Metz 45 flash and Nikon D70s

[emma_beckett]

Hi everyone,

 

My best friend has suddenly asked me to photograph her wedding, I'v enever done it before and would

much rather not but couldn't say no as she has no money to pay another photographer.

 

The problem is I only have a Metz 45 CT-1 flash unit which I don't remember how to use and a nikon

D70s camera. I've attached the two together and realise it won't do any ttl metering but thought if I tried

to account for the flash in my shutter speeds and appertures it would just work. It isn't working!

 

All I'm getting are very bleached out and massively over exposed shots. The wedding is on Friday!

 

Any help would be gratefully received!!!

[picturesque]

With auto thyristor units, you have to set the ISO on the flash unit, and then set it to the f stop you plan to use on the camera. The camera should be in manual mode or aperture priority. The f stop on the camera should be the f stop you set on the flash. To compensate, you can fool the flash by changing the ISO.

[picturesque]

By the way, if the processional during the ceremony is indoors, do not use aperture priority because it will set too slow a shutter speed, although I think Nikon digitals are able to set a limit on shutter speed in automatic modes. Anyway, much better to use manual camera mode. This is one of the things new wedding photographers do. Also, flash exposure is controlled by f stop only--shutter speed has no bearing except for ambient light exposure.

[emma_beckett]

Thank You :)

 

I tried to set the iso and the f stop-didn't seem to make a difference but I'll try again in the

morning. I have tomorrow left to get to grips with it. I will keep the shutter speed to 1/125-

think thats wise?

[picturesque]

1/125th is safe, but depending on the ISO you're using and the ambient lighting, may result in dark/black backgrounds indoors. However, if the flash exposure is correct and the flash illuminates the subject, you will have a properly exposed subject, which is, on the whole, good.

 

If you set the ISO and aperture on the flash, set that f stop on the camera in manual or aperture priority mode on the camera, and you're still getting massive overexposure, something is wrong.

 

It just occured to me that since it is a CT-1, not CL-1, the trigger voltage might be too much for your Nikon--and indeed, according to the following, the CT-1 has a high enough trigger voltage to be dangerous to your D70s. Don't use it together without getting a Safe Sync or voltage reducer.

 

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html