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TipsforusingOncameraflashPOWER
Thelimitationonhowfaryourflashwillilluminatemayormaynotbeanissue.Ifyouwantstronglightmovecloser.
Ifyouwantmorediffusedlightmoveback.
BACKGROUNDIfyoursubjectsareclosetoabackgroundtherewillbeadeepshadowfromthe
flash.Pullyoursubjectsawayfromdistractingbackgrounds.
DIFFUSETHELIGHTYoucanusesomethingtotonedowntheintensityofthelight.Whitepaper,
yourhand,waxpaper.
USEASAFILLEvenifyoursubjectisinfulllightcheckwhereshadowsarefalling,addingthe
oncameraflashcanhelpeliminateunwantedshadows.
Typesofflashes
Dedicatedcameraflash
Macroringflash
• Everyflashphotographistwoexposuresinone– anambientlightexposureandaflashexposure.
• Thisisacriticalfacttoremember.Theshutteropens,theflashfires,theshuttercloses.Duringthistime,bothambientlightandflashwillcontributetotherecordedimage.
• Flashphotographyrequiresmanagingbothexposures.
(E)TTLflash
• ThroughTheLens.• Thecameraregisterstheamountoflightreturningthroughthelensandthenworksouttherightamountoflighttopumpoutforthemainflashexposure.
• ThecamerawillcontroltheflashexposureinTTLmodenomatterwhatapertureorISOorshutterspeed.
• Withautomaticflashmetering,theflashilluminationismeasuredaftertheshutterbuttonispressed,andtheflashoutputisadjustedaccordingly.
• Therearetechnicaldifferencesbetweenthevarioustypesofflashmetering,butallofthemoperateindependentlyfromthecamera’smeteringofambientlight,andallofthemworkbyadjustingtheoutputoftheflash,notbychangingthecamera’sexposuresettings.
• Flashexposureisnotaffectedbyshutterspeed.• Theentireburstoflightfromtheflashbeginsandendswhiletheshutterisopen,sokeepingtheshutteropenlongerwon’thelpwithflashillumination.
• TheflashexposureandtheeffectiverangeofyourflashunitwillbeaffectedbyapertureandISOsettings,butnottheshutter.
• Ofcourse,theambientlightcomponentinaflashphotographisaffectedbyshutterspeed.Sochangingtheshutterspeedisonewaytomanagetheamountofambientlightthatcontributestoaflashphotograph.
• Flashilluminationisdramaticallyaffectedbydistance.
UsingFlashandshootingmode-useinP,Amodes
• Program(auto)willallowthecameraandflashcanworktogether(butlimitedcontrol).OverridebyusingFlashExposurecompensation(outputofflash),oruseExposurecompensationtolowerorraisetheambientlightexposure.
• Aperture(Av/A)willallowyoutochooseaperturesettingandETTLwithconnectwithcorrectshuttercontrol.
• LowISOsetting• Nikon- AutoFPsynch(Menupencil- bracketing/flash)• Canon- HighSpeedsynch(FlashETTLhighspeedsynch)
ExposureCompensation
• Allowsyoutoadjusttheexposureoftheambientlight.
FlashExposureCompensation
• Allowsyoutoadjusttheoutputfromtheflash.
FlashPhotographySpeedlite 430EXII
Step1:TurnOnthePowerAfterMountingtheFlashOntheCamera
Inserttheexternalflashintothehotshoeontopofthecamera.Oncefullyinserted,slidethemountingfootlocklevertolockitintoplace.Switchonthepowersupplyofthecamera,followedbythatoftheflash.
Thepoweroftheflashshouldbeturnedoffbeforeattachingittoordetachingitfromthehotshoe.
Tip:Donotuseamixofbatteries
Whenreplacingthebatteries,ensurethatallofthemarenewandofthesamebrand.Donotuseamixtureofnewandoldbatteries,differentbrands,oralkalineandlithiumbatteries.Notonlywillthatshortenthelifeofthebatteries,itmayalsoresultinproblemssuchasbatteryleak.
