Using Flash and PC Cord with Nikon F

<p>Using Flash and PC Cord with Nikon F<br>

When using Sync cord with Vivitar 283 with variable-power control My question is when using flash am I saddled with a Shutter speed of 1/60 of a Second or can I use slower shutter speeds on a Tripod I have a Gossen flash meter and Gossen light meter I want to balance the room light with the fill light using slower shutter speeds how is this done.</p>

<p>You can use anything slower than 1/60. Any faster like 1/125th and you will have a partially "blank" frame as the second shutter curtain will be half way or more across when the flash fires.</p>

<p>Make syre your flash sync is set to X, or the flash will fire before the shutter is fully open.</p>

 

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3902476">Bob Sunley</a>:<br>

I find no X sync on the Nikon F or on the Vivitar 283 you must be thinking about the x sync on a Copal Shutter Large Format Camera</p>

<p>On the Shutter speed dial, if you lift the collar and turn, you can change the sync from FP to X. </p>

<p>1/60 or slower is fine (not sure if T and B will work though). Also, set the milled synchro-selector ring around the shutter speed dial to FX - see the manual here: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/manuals/nikonf/nikonfmanual.pdf</p>

<p>I am not sure if the link will work, but the window is on the top of the camera, in front of the shutter speed dial. You change it by lifting the ring and turning it. <br>

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4629920694_7d6315595c.jpg&imgrefurl=http://radaris.com/p/F/Dial/&usg=__vjLjQ_4TC5_714b-tZiNQpkNa7s=&h=375&w=500&sz=165&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=BDmHUDLPOq2KCM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=187&ei=uHZdTcG9OouisAO3qs3cCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnikon%2BF%2Bshutter%2Bspeed%2Bdial%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1568%26bih%3D1058%26tbs%3Disch:1%26prmd%3Divnsb&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=331&vpy=95&dur=8746&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=115&ty=212&oei=uHZdTcG9OouisAO3qs3cCg&page=1&ndsp=44&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0</p>

<p>If you have a metering prism, you have to remove it to change the flash sync setting.</p>

 

<p>I also note there is a Green dot for green numbers a red dot for red numbers and a white dot for white numbers or is that for flash bulbs only?</p>

<p>"""I want to balance the room light with the fill light using slower shutter speeds how is this done."""</p>

<p>Sort of. Every flash picture is a double exposure of sorts. The ambient light and the flash each produces it's own separate exposures. It is up to you to decide how close to balanced these occur.</p>

<p>So in effect shutter speed controls the ambient exposure, and aperture controls both flash and ambient exposures. So as you surmise, slowing or dragging the shutter will open up the background. And the opposite is also true. A camera with a 1/250th flash sync can make most rooms look like a black, dark cave.</p>

<p>The only potential trouble with a slowed shutter, could be one of color temperature variation. If the ambient and flash aren't the same color temperature, they will appear distinctly different on film. This is usually because of the nature of indoor lighting. Incandescent lights tend to run about half of the 5500 degrees Kelvin temp that daylight film requires and will give a noticeable red cast. And fluorescent lights tend to run very high Kelvin temp, and will cast a blue/green color.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I also note there is a Green dot for green numbers a red dot for red numbers and a white dot for white numbers or is that for flash bulbs only?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The colors indicate what focus speeds can be used at what flash sync selection - please have a look at the manual I linked to above.</p>

<p>Dieter misprinted above, and meant, of course "shutter speeds." Otherwise he is correct. If you are using electronic flash the only sync selection that you will be using is "FX." All the others are for flash bulbs. The green numbers are available only for "FP" bulbs using the green dot sync position. They are (were) special bulbs designed for the high speeds of a focal plane shutter. Above 1/60 the shutter is never all open all at once, but instead passes a narrow slit across the film plane. Thus it requires a bulb that burns evenly for the entire time the slit is moving.</p>

<p>Because flash bulbs don't ignite and reach their peak brightness instantaneously, the flash bulb sync settings all light the flash before the shutter opens. As a result, if you use any of these with electronic flash, it will fire too early and be done before the shutter is all the way open. You'll get a partial picture or none at all. </p>

<p>If you remember as Steve notes above that your color temperature will shift when using fill flash indoors, you should be able to do what you need. The slow sync speed of the F makes outdoor fill difficult, especially with fast film, but it's still possible sometimes.</p>

<p>T and B will work with FX sync and electronic flash as well. If you have a manual firing button on your flash, you can open the shutter for a long time exposure, for example to get distant harbor lights, etc., and then hit the button to expose some foreground. It's difficult to control, but fun to play with.</p>

<p>The Nikon F, venerable as it is, did not have the fastest moving shutter curtains, hence the low synch speed. You can indeed us anything slower than 1/60, but as you stated, you need sturdy support to prevent "ghosts" but anything higher than 1/60 and you will no doubt get unexposed areas on the film.</p>