Blown out Pictures with Strobes and Nikon D5100

<p>Hello, I recently got 2 Photogenic Studio Max III 320 strobes that I trigger with a Pocketwizard Plus II transceivers to help me take better product photos for my companies website and catalog. I use a Nikon D5100 camera. I use a light meter to check what settings I need to use, usually 1/125 at f8 or f11. I put my camera in manual, change the aperture and shutter speed to match what the light meter says, ISO at 100 and white balance at flash, but the pictures look completely blown out, they are so white you can barley tell what it is a picture of. I also have a Nikon D5100 that is my personal camera, I have tried the same settings, taking the same picture and it comes out much better. I have tried switching the lenses, but I get the same results. Does anyone know what the problem might be? Thank you for your help.</p>

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Do you have auto-ISO turned off on the camera giving you trouble?

<p>With both D5100's set on Manual with the same settings everything should be the same. Maybe the 'Blown-Out' D5100 has Auto-ISO set and is overriding something. Then it will 'meter' even in Manual and see a dark room (no flash yet) and boost the iso to a mad level.....6 stops maybe?</p>

<p>My EXIF reader says ISO 3200...1/125 @ f11 with SPOT metering with a 50mm lens...could be wrong???</p>

<p>EDIT Crossed with Matt!</p>

<p>Matt, do you mean AUTO-ISO turned <strong><em>ON</em></strong> on Blown Camera and <em><strong>OFF</strong></em> with Happy Camera?</p>

<p>Auto ISO should be OFF under these conditions. If it's ON, on the camera that's blowing out the exposure, that makes sense. Because the camera is adjusting ISO in an attempt to make a good exposure based on what it's seeing BEFORE THE STROBES GO OFF. Then, during that exposure, along come the strobes, providing way more light than the metering system (which chose the higher ISO) was expecting.<br /><br />This can be checked by looking at the EXIF data from the blown-out images. If the ISO isn't at 100, then ... there's the problem! </p>

<p>Are you metering the flash at f/11 or is that the ambient reading, from which you are setting your camera?</p>

<p>Both pics are taken with 3200 iso, that is what the exif tells me.</p>

<p>Posting each pic separately so we can look at the EXIF data would be helpful. Could the exposure compenstation be jacked up to the plus side on the unhappy camera?</p>

 

<p>It was 'edited' on Photoshop CS4 for MAC. I suspect the 'correct' image was pasted onto an extension of the blown-pic, the EXIF belongs to the blown pic with AUTO-ISO 'ON' to 3200. EXIF says no exposure compensation.</p>

<p>I'm 'forbidden' access to the link....... :-(</p>

<p>Another question - you're using "a light meter". Is this the built-in meter or handheld? If handheld, are you using flash metering or measuring ambient light?</p>

<p>EXIF (not sure which of the two images that's the EXIF for) also suggests that you're using the spot meter. Not recommended unless you're confident you understand what that means & how to use it as it can produce wildly different exposures based on small changes in composition.</p>

<p>To think that the OP is more than capable of using a hand-held meter for one camera and then not for another copy of the same camera is a non-starter. Give her some credit! :-)</p>

<p>SPOT will effect the metering in Manual only if AUTO-ISO is on. Otherwise it's set to Manual, where there is NO camera metering what-so-ever.</p>

<p>I don't think you can use the internal spot meter for flash when set in Manual....???</p>

<p>The only time that I've gotten the look in unhappy photo was when I had auto ISO set and was using a PW to trigger off camera flash. </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>The ISO sensitivity was turned on. Glad it was an easy fix. Thank you everybody for all your responses and helping a newbie out!</p>