Using the built-in flash...

[wakeforce]

Is there a way to manually set the power of the built-in flash?

Because very often, my interior shots look completely washed out

because it fires a way too powerful flash... It works great for fill

flash though, because compared to the suns light, uit isnt very

powerful...

 

ALso, I'm looking into perhaqps buying a flash.... I want a good one

that'll permit me to stack a softbox in front of it and stuff like

that so I can take portraits.... I don't have the money to invest in

studio equipment, so a good flash and a softbox is all I can

consider... ANy ideas?

 

Thanks!

[catman5]

There is on my IIe. I don't know what body you have. I use this feature to determine main light, fill in shadow or put catch lights in the eyes of my subjects. It will also reduce the washout you describe.

[jim_strutz]

As Victor notes, on some EOS cameras you can set FEC to reduce or increase flash brightness. That's not exactly a way to manually set the flash power, but it does increase or decrease the E-TTL ot TTL metered flash. Not all EOS cameras have this however. None of the Rebels do including the Digital Rebel/300D.

 

As far a a flash to recommend, with enough power for a small softbox and controls to match, a Canon 550EX is a good, but not cheap, choice. For about half the money, a Sunpak 555 will also work well. Each are totally different, but both will do what you asked.

[mark u]

There are several tricks you can try with the built in flash. A very old trick for reducing its power is simply to wrap one or two layers of handkerchief around it loosely to act as a diffuser. This will soften the light, and if the flash was firing at maximum output without the handkerchief, it will also reduce the intensity of the flash. It requires experimentation, but can be made to work.

 

Another trick for reducing flash output is to use flash exposure lock if your body supports this. Aim the flash at a white or light coloured object and press the FEL button, then recompose and shoot the picture.

 

More precise control is achieved by using flash exposure compensation. If you can't set this on the body directly, you should be able to reduce flash output by changing the ISO setting on the camera - say you are using 100 ISO film, then reduce the ISO to 50 to cut the flash exposure by a stop. You can increase the ambient exposure using the manual exposure mode to compensate. This won't work with a digital camera.

 

But best is to buy an E-TTL capable flash, provided your camera body supports it.

[wakeforce]

Thanks for the folded handkerchief trick, I'll besure to try it!

 

Fot FEL, anybody can explain this to me? I know how to set it on my camera but I don't really understand how to use it..... ANy help? What does it excatly do?

Thanks!

[thomas_sullivan]

FEL is to flash exposure (ie the closest thing in the viewfinder that the flash sensor reads) as the "normal" method of exposure +/- compensation and exposure lock is to natural/ambient light. What FEL allows you to do, is to modify the systems calculated exposure for flash completely seperate from ambient light. The "key" to all that is the fact that ambient light is changed by the shutter speed......which does not affect flash exposure........and that flash exposure is changed by flash strength and duration....which does not affect ambient exposure. That way, you can modify one without affecting the other.

[kenneth darling soerensen]

Let me supplement the answers already given to you by providing this link: http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/