is manual mode really this easy? Part II

Okay, I am getting more and more comfortable with using manual mode, actually it

was like a "duh" moment when I finally figured out the "great mystery" of

manual. Now, I need to add my flash- Canon 430ex. How do I meter for flash?

Simply continue as before or do I need to adjust my metering accordingly? I

have mostly been using my in-camera meter.

You can't use the in camera meter for measuring flash, you need a flash meter. But as you are going all manual, why not do that for the flash too?

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You need to find out the guide number for the flash (usually given in feet for ISO 100). Divide this number by the distance between the flash and the subject and you have the aperture. Set the shutter speed to the camera's flash sync speed.

get a meter. J

In manual mode, the computer on your camera will communicate with your flash,

informing it that the shutter is set at .... and the f stop is at .... and you (the flash)

have to supply the light for these settings. The higher number you set the ISO at

the less light your flash will have to provide. However, the higher the ISO more

grain or noise will be present.

 

Check out the collage on my page here on photo.net as it is of my granddaughter.

Many of those images were taken with an ISO of 1600, all of them with available

light only. I find 1600 ISO with Canon stuff is good at least up to an 11"x14" print.

 

Hope this helps you!

Visit strobist.com for everything you ever wanted to know about using small flash units.

For most casual use you don't need to meter with most flash units. Most units come with "auto thyristor" modes, a sensor that tells the flash when enough is enough.

 

Set the camera shutter speed to the maximum sync speed or slower (usually indicated on the camera or instruction manual). Set the aperture to whatever is indicated on the flash for a given ISO. Bingo. Usually works rather well with little muss or fuss.

 

You don't absolutely need a flash meter. For years many of us calculated flash manually. It's a pain in the neck, but still works. You need to study the use of guide numbers, distances, etc. There's probably a tutorial in the photo.net learning section for this.

Amy - I'm assuming you are using a modern SLR or DSLR.

 

You do not need a flash meter and you do not need to set your flash exposure manually. Flash exposure with modern Canon cameras is even EASIER than manual exposure. There are only a few key points you need to understand.

 

1. Your in camera meter (the one you see in the viewfinder) is not connected to your flash meter. It only tells you what your exposure will be like with ambient light.

 

2. Your camera is equipped with a separate flash exposure meter that turns on AFTER you press the shutter to determine how much flash to give the picture. It will do its best to expose the picture properly with flash.

 

3. Exposure from ambient light is ADDED to exposure from your flash. Therefore, if you set your manual exposure to the "correct" level, and you also use flash at default value, your picture will probably be somewhat overexposed.

 

4. You can only control your flash indirectly via the Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) setting in your camera. The reading looks just like your in-camera exposure meter, but the two are not tied to each other. So, for example, if you are using your flash for fill, set your aperture and shutter speed for proper exposure, and set your FEC for - 1.5 stops. This will result (theoretically) in only slight general overexposure (not enough to notice), but will also guarantee adequate exposure in the shadows.

 

If you are ambitious, give this site a read:

 

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

 

It is absolutely the best explanation I have ever seen about modern flash photography (specifically for Canon, in fact).

In Nikon cameras, and I suspect Canon too, TTL flash control continuous to operate even if the camera exposure is in manual. TTL (through the lens) measures the intensity of the flash need via a series of brief pre-flashes, then shuts the main flash down as soon as enough light is delivered.

 

There should be an indicator on the flash itself whether TTL flash is active. You have other flash modes too, including AUTO (a photo sensor on the flash itself is used) and MANUAL. In the worst case, you will have a guide number based on the ISO and zoom setting of the flash. Divide the guide number by the distance to the subject to get the proper aperture setting.

 

The manuals for your camera and flash are your friends!

With your flash, you can pretty much forget about guide numbers and trying to calculate anything manually. You don't have that much control. Just take a guess on the FEC level (from -2 stops to +2 stops), take a test shot, then adjust and reshoot if necessary.

After a while you might find that your flash photos come out better exposed in Manual mode than relying on Automatic, aperture priority or shutter priority, at least I did.

 

If you have a Canon 430EX the range coupler on the LCD in the back of the flash should tell you what your shooting range is for a particular shutter/aperture combination.

 

To keep it simple, I usually use 3 apertures with flash: f5.6, f8 and f11. If I need to, I might open up to f4. Then I use a shutter speed of about 1/125th to avoid camera shake. If I need to I might vary the shutter speed to 1/30, 1/60, or 1/200, but I usually keep it on 1/125 . Then all you have to do is look at the range on the back of the flash and shoot away.

I don't think you can use a flash meter when using a Canon flash in ETTL mode, because the preflash will give a false reading. In any event, if you're just starting to use Canon flash, you don't need a separate flash meter. You can judge your flash exposure by looking at the histogram.

I could give you a really long answer explaining everything, or I could just say:

 

Go visit http://www.strobist.com

 

Go through lighting 101 and 102 and take your time. You will learn everything you need to know.

 

Basically, the only time you ever need to even think about 'metering' for flash is if you are trying to maintain some exposure in the background and are only using the flash as either A) Fill or B) to stop subject motion (see also 'dragging the shutter') Modern cameras do the rest for you (see E-TTL II with Canon)

BEWARE of Strobist.com !

 

I went to that site absolutely intimidated by flash. I just knew it would be the hardest thing in the world. It was so much easier to be an 'ambient light purist' than to learn how to control lighting. Or so I thought.

 

Strobist totally demystified lighting for me. I spent all of ten bucks on a little stand and an umbrella and in no time I was doing my own studio shots at home using my Vivitar flash bouncing into an umbrella. I found that learning lighting was the key to photography, whether that lighting is produced by a strobe or ambient in nature. It's all the same, or it can be as different as you CHOOSE to make it.

 

I said 'beware' strobist for a reason. I went there to learn the basics of flash and now I have a 3 light studio setup with umbrellas, softboxes, barn doors, gobos, portable backdrop, reflector, extra stands... You may just fall in love with lighting.

 

Photo.net has a fanstastic lighting forum. I found that I needed a little time on Strobist learning the ultra basics before I was able to get the most out of the PN lighting forum. But what a joy to have them both to learn with! The lighting forum here will take you as far as you want to go, but Strobist is the quickest way to get the basics.

Thanks all for your replies. I have read the eos flash article at photonotes several times and will be checking out strobist again- been a while. Harry, so for images where I want to shoot wide open- f4 and below should I not use the flash, even bounced? I truly appreciate all the knowledge that is to be had here! Thanks so much for replying!

Theres a simple solution, use your camera in Manual mode and meter for ambient (assuming your camera is capable, if it talks to the 430ex it is). Set the camera underexposed by a stop and have your flash in e-ttl mode. Fire away.

 

The pre-flash from your flash will be read by the lens and the info relayed through the camera to the flash and the flash will adjust accordingly, hopefully a great exposure will ensue. Usually it will.

 

Now, this is assuming that your somewhere between 1/60th and 1/200th of a second and your not trying to light up the night or a dark cavern. For that I would just put it in P mode (again this is the simple solution).

 

As far as shooting at f/4 or wider as long as its a proper exposure use it. When bouncing I would only do that when your close in and your ceilings arent more than 10 feet.

 

Dan

A simple aha:

Shutter speed controls ambient light, F-Number controls flash light. Having this in mind will hopefully also help you on that stony way.

My Metz54 flash very well tells me the distance to the object at a certain F-Number - think canon will not do different too much.

 

Good luck.

Regards Axel