Step2:ResettheFlashSettings
Forcameraswith“Flashcontrol”menu,theflashfunctionsandCustomFunctionsoftheexternalSpeedlite canbereseteasily.
Toavoiderrorssuchasthesettingsleftfromtheprevioususe,itissafertoresetatthestart.
ResettheflashCustomFunctionssettings
Step3:SelectaFlashMode
ChooseeitherE-TTLorManualflashmodefortheflashunit.Flashsettingscanbeadjustedonthecameraortheflashunit.SelectE-TTLflashwhenyouwanttotakeaquickpicturewiththeentirephotoinstandardexposure.
Andmanualflashforprofessional-levelflashphotographysuchasbymakinguseofmultipleflashunitstocreateshadoweffects.
Tosettheflashusingthecamera,select“Flashmode”from“Externalflashfunctionsettings”.Forautoadjustmentoftheflashoutput,select“E-TTL.”
PushtheMODEbutton,andselect“ETTL”or“M.”
Step4:SelectaShootingModeSelecttheshootingmodesuitedfortheintentandcontentsofthephotoyouwishtotake.Flashphotographycanbeusedinanyshootingmode.
TurntheModeDialandselectthedesiredshootingmode.SelectShutter-priorityAEwhenyouwishtocapturemovingsubjectswithoutblurring,ormakeuseofblurringtoexpressmovement.
SelectAperture-priorityAEifyouwishtocontrolthedepthoffield.Makeachoicebasedonyourintent.
IftheflashmodeselectedisE-TTL,flashphotographycanbecarriedoutinanyshootingmodeintheBasicZoneandCreativeZoneofthecamera.However,flashcompensationisnotpossibleintheFullAutoandscenemodes.Thus,ProgramAE,Aperture-priorityAEandShutter-priorityAEareeasiertouseifyouwanttoconveyyourintentinaphoto.Ontheotherhand,themanualexposureshootingmodeisrecommendedwhenmanualflashischosen.Determinesettingssuchasaperture,shutterspeedandISOspeedinaccordancewiththeintentoftheshot,andyoucanadjusttheflashoutputmanuallybasedontheseconditions.
Step5:SelectaShutterSynchronizationMode
Selectaflashsynchronizationmodeafterselectingtheshootingmode.UseHigh-speedsyncwhenthedesiredshutterspeedishigherthanthemaximumspeedtheflashisabletosynchronize.
Considerusingfirstcurtainsyncorsecondcurtainsyncforlong-exposureshots.Toperformsettingusingthecameramenu,choosethedesiredmodefrom[Shuttersynchronization]inthe[Externalflashfunctionsettings].Tosetusingtheflashunit,pressthe“High-speedsync(FPflash)/Shutter-curtainsynchronization”button.Pressingthisbuttoneachtimeallowsswitchingbetweenhigh-speedsyncandshutter-curtainsync.
Settingscreenofthecamera
Toperformsettingusingthecamera,select[Shuttersync.]from[Externalflashfunc.setting]andchoosetheitem.
WhatisHighSpeedSyncFlash?• High-speedsyncflashisyourDSLR'sabilitytouseaflashatshutterspeedsfasterthanthecamera’snativesync.Mostcamerashaveanativesyncof1/250thofasecond,andanythingfasterthanthatisbeyondthecamera'sabilitytosynctheshutterwiththeflash.Butifyouhappentobeinasituationthatrequiresfastershutterspeedstoeffectivelycapturetheaction,orforotheraestheticreasons(likeawideaperture),thenyou'llover-exposureyourimage.However,high-speedsyncflash/cameracombinationsallowyoutousetheflashathighershutterspeeds.
HowHighSpeedSyncWorks
• Thehigh-speedsyncgivesyoumoreartisticcontroloveryourphotos,particularlyinaperture-prioritymode.Whenyoumasterthisuseoftheflash,you’llbeabletotakephotosthatwillgrabpeople’sattentionandhavethemwonderinghowitwasdone.
