elan7 and 420EX flash

[david8]

I am amazed at the technology incorporated in my new Elan 7,

but the included information is a bit slim....

 

Regarding flash and the manual mode, I would be very

appreciative if someone could confirm what I think I'm reading.

 

When setting a "M" flash exposure, I pick whatever aperature and

speed I think works for the situation, and the camera will expose

the focus area correctly. My confusion is the over/under scale in

the finder, which seems to indicate under exposure. Is this the

camera telling me that the scene/background is under exposed,

but feel confident that the shot (focus area) is "good" since the

green OK light illuminated after exposure.

 

Thanks for the help

[JosvanEekelen]

I think you're right David, Canon should have put as much effort into the manual as into the body.

 

I think your question and a few others are answered in N.K. Guy's article about Canon flash, you can find it at: www.photonotes.org

[eosdoc]

Yes, but the answer to David's question depends upon which

"M" mode is being used: camera, flash, or focus.

<P>

This is a perennial topic on the <a href=

"http://yahoogroups.com/group/elan7e"

>Elan 7E group</a>, from first-hand users of the above

combination. See:<BR>

 <a href=

"yahoogroups.com/message/elan7e/4863"

>Link</a>

[bill_goldman]

David, your assumptions are correct. With the camera in manual mode and the flash in E-TTL mode, depending on the shutter speed/aperture combination you've chosen, the camera may very well indicate underexposure (for the ambient light). However, the flash will produce the proper exposure for your subject but the background will probably be underexposed. E-TTL attempts to balance exposure for subject and background in P mode by making limited adjustments in aperture and/or shutter speed but cannot do this when the camera is in manual mode.

 

However, manual mode gives the photographer the ability to make his or her own adjustments to achieve desired effects. For example, you can put your camera on a tripod and set a small aperture and a slow shutter speed to expose the background correctly. Then the subject will be exposed properly by the flash and the background by the ambient exposure. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[bill_goldman]

I forgot to mention that the flash unit will indicate the distance range of correct exposure at the bottom of the display area when you're using the manual camera mode. It will change as you change your manual settings so this tells you in advance whether the flash exposure will be adequate. Then you will also get the green confirmation signal on the back of the flash unit. Unfortunately Canon does not provide this confirmation signal in the viewfinder as supposedly there is some potential patent infringement.

[eosdoc]

<blockquote><i><small>

I forgot to mention that the flash unit will indicate the distance

range of correct exposure at the bottom of the display area when

you're using the manual camera mode.

</small></i></blockquote><P>

Try as I might, my 420EX will not display any distance indicator

nor is does any such display appear anywhere on my Elan 7E.

<P>

Is there something wrong with my 420EX or <a href=

"http://yahoogroups.com/group/elan7e"

>Elan 7E</a>?

[NK Guy]

> the flash unit will indicate the distance range of correct

exposure at the bottom of the display area when you're using the

manual camera mode.

 

The 420EX doesn't have a rear-panel LCD. Perhaps you're

mistaking it for the 420EZ, 430EZ, 540EZ or 550EX, all of which

have rear-panel LCDs. They display distance information when

the flash unit is in manual mode.