Hi
Looking for more information about how to use the flash , I found the following:www.nabble.com/EOS-Suggestions-17-40-+-flash-t1998547.htmlWhen I'm shooting flash I always shoot manual.
Depending on what I'm shooting I'll set the
body to 1/60 or 1/125 and at f/8 or higher d
epending on how much depth of field I want.
When you do this you are asking the flash to
make the correct exposure and they do a pretty
good job of it.
This allows you to control the depth of field and,
to some extent, the shutter speed. The flash, unless
used as a fill flash, will more than likely be
stopping the action instead of the shutter but you'll
have more control over everything in M mode.
---------0------------
Put the camera to M mode and experiment. I get the best
results when bouncing external flash from the ceiling
or side walls. With wide angle lenses, you can go
below 1/60 and you can control the depth of field
with aperture. The flash will fire as much as is
needed for correct exposure.
-------------0------------
luminous-landscape.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t10899.htmlAt least on the ES 20D, 30D, and 5D there is no way in P mode
with a Canon flash active to evade the 1/60 sec slowest shutter
speed limit.
----------------0------------------
www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=75956&forum_id=53The best way to use the Canon flash system is on M !!!
-> the camera is on manual (M) i.e. you can both control the shutter and aperture this way, but the flash remains on automatic. What you are observing on the exposure metering scale is the ambient light that the camera is metering (Do not push it toward 0!)
When you take the picture with the existing camera settings the flash will expose the image correctly
(regardless of the exposure scale in the viewfinder!)
------------0------------------
When using flash, use P or M. When using P, the camera exposes automatically for the flash. Meaning, your subject or foreground will be properly exposed, while your background may not get any "flash" at all, and therefore be very dark. This is the easy, less attractive method to usng flash.
A better method is to use flash in M mode, and think of it this way. There are 2 exposures in the one shot: The flash automatically properly exposes the subject, and this is mostly independent of the shutterspeed/aperture you choose. Then for the background, set the manual exposure settings to expose the background. You can point the camera towards the background, get a reading by half-depressing the shutter, and set the aperture/shutter speed accordingly. A good place to start would be to set the exposure at -1EV. This will give you some background, but the foreground/subject will stand out.
You can experiment with this in your house at night. With the flash on, choose M mode, and set an aperture of 2.8 (or your widest aperture), and set the shutter speed to 1/60. No matter how dark or light the room is, the flash will properly expose your subject. Change the shutter speed, and the foreground exposure remains constant, but you get more or less light in the background.
Also note that the wider the aperture, the more effective the flash will be (or the greater distance it can cover). Also, increasing youer ISO setting will allow you to get more exposure for dark backgrounds (assuming the same exposure setttings) when using this method.
Finally, this method I describe is just as useful outdoors during the day (AKA "Fill Flash") , when you want to your make your subject pop. Keep in mind that in daylight, you will probably need a flash with "high sync mode" as your shuter speeds outdoors will be greater than 1/200. This with a wide aperture for background blur produces a really cool effect.
So to summarize, think of a flash shot in M mode as 2 separate exposures. The flash exposure is handled automatically and exposes the forefround. Then you pick the background exposure by tuning the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
------------------------0-----------------
www.nabble.com/EOS-Suggestions-17-40-+-flash-t1998547.htmlWhen I'm shooting flash I always shoot manual.
Depending on what I'm shooting I'll set the
body to 1/60 or 1/125 and at f/8 or higher d
epending on how much depth of field I want.
When you do this you are asking the flash to
make the correct exposure and they do a pretty
good job of it.
This allows you to control the depth of field and,
to some extent, the shutter speed. The flash, unless
used as a fill flash, will more than likely be
stopping the action instead of the shutter but you'll
have more control over everything in M mode.
---------0------------
Put the camera to M mode and experiment. I get the best
results when bouncing external flash from the ceiling
or side walls. With wide angle lenses, you can go
below 1/60 and you can control the depth of field
with aperture. The flash will fire as much as is
needed for correct exposure.
-------------0------------
luminous-landscape.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t10899.htmlAt least on the ES 20D, 30D, and 5D there is no way in P mode
with a Canon flash active to evade the 1/60 sec slowest shutter
speed limit.
----------------0------------------
www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=75956&forum_id=53The best way to use the Canon flash system is on M !!!
-> the camera is on manual (M) i.e. you can both control the shutter and aperture this way, but the flash remains on automatic. What you are observing on the exposure metering scale is the ambient light that the camera is metering (Do not push it toward 0!)
When you take the picture with the existing camera settings the flash will expose the image correctly
(regardless of the exposure scale in the viewfinder!)
------------0------------------
When using flash, use P or M. When using P, the camera exposes automatically for the flash. Meaning, your subject or foreground will be properly exposed, while your background may not get any "flash" at all, and therefore be very dark. This is the easy, less attractive method to usng flash.
A better method is to use flash in M mode, and think of it this way. There are 2 exposures in the one shot: The flash automatically properly exposes the subject, and this is mostly independent of the shutterspeed/aperture you choose. Then for the background, set the manual exposure settings to expose the background. You can point the camera towards the background, get a reading by half-depressing the shutter, and set the aperture/shutter speed accordingly. A good place to start would be to set the exposure at -1EV. This will give you some background, but the foreground/subject will stand out.
You can experiment with this in your house at night. With the flash on, choose M mode, and set an aperture of 2.8 (or your widest aperture), and set the shutter speed to 1/60. No matter how dark or light the room is, the flash will properly expose your subject. Change the shutter speed, and the foreground exposure remains constant, but you get more or less light in the background.
Also note that the wider the aperture, the more effective the flash will be (or the greater distance it can cover). Also, increasing youer ISO setting will allow you to get more exposure for dark backgrounds (assuming the same exposure setttings) when using this method.
Finally, this method I describe is just as useful outdoors during the day (AKA "Fill Flash") , when you want to your make your subject pop. Keep in mind that in daylight, you will probably need a flash with "high sync mode" as your shuter speeds outdoors will be greater than 1/200. This with a wide aperture for background blur produces a really cool effect.
So to summarize, think of a flash shot in M mode as 2 separate exposures. The flash exposure is handled automatically and exposes the forefround. Then you pick the background exposure by tuning the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
--------------------0-------------------
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Rene
.