• High-speedsyncovercomesthelimitationsofthecamera’snativeflashsync.That’sabonustothosephotographerswhoalwayswishedforjustoneortwomorespeedsontheshutter.
SettoHigh-speedSync
Settingscreenoftheflashunit
Setto2ndCurtainSync
WhatisRearandFrontCurtainSync?
RearCurtainSync• RearCurtainSync – thistellsyourcameratofiretheflashattheendof
theexposure.ie whenyoupresstheshutteryourlensopensupandstartscollectinglightandjustbeforeitclosestheflashwillfiretolightupandfreezeyourmainsubject(seethecardshottotheleftforanexamplewhereyou’llseethecardtrailendinginanicecrispshotofthecard).
FrontCurtainSync• FrontCurtainSync – thistellsyourcameratofiretheflashatthestartof
theexposure.ie whenyoupresstheshutter,theflashwillfireimmediatelyandtheshutterwillremainopenafterwardscapturingambientlight.
• Youmightnotthinkthere’smuchdifferencebetweenthesemodesbutwhenyou’rephotographingamovingsubjectitcanhavearealimpact.You’llfindmanyaction/sportsphotographerswilluseRearCurtainSyncwhenshootingwithapanningtechnique.
SlowSyncflash
Step6:AdjusttheISOSpeedISOspeedadjustmentsdirectlyaffecttheexposureandfinishingofaphoto.ISOspeedcanbeadjustedwhenthephototurnsoutdarkerthanexpected,orwhenthechosenshutterspeedisslowerthanintended.ToadjusttheISOsettings,pressthe“ISO”buttononthecamera,andselectanISOspeedsuchasbyusingtheMainDial.
Tip:PhotoimagechangesdramaticallywithdifferentISOspeedsinflashphotography
ShotusingISO100 ShotusingISO1600
Inflashphotography,theoverallbrightnessofapicturecanbeadjustedbychangingtheISOspeed.WithahighISOspeed,theimagesensor’ssensitivitytolightisincreasedandweakdiffuselightfromtheflashthatcouldnotbedetectedatalowISOspeedcanbecapturedandreflectedinthephoto,thusresultinginabrighteroverallphotoimage.However,asitisdifficulttogaugethechangesinexposurewhentheISOspeedischanged,itisadvisabletotaketestshotsalongwiththeISOspeedchanges.AhigherISOspeedisalsoeffectiveagainstcamerashakeormovementofthesubjectinbothnormalandflashphotography.
Step7:DeterminetheBackgroundBrightnessUsingExposureCompensationOften,inflashphotography,lightfromtheflashdoesnotreachthebackground.Insuchasituation,Exposurecompensationcanbeappliedtoadjustthebrightnessofthebackground.Exposurecompensationcanbereliedonforbrightnessadjustmentsbeyondtherangethatcanbebrightlyilluminatedbylightfromtheflash.Inmid- andhigh-specmodels,theamountofcompensationcanbesetbyturningtheQuickControlDialwhilehalf-pressingtheshutterbutton.ForcameramodelswithouttheQuickControlDial,exposurecompensationcanbeadjustedbyoperatingtheMainDialwhiledepressingandholdingdowntheExposurecompensationbutton.
ExposurecompensationbuttonandMainDial
SettheamountofcompensationbyturningtheMainDialwhilepressingandholdingdowntheExposurecompensationbutton.Turningthedialtotherightincreasesbrightness,whileturningtotheleftmakesitdarker.
Step8:DeterminetheBrightnessoftheSubjectUsingtheFlashOutput
Toadjustthebrightnessofasubjectwithintherangeoftheflash,adjusttheflashoutput.UseflashexposurecompensationifyouareusingtheE-TTLflashmode.Onlytheflashoutputischangedduringflashexposurecompensation.Thus,itispossibletomoderateonlythebrightnessofthesubjectwithintheflashrangewithoutanyimpactonthebackgroundbrightness.Formid- andhigh-specmodels,adjustmentsaremadebypressingtheFlashexposurecompensationbuttonandturningtheMainDial.
