E-TTL your FEC is your best friend.

If you get an external flash it just simply increases IQ dramatically.

I'd personally prefer using AV outdoors with fill light. Using manual give you more control indoors since AV will adjust for ambient lighting. With AV your SS will get very long especially in dark lit homes or indoor areas.

izzy35 wrote in post #6026763
I usually shoot in Av or M....so i'm always trying to make sure the exposures are good but i could't figure out how the meter blinking at the -2 mark, was still coming out good. It through me off and i found it hard to get a decent shot when i did set the settings properly...

Yeah, when both the ambient and the flash are metered for the "correct" exposure, the resulting picture tends to come out a little washed out, huh?

The best thing to do there is to underexpose either the ambient or the flash, depending on which one you want as the secondary light instead of the primary,by between one and two stops.

AlanU wrote in post #6026820
With E-TTL your FEC is your best friend.

i'm new to DSLR....what the heck do those initials mean??? LOL!!!

E-TTL - Evaluative - Through The Lens
FEC - Flash Exposure Compensation

kdfederer wrote in post #6026941
E-TTL - Evaluative - Through The Lens
FEC - Flash Exposure Compensation

To clarify on this, ETTL is the method your flash uses to determine exposure. FEC is an adjustment you make, via a button on the camera or on an external flash, to make it expose the flash either more or less than it thinks it needs to, if the camera is getting it wrong.