nikon flashes for dummies (that'd be me)

[michael_b10]

<p>I hardly ever shoot with a flash - I usually prefer ambient light, even if it means high iso and wide apertures and just a small percentage of keepers. So my experience thus far with flashes on nikon dslrs has been 'oh, it pops up and flashes. great!' Due to the nature of an upcoming job, I decided I needed to understand shooting with flash better than i do and picked up an SB-400, which considering how infrequently I'll probably use it seemed like the right choice. Only then did I realize something that struck me as weird - on my D7000, the flash and the shutter speed do not seem integrated with the metering, whether I'm using the SB400 or the pop-up. In other words, if proper exposure without the flash is 1/8th of a second, if I activate the flash, the shutter speed remains 1/8 of a second - and the flash fires - so I get a bright blurry picture :) Of course I can set minimum shutter speed to 1/60th of a sec, but that doesn't really address the issue. Shouldn't the shutter speed change when using a flash? What am I missing? I have a feeling that there's one menu setting that's probably askew, but after poring over the manual I have no idea what it is. I'd really appreciate any tips. Thanks!</p>

[photo5]

<p>What mode are you shooting in? In Manual mode the shutter speed won't change when you connect a flash. Also, the SB-400 isn't very powerful, you may want to do many test photos to see how it does for you. I would not shoot a paid job with anything less than an SB-700 (I have the SB-800). </p>

<p>Remember, your flash gives you light relative to your f-stop. Your shutter speed gives you ambient exposure, and varying it will only vary the ambient light exposure, NOT the level of flash exposure. A lot of people get this mixed up. So if you're inside a room, set your shutter to 1/60 or 1/30 if you can, to get a natural room light into your shots. And then set your aperture to around f5.6 or f8, and try that. With ISO 200 this should be a good starting point. If you move outside, you may have to change your settings. Experiment and have fun!</p>

[michael_b10]

<p>Hi Dave,<br>

Thanks for your reply. I wouldn't expect the shutter speed to change in M or S mode, since of course I'm controlling shutter speed. But I would think it would in Aperture mode, since once you figure in the added light from the flash, shutter speed should be faster - and I guess I assumed that the camera might automatically compensate for the extra light if it knows it's going to flash. But maybe not?<br>

I seriously thought about getting the SB-600, but most of what I imagine using the flash for is outdoor fill flash in dreary daytime lighting - or maybe inside very small rooms. So for that, I thought the SB-400 might be enough, especially because I'll be shlepping it on the road so the small size was appealing, and I'll only rarely use it anyway. If it proves to be too weak when I try it out, I'll sell it or return it and step up a level. </p>

[photo5]

<p>The biggest drawback of the SB-400 is that it doesn't have the ability to do bounce flash off the ceiling. Yes, the little flash head can pivot up, but it's not as effective since it's such a tiny flash.<br>

In Program mode, the camera should switch the shutter speed. You can also check your menu settings to see what the minimum shutter speed setting to use with flash is. You may have set it at 1/8 and forgot about it. I usually shoot at 1/30sec with flash indoors if I can, to gain the most natural looking ambient light in the room behind my subjects.</p>

[michael_b10]

<p>Thanks - it sounds like I have some experimenting to do.</p>

[photo5]

<p>Find someone to act as a stand in for you, and take photos of them indoors at different apertures and look at the results. The flash has TTL, so it should be able to get good exposures of your subject. But the SB-400 is pretty low power, I wouldn't plan to shoot more than a few people at a time with it, and certainly no large groups unless you're outside. Check back with any other questions!</p>

[Ray House]

<p>Do you have the flash set for Rear Curtain or Slow Sync? Also, you can set the minimum shutter speed in camera. On my D80 & D90 the default is 1/60th, but can be adjusted to whatever I want.</p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>Remember that your flash itself may be set as TTL, which means that it WILL measure available light, set your exposure based on that and THEN add light to ensure the scene is appropriately lit. (I don't know the SB400 - I've only used all the others...lol)</p>

<p>Personally, what I do when using on-camera flash is: set my camera to Manual and experiment with settings resulting in the light I want/need. Then, I mount my flash on the camera and set it to either TTL or BL TTL (and let it do its magic). Occassionaly, I might set the flash on Manual as well if I want greater control...</p>

<p>Make sure you practice ALOT more before using it for a job. Personally however, I would not have bought the SB400 - the SB700 would be infinitely better in terms of value for money and overall usability.</p>

[elliot1]

<p><em>"Shouldn't the shutter speed change when using a flash? </em>" It does, and adjusts to the flash shutter speed you select in menu item e2. In S mode, you can adjust the shutter speed to whatever you want up to 1/250.</p>

<p>The SB-400 is indeed a very capable flash and can be used very, very effectively for bounce flash (or straight on flash) (when holding the camera horizontally) for most shooting situations. While it is obviously less powerful than an SB-600 or SB-800 etc., using slightly higher ISOs and/or faster aperture lenses EASILY compensates for this. In fact, I find it amazing how well the SB-400 works considering its size and weight. You can light up a reasonably large room using the SB-400 if you have everything set up correctly (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) and are using a reasonably fast aperture lens.</p>

<p>Michael, I don't know how dark the area is you are shooting in and what lens you are using where you are trying to shoot and record ambient light with flash, and there are numerous ways to accomplish what you are trying to shoot, but I would suggest the following settings: rotate the flash head for bounce flash use, turn Auto ISO on, shoot in manual mode, shoot wide open (aperture), then take some test shots. Shoot with the fastest shutter speed that will record the ambient light effectively for you. Chances are that shutter speed will be around 1/30 or 1/60th, depending on the lens you are using. </p>

<p>Overexposure with flash in the manner you describe can also occur if the flash is not locked in correctly in the flash shoe although since you indicate it is doing it with the pop up flash, something else is coming into play.</p>

<p>If you are shooting in A mode, and the camera is giving you a 1/8" shutter speed based on the aperture and ISO selected, you should still get a proper exposure even with the flash on (I just tested my D7000).</p>

<p><em><br /></em></p>

[elliot1]

<p>"the shutter speed remains 1/8 of a second -" I guess I should have added to my first comment that perhaps you have setting e2 at 1/8.</p>

[dbcooper]

<blockquote>

<p>Shouldn't the shutter speed change when using a flash? What am I missing?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The whole reason you bought a DSLR in the first place - to have creative control.</p>

<p>Assuming you're in one of the controllable modes (M/S/A/P), either you or the meter will set the shutter speed, and an iTTL-compatible flash will adjust its output to obtain the correct exposure. The camera 'assumes' you know what you're doing and have a creative intent behind whatever you're doing with the shutter speed. If you want the shutter speed faster, change it.</p>

[michael_b10]

<p>"an iTTL-compatible flash will adjust its output to obtain the correct exposure"<br>

I think understanding that was the biggest part of what i was missing. <br>

And thanks, Elliot, for your explanation. I do need to think a little bit differently about whether I want to be in A, S, or M mode. And I agree, in the limited testing I've done, I think the sb-400 will be enough for what i need it to do - which is mostly outdoor fill flash. A small diffuser helps, too. </p>