Flashexposurecompensationofthecamera
Step9:AdjustingtheAngleoftheFlashHead
Byusinganexternalflashwithanadjustableflashhead,theflashanglecanbeadjustedtoenhancetheresultofaphoto.Itwillalsobepossibletousereflectedlightbybouncingthelightoffawallorceilingforasofterfinish.Thegreatestmeritofflashphotographyusingdigitalcameraswouldbethepossibilityoftakingasmanytestshotsasdesired.Whenashotdoesnotturnoutright,theshortestwaytoimprovementwouldberepeatedpracticebyalteringsettingssuchastheshootingmode,synchronizationmode,andISOspeed.
Theangleoftheflashheadcanbeadjusted.Findtheanglethatmostsuityourphotographicintension.
Tip:Adjustnotonlytheangleoftheflashhead,buttheflashangleaswell
Agenuineexternalflashallowsadjustmentofnotonlytheangleoftheflashhead,butalsotheflashangle(widthoflightcoverage).Controllingtheflashanglehelpstowidenyourscopeofphotographicexpression.Toperformsettingonthecamera,select[Zoom]inthe[Externalflashfunctionsettings]menu,andchooseafocallength(angleofview).Tosetusingtheflashunit,pressthe“Zoom”buttonandselectthefocallengthusingthe“+/-“button,followedbyconfirmingtheselectionusingthe“SEL/SET”button.OptimalflashcoveragewillbeautomaticallyselectedtomatchthelensinusewhenAutoisselectedonthecamera(theMofMZoomwillnotappearontheflash).ForSpeedlite 320EXandSpeedlite 270EXII,adjustmentsaremadeintwophasesbymanuallypullingouttheflashhead.
Setwiththecamera Setwiththeflashunit
WhichFlashisrightforyou?• Whatisyour budget?Budgetiscertainlythebiggestfactorwhenchoosing
aflash.Withflashunits,youalmostalwaysgetwhatyoupayfor.Ifyoucannotspendmorethan$100onaflash,expecttobuyathirdpartyunitfromcompanieslikeVivitar,Bower,NissinandSunpak thatallhaveexternalflashesforunder$100.Ifyoudonothavebudgetlimitations,thenthebestflashesaregoingtobethemostexpensiveonesfromNikonandCanon.
• TTL orManual?IhighlyrecommendgettingaflashunitthatcanuseTTL(ThroughTheLens)system.ThinkofTTLasan“Auto”modeforflashthatletsyoushootpictureswithoutworryingaboutunderexposingoroverexposingyourimages– agreatwaytogetstarted.
• Doyouwanttouseyourflash off-camera?Ipersonallywouldnotbuyaflashthatdoesnotletmeshootoff-camera.Unlessyouareabsolutelypositivethatyouwouldalwaysshootflashontopofyourcamera,youshouldtrytogetonethatatleastallowsyoutouseitasaslave.
Flashkeywordstoknow• GuideNumber- Theguidenumberforaflashisindicativeofthesizeoftheflash.Iftheflashis
meanttobemostlyusedforcloseportraits,thenthephotographerdoesn’tneedalargeguidenumber.Ifthesubjectofphotoswillbemoreofinteriorarchitectureoranyothersituationwherelargespacesneedtobeilluminated,theguidenumbershouldbelargertoensurethattheflashwillbepowerfulenoughforthephotographer’spurposes.
• FlashSync- Theflashsyncspeedisacamerafunction,butveryimportanttotheexternalflash.Itcanalsoletthephotographerknowhowmuchflashtobuy.Ifthecameraismoreofabudgetcamera,andhasalowflashsyncspeed,theflashwilllimittheshutterspeedofthecamera.Thebetterthecamera,thehigherthesyncspeed,andthebetterflashthecameracanhandle.
• RecycleRate- Therecyclerateisveryimportanttothoseshootingactionscenes.Thisrateissimplynotinghowquicklytheflashcanrechargeitselftofireagain.Ifthephotographerisgoingtobesettinghisorhersubjects,pausingafterthephotograph,andthenresettingthesubject,therecyclerateisnotveryimportant.However,ifthephotographerwillbedoingalotofphotographyofmovingsubjects,thentherecyclerateisveryimportant.Thephotographerwillnotwanttobelimitedbyhisorherflashwhenitcomestotakingplentyofrapidphotographs.
BeginnerFlashSuggestionsCanonThereareseveralentry-levelflashaccessorieswhicharecompatiblewithCanonDSLRsandcostunder$150.(fromTechReviewBlog2013)
NeewerTT560 - TheNeewer TT560isoneofthebestbangforyourbuckflashesforaCanonDSLRthatiscurrentlyonthemarket.Currentlypricedunder$40,theTT560providesasolidbuildqualityandexcellentperformancefortheprice.However,itisnotanE-TTLsoyou’llneedtomanuallyadjusttheflashsettings(notdifficulttogetthehangof)inordertogettheproperlighting.
Canon270EXII - The270EXIIistheonlyCanon-brandedflashtomakethislist,primarilybecauseCanonflashesarenotcheapbynature.Itisthesmallestandmostlightweightflashinthispricerangewhichwillappealtosomeuserswhowantextremeportability.Personally,I’dchooseanaftermarketbrandtosavesomemoney,butyoucan’tgowrongwiththe270EXII.
YongnuoYN-560II - TheYoungnuo YN-560IIisaqualityflashthatmirrorshigherpricedname-brandcompetitorswithoutbreakingthebank.Withareasonablerecycle-timeof3secondsandaminimumflashdurationof1/20,000ofasecond,you’llbeabletocapturehigh-speedshotswithease.Forunder$60,thebuildqualityanddesignissolidandtheflashcanbemanuallyadjustedorsimplyusedasintheopticalslavemodewhichtriggersviaanotherflash.
PrecisionDesignDSLR300 - Alesser-knownflash,thePrecisionDesignDSLR300isasolidcontenderthatfitsallCanonDSLRsthatbearahotshoe mount.Itfeaturesahighlyadjustableheadwhichcanbeswiveledtocapturethatperfectangletobouncetheflashandspreadevenlightthroughoutyourphotos.Pricedunder$60,thisflashisanexcellententry-levelaccessorythatwillhelpyoutakebetterphotos.
NEEWERNW680/TT680 - TheTT680istheupdatedE-TTLversionoftheTT-560listedearlierinthisarticle.Featuringmulti-flashcapabilities,afastflashrecycling,andalargerearLCDwithbacklightcapabilities,theTT680isatoughflashtobeatespeciallyforthe lowunder$60pricetag.Additionally,youhavetheoptiontoturnoffthe“auto”modeandmanuallyprogramtheflashifyouareanadvanceduser.
BeginnerFlashSuggestionsNikonIfcostisthebiggestdilemmaforyou,thenherearesomethirdpartyflashesthatfullysupportiTTL under$100:• BowerSFD728N – thecheapestexternalflashunder$50,withaflexibleheadtobouncelight.Don’texpectmuchoutofthisunit,sinceyougetwhat
youpayfor.Itdoesnotcomewithadiffuserdomeandcannotbeusedasaslave.• BowerSFD35N – abetterversionthantheaboveSFD728N,comeswithanAutoFocusassistfunction,whichwillhelpyoufocusbetterinlow-light
environments.Cannotbeusedasaslave.• VivitarDF350Z – similartoBowerSFD35N,theVivitar DF350Zisagoodoverallflashwithaflexiblehead.AlsocomeswithAFassistforfocusingin
low-lightandcannotbeusedasaslave.• VivitarDF400MZ – at$99,itisaverycapableflashthatcomeswithabuilt-inflip-outdiffuser.ThenicethingabouttheDF400MZ,isthatit canbe
usedasaslave.• BowerSFD926N – justafewdollarsmorethantheVivitar DF400MZ,theBowerSFD926Nisaniceflashwithplentyoffeaturessuchasflashzoom
basedoncamerafocallength.Italsocomeswithabuilt-indiffuserandalsosupportsslavemodeforoff-camerasetup.• Thereareplentyofotherflashesatsimilarpricerangefromvariouscompanies.Ifyoucanspendmorethan$100onaflash,butwanttostayataround$200pricerange,thenhereiswhatIrecommend:• NikonSB-600 – ifyoudonotcareaboutusingflashasamaster,theNikonSB-600isyourbestbuy.Itcomespackedwithallkindsofgreatfeatures
suchasAutoFocusassist,high-speedsync,fulli-TTLsupportanditworksgreatwithallNikonDSLRs.Itcanonlybeusedasaslave.• WhyamIrecommendingjustoneflash?Becauseatthispricerange,IbelieveyouwouldbebetteroffwithaNikonspeedlight.Whileotherflashes
mightsoundlikeagooddeal,Nikon’sflashesfullysupportallCLSfeaturesandaredesignedtoworkbestonNikonDSLRs.On topofthat,ifyoupurchaseanotherflashunitfromNikoninthefuture,theSB-600wouldbefullycompatiblewithit.Ifyouarenotscaredtobuy usedequipment,thenyoucangetanolderNikonSB-600forlessthan$200.IfyouarenotafraidtoshootinmanualmodewithoutTTL,theolderNikon speedlights suchasSB-26andSB-28arealsoofgreatvalueandyoucansnatchthoseusedforlessthan$100.
• Ifbudgetisnotabigissueforyouandyoujustwanttogetagoodflash,thelistofflashestorecommendisbasedonfeaturestheyoffer:• NikonSB-600 – onceagain,agreatvalueforthemoneyforthosewhoneedasingleflashtogooncameraortobeusedinanoff-camerasetup.Ifyou
donotcareabouttriggeringotherflashes(mastermode),thentheSB-600isyourbestbet.• NikonSB-700 – thenewlyreleasedSB-700isaround$100morethantheSB-600,buthasabunchofnewfeaturestheSB-600doesnothave.Itcan
workasamasterandaslave,hasanewlydesigneduserinterfacethatisveryintuitivewhencomparedtotheSB-600,comeswith averyusefuldiffusiondomeplustwofilters/gelsforindoorsshotsandmuchmore.Itwillcertainlybeaverypopularflashamongphotoenthusiasts.
• NikonSB-910 – theMercedes-BenzofNikonspeedlights,theSB-910isahigh-endspeedlight designedforenthusiastsandprofessionalsthatneedthemostfeaturesfordemandingapplications.Pricedat$550,theSB-910canbeusedbothasamasterandaslave,hasasimilar intuitiveuserinterfaceastheSB-700,comeswithplentyofaccessoriessuchasdiffuserdome,filtersetandflashstand,hasanautomaticflashzoomheadthatcanzoominandoutbasedonthefocallengthyouareusingandmore.ThebiggesttwoadvantagesoftheNikonSB-910overSB-700isthatithasaPC/synccordforconnectingexternalflashunitssuchasPocketWizard andabilitytousepowerfulbatterypacks.
• QuantumQflashTRIOQF8N – anexpensivetop-of-the-lineflashthathasanultra-fastrecycletimeandlotsofpower.UnlikeNikonspeedlights,ithasalargereflectoronthefrontwhichdiffusesthelightcomingoutoftheflashforbetterqualityimagesandsoftershadows. It canworkasamasteroraslavewithadditionalmodules.