joey_nikkels

Todd and Darren,

Thanks, that makes sense. I guess then I could try to find a flash with a very low minimum

output or allow the flash to be a more primary source of light.

Erik,

I'm not sure I understand your response. It makes perfect sense to use a flash in non-TTL

Auto mode on a camera that doesn't support TTL flash metering. Non-TTL Auto mode in

exactly for a situation where you don't want to do calculations and your camera doesn't

have built in flash metering. I could figure out what settings to use on the flash in manual

mode, but that would require quite a bit of testing at different subject distances which at

this point I don't have time for. The lighting at the event is relatively even so I'm not gonna

be remetering all that often. What will change is my subject distance which is why auto

flash mode seemed like a good choice. I admit if I were very experienced in flash

photography I could probably do it all in manual mode, but I am not.

Can you recommend a flash that will allow me to fill at 2 stops under my ambient exposure at any given

ISO in NON-TTL AUTO mode? I'm under the impression that this is easier to do at low ISOs but I often

shoot in low light situations requiring a higher iso. I learned than I cannot do this with a recently acquired

Nikon SB-28, an otherwise very nice flash. I know this is a rather general question, but if you have a flash

that can do this, let me know! Thanks.

Ok, here is my situation: Shooting with a medium format Fujica GL690 (in lens leaf shutter) and a newly

acquired Nikon SB-28 Speedlight. The location is a field house at my local University's recreation facility,

so the light is very dim and the ceiling quite high. I want to shoot available light but the shadows on

people's faces from all the overhead lights is unappealing. I'm also gonna have to shoot at the lower limits

of my gear--wide open (or nearly, f/4 with a max aperture of f/3.5) 1/30 of second (barely doable since

this is a rangefinder) at an ISO of 1250 using Delta 3200. I want to use the film in its sweet spot instead of

pushed to 3200 especially since I'm gonna shot primarily candid portraits. I got the flash with the hopes of

using it in Non-TTL Auto mode to fill those ugly shadows and so planned on setting it 2 stops under my

ambient exposure (f/4, 1/30 at ISO 1250). I wanted to use Auto mode so that I didn't have to worry about

distance, I was also gonna use a LumiQuest pocket bouncer, and since I'm new to flash I don't want to

spend to much time doing calculations in manual mode.

But I can't figure out how to set the flash for 2 stops under. At this ISO the largest aperture I can set it to is

f/8--which is 2 stops OVER my ambient exposure. In other words it thinks it needs to output enough light

for f/8. I shot a test roll and of coarse they were overexposed. So what about adjusting the ISO on the

flash? Telling it I'm using a faster film would force it to lower it's output, but setting it to ISO 5000 (2 stops

more than 1250) changes the largest aperture available to f/16. I had to think about this to make sure I

wasn't going the wrong way and I think I am correct. At this aperture/iso combination the light output is

the same as at f/8 iso 1250. What about going the other direction? At iso 320 I can set the aperture at f/4,

my actual shooting aperture. But won't the flash put out more light since it thinks I'm using a slower film?

I'm afraid I'm all mixed up here. There must be a way to get a 2 stop under fill flash in auto mode. Another

thing that's confusing me is that as I set a larger aperture value the distance scale moves to the left where

I want it since my shooting distance is gonna be up close (4-10 feet for this camera/lens combo). But if

the flash thinks I'm shooting at f/32 won't it put out more light? Any help is much appreciated.

Oh, and if I can't fill flash in this way, can you recommend a flash that will?

Ok, here is my situation: Shooting with a medium format Fujica GL690 (in lens leaf shutter) and a newly

acquired Nikon SB-28 Speedlight. The location is a field house at my local University's recreation facility,

so the light is very dim and the ceiling quite high. I want to shoot available light but the shadows on

people's faces from all the overhead lights is unappealing. I'm also gonna have to shoot at the lower limits

of my gear--wide open (or nearly, f/4 with a max aperture of f/3.5) 1/30 of second (barely doable since

this is a rangefinder) at an ISO of 1250 using Delta 3200. I want to use the film in its sweet spot instead of

pushed to 3200 especially since I'm gonna shot primarily candid portraits. I got the flash with the hopes of

using it in Non-TTL Auto mode to fill those ugly shadows and so planned on setting it 2 stops under my

ambient exposure (f/4, 1/30 at ISO 1250). I wanted to use Auto mode so that I didn't have to worry about

distance, I was also gonna use a LumiQuest pocket bouncer, and since I'm new to flash I don't want to

spend to much time doing calculations in manual mode.

But I can't figure out how to set the flash for 2 stops under. At this ISO the largest aperture I can set it to is

f/8--which is 2 stops OVER my ambient exposure. In other words it thinks it needs to output enough light

for f/8. I shot a test roll and of coarse they were overexposed. So what about adjusting the ISO on the

flash? Telling it I'm using a faster film would force it to lower it's output, but setting it to ISO 5000 (2 stops

more than 1250) changes the largest aperture available to f/16. I had to think about this to make sure I

wasn't going the wrong way and I think I am correct. At this aperture/iso combination the light output is

the same as at f/8 iso 1250. What about going the other direction? At iso 320 I can set the aperture at f/4,

my actual shooting aperture. But won't the flash put out more light since it thinks I'm using a slower film?

I'm afraid I'm all mixed up here. There must be a way to get a 2 stop under fill flash in auto mode. Another

thing that's confusing me is that as I set a larger aperture value the distance scale moves to the left where

I want it since my shooting distance is gonna be up close (4-10 feet for this camera/lens combo). But if

the flash thinks I'm shooting at f/32 won't it put out more light? Any help is much appreciated.

I recently acquired a Fujica GL690 6X9 rangefinder (with a rare AE

100mm Fujinon), my first rangefinder. Previously I've shot with a

Nikon F3 and a new Hasselblad 501, both of which display a 100%

viewfinder image (or at least the F3 does, the Hassy does show a

very high percetage of what will show on the frame). I like to print

full frame, thus I've learned to carefully compose in the

viewfinder. I've discovered that this is not so easy with a

rangefinder. This particular rangefinder shows projected framelines

with parralax correction. I've shot some test rolls where I

carefully framed a subject but the resulting negatives weren't

framed as I had wanted, the differences were enough that I wouldn't

print the neg's full frame.

My questions are: what can I do to continue in some way my previous

shooting style? i.e., I want to have carefully framed images that

don't require cropping. Will I eventually just "learn" the

innacuracies of the viewfinder's framelines allowing me to

compensate? Or should the framelines be accurate, meaning my

rangefinder/viewfinder is in need of adjustment?

So far I enjoy shooting with this camera. It is a number of decibles

quiter than the Hassy, weighs about the same as the F3 but gives me

negatives many times larger, is the easiest to focus camera I've

ever used and has wonderful optics. But I have some serious

adjustments to make in order to get negatives I'm happy with. Any

and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Paul,

So if i mix 250ml of stock xtol with 750ml of water, then it is correct to say I've mixed 1 part stock xtol with 3 parts water, but incorrect to say I've diluted my developer 1:3? Actually, what you're saying is that this notation is old fashioned? I'm not in the darkroom to check, but what system is usually on photographic chemical packaging? I hope I haven't been mixing xtol wrong all this time. Sigh.

Joey