Metering for Flash Umbrella on Mamiya 7ii

Hi All.

 

This is my first post, so hello all!

 

I'm now the proud owner of a new Mamiya7ii, and I intend to use this for environmental portraits amongst other things.

 

I'm a big fan of Rob Honrnstra as his images closely resemble the style of photo I'm trying to achieve.

I know many of these shots are done using a very good Flash and a Mamiya7.

 

My main question is how can I expose properly for this type of situation.

 

I might be indoors, in a room, with a subject who I want to light well using an off camera umbrella?

 

Currently, I have a:

 

Canon 430EXII (for my 5D)

I also have a Wireless Flash Trigger similar to something like this: http://www.photospecialist.co.uk/hahnel-captur-transmitter-receiver-set-olympus-panasonic?channable=e13528.SEFIMTAwMDcxMDM&gclid=CIPC1ZyaodICFY0W0wodeOAI6Q#group1187

 

I know this will enable me to trigger the flash externally from my Mamiya, but how can I meter effectively to ensure I expose correctly?

 

Can I get a Flash meter that can somehow trigger the remote flash and meter?

Or should I try to be calculating this manually?

Or do I perhaps need some new gear to help enable this?

 

Many Thanks All.

Gareth

Any flash meter worth buying will have a PC socket that can be connected to a radio remote system to fire the flash for metering purposes. Any recent Sekonic or Gossen flash meter will also measure ambient light along with the flash output according to the shutter speed that you set on the meter. I have used Sekonic flash meters for 25+ years and recommend them highly.

On top of what AJG points out, most flash-capable incident meters can automatically detect and measure a flash. I would be more inclined to use it this way, if my camera is handheld. You just "reset" the meter for another reading, hold it near the subject (pointed in the general direction of the camera/lights) then trip the camera to fire the flash. The meter will normally see the flash and measure exposure, including the ambient light portion. This is how I would do it.

 

If you want to estimate how strong the flash is, relative to the ambient light, start out with an ambient reading then see how much the flash-included reading changes.

A Shepherd FM1000 meter will do what you want, and can trigger the flash directly from its P-C socket, or it can be set to auto-detect a flash and measure it. It has a selection of shutter speeds for ambient metering too.<p>

They crop up reasonably frequently and cheaply used.

Or you can do it the old school way and use the guide number of the flash and the distance to the subject to calculate the appropriate aperture setting. Google Flash Guide Number for more info on how to do it this way.

Hi, I've since looked at some of the Rob Hornstra photos that you are interested in emulating, and they are not the sort of portraits I had in mind. I don't think the examples lend themselves to walking up for a meter reading, etc.

 

So I want to change my suggestion to be more along the line lines of what Charles suggests. Not exactly the same, not calculating on the fly, but rather to figure out a handful of settings, based on camera to subject distance, and work with these predetermined distances/settings. Now the flashmeter is a great way to work out the settings without wasting film, but once you have basic settings (write them down) you can just go by an estimated distance. I'll spell out more details if you'd like.

 

An important thing that I notice in Hornstra's photos is that the flash often is relatively weak - it works largely as a "fill." In this situation, slight errors in the flash don't substantially affect the exposure, only the strength of the shadow fill-in. So you can be pretty sloppy with your distances.

If you're going to use guide numbers you have to bear in mind that most makers exaggerate (or just plain lie about) the true GN of their flash units.

<p>

Most flashes claiming GNs of between 36 and 45 have a real and measured GN of around 28 (@100 ISO/metres/50mm zoom).<p>

Then you have to subtract a factor for the reflection or transmission of the umbrella, and take into account that diffused light doesn't exactly follow the inverse-square law.<p><br>All this makes the use of a flashmeter an extremely attractive prospect.

Hi All - Firstly, thanks for the informed replies!

 

I think the key bit of understanding I was missing was that - "most flash-capable incident meters can automatically detect and measure a flash”. This is great and means I can trip the flash manually whilst metering (although I’d probably need a friend to help trigger the flash as I would need to be metering near the subject.

BillC - I also really appreciate your comments. I like the idea of holding a note of common flash/appeture/shutter settings for different conditions. Hopefully I can build this over time with some trial and error.

I was actually thinking about metering everything with my 5D MKII so I don’t waste film, then transferring the settings over to the Mamiya - will this be a reliable thing to do?

I also get what you’re saying about some situations not really being right to meter, but most of the people I’ll be shooting will have 'signed up’ to take some photos with me, so Im happy to take some time before to meter properly.

Finally, I know the Sekonic L-308S does look to be the best mid-level meter, but I’ve spent so much on Photography gear this month, I’m really hoping I can get something a little cheaper - any suggestions would be amazing.

Thanks all - great group!

I already suggested the Shepherd (also sold as Polaris) FM1000 as the best bang for your buck that I know. Any of the Minolta 3F, 4F or 5F meters are excellent as well, but usually cost more.

 

Your Canon 5Dii can't act as a flashmeter unless you take a picture and review it. It's also quite a bit more bulky than a dedicated flashmeter! And if you're going to carry that around, why shoot film?

Thanks - Will look into all those meters! And yes, I wasn't intending to carry the 5D round as a meter ;) It was more to collect a range of settings that I can have on record for my flash/umbrella. Either way, I think having a good meter in my bag will be really useful - I know the benefit. Thanks again.