Keep it switched to High Speed sync mode and be advised that sometimes the camera will take it upon itself to change the ambient exposure if you have partial or evaluative metering set.It doesn't though with center-weighted selected or in Manual (on the camera) mode,which is often the best bet,IMO.
Hi Mark,
Despite what I said in the Bittern Hide I've obvioulsy been tempted to take some part on this forum - so it's your fault!
I think fill-in flash with digital often doesn't work and makes the image look washed out so don't get depressed when you see what I mean. Best to keep the F-number high and the ambient light low.
Good advice so far..... Digital seems to need far less fill than film did, so stay at around -2, there is a good article on the main site, I think by Bob Steele on the use of fill and the effects of ambient and flash exposure that is well worth reading.
A beamer of some sort is useful for more distant subjects, I very rarely use mine for anything up to 15 - 18 ft away, generaly leaving the lens off until I need it.
I find it easier to adjust the flash exposure comp on the flash rather than the camera as you get an extra stop that way, a slight blip at -3 can be very effective at times.
It may also be a good idea to get a bracket to raise the flash from the lens axis, mine attaches to the lens plate and allows me to swivel the lens without the flash moving on to the side.
Without rambling the point I think I'm right but it does depend on the subject. Bird images (especially dark birds) are usually acceptable with fill-in but plants and insects especially suffer from the use of fill-in flash - better to use reflectors. Digital is so sensitive to low light levels it enhances the flash even as low as has been suggested. It is therefore very good at picking up flare on feathers (mainly at the small scale) and other glossy bits and producing shadows. Can't give too many trade secrets away! I bet most fill-in flash photos have to be tweaked a lot before people are happy with them!
Without rambling the point I think I'm right but it does depend on the subject. Bird images (especially dark birds) are usually acceptable with fill-in but plants and insects especially suffer from the use of fill-in flash - better to use reflectors. Digital is so sensitive to low light levels it enhances the flash even as low as has been suggested. It is therefore very good at picking up flare on feathers (mainly at the small scale) and other glossy bits and producing shadows. Can't give too many trade secrets away! I bet most fill-in flash photos have to be tweaked a lot before people are happy with them!
I would agree with the comments about the use of flash on flowers and insects; similarly, flash on mammals often results in unwanted eye reflections and creates unwanted spectral highlights on glossy fur. Fill flash can be very effective on birds though, and was used successfully when people were shooting slide film, which didn't provide much in the way of opportunities to "tweak" the image; often, all you want is to create a catchlight in the eye and the flash will do this at quite a distance.
The main difficulty with flash, at least as implemented on the Canon EOS system is consistency. Using flash with the camera in manual mode is the only way to get exposures with reasonable consistency in my experience, but for better reliability, you have to set both the camera and flash to manual.
Bob Steele uses fill-flash a lot and with breathtaking results IMO. Then again, he looks very good in PS usage, so the mixed opinions stated may well be correct. Very interested in this thread as I too am just venturing into the use of flash.
Good thread!
Graeme
Posted by Mark sellings on March 28, 2006 at 2:27 AM
Thanks for all the advice guys - shall attempt to put it into practice...
Discussion
11 repliesFinally got a Canon 550 Flashgun for my EOS 20D & 100-440mm (shortly to include 400mm) step - but don't know where to start!
Mainly got it for fill-flash and because of the consistently bad light we seem to have at the moment
So, anyone got any tips on getting started/handy tips etc,
Any info greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Mark
When i used slide i would set it at -1.7ev but find digital you need to set it around -2 to -2.5 to get fill in,
Keep it switched to High Speed sync mode and be advised that sometimes the camera will take it upon itself to change the ambient exposure if you have partial or evaluative metering set.It doesn't though with center-weighted selected or in Manual (on the camera) mode,which is often the best bet,IMO.
Maybe consider getting a Better Beamer as well.
Have fun
Despite what I said in the Bittern Hide I've obvioulsy been tempted to take some part on this forum - so it's your fault!
I think fill-in flash with digital often doesn't work and makes the image look washed out so don't get depressed when you see what I mean. Best to keep the F-number high and the ambient light low.
Dave
Forest of Dean, UK
Surely not if used correctly and in moderation
Good advice so far..... Digital seems to need far less fill than film did, so stay at around -2, there is a good article on the main site, I think by Bob Steele on the use of fill and the effects of ambient and flash exposure that is well worth reading.
A beamer of some sort is useful for more distant subjects, I very rarely use mine for anything up to 15 - 18 ft away, generaly leaving the lens off until I need it.
I find it easier to adjust the flash exposure comp on the flash rather than the camera as you get an extra stop that way, a slight blip at -3 can be very effective at times.
It may also be a good idea to get a bracket to raise the flash from the lens axis, mine attaches to the lens plate and allows me to swivel the lens without the flash moving on to the side.
HTH
Without rambling the point I think I'm right but it does depend on the subject. Bird images (especially dark birds) are usually acceptable with fill-in but plants and insects especially suffer from the use of fill-in flash - better to use reflectors. Digital is so sensitive to low light levels it enhances the flash even as low as has been suggested. It is therefore very good at picking up flare on feathers (mainly at the small scale) and other glossy bits and producing shadows. Can't give too many trade secrets away! I bet most fill-in flash photos have to be tweaked a lot before people are happy with them!
Dave
Hi David,
Interesting observations,