Exposure meter question.

Hello all,

I have a question about the exposure meter; When shooting with a shoe mount flash, does the meter read for the flash too, or do I have to pre-flash with the shutter button depressed half way?

I'm just trying to figure out how to use this exposure tool. Sorry for the noob question.

Any advise is appreciated!

Thank you.

The ambient light meter in the camera will ONLY work for ambient light. As a result, the ambient meter (if the camera is on M) will seem to indicate underexposure even when using flash. Or if the camera is an Av, it will often select a verrrry slloowwwwww shutter speed (in order to capture the low ambient light) even when the flash is in use.

The preflash emitted by the ETTL flash is separately metered by the camera a moment before the camera gives a command to the flash to output a certain level of light of the exposure itself.

So, the meter is of no use with a flash at all then?

cobra671 wrote in post #10843633
So, the meter is of no use with a flash at all then?

It is of no direct use for flash itself.

a. Keep in mind that every shot should be thought of two parts: 1) ambient light contribution, and 2) flash contribution.

b. If you are in a dimly lit room, most of the exposure for the main subject will be the result of the flash. But when you use a large aperture with a somewhat slow shutter speed, part of the exposure (primarily for the background) is the formed from the ambient lighting.

Ambient metering determines ambient contribution. Flash metering determines flash contribution. It is analogous to using a water faucet which blends hot and cold water out of a single outlet...the hot water valve works in combination with the cold water value to determine the mix of both and the temperature of the water flowing out of the spigot.

cobra671 wrote in post #10843633
So, the meter is of no use with a flash at all then?

If you are referring to the meter built into a camera, the answer is definitely "NO use for measuring light from flash sources".

Thanks for the feedback Wilt and SkipD!!! I will get back to shooting and learning.

Have a great labor day weekend, if you aren't affected by Earl.

Here's a great place to learn:
http://neilvn.com …h-photography-techniques/

Thanks stsva. Very informative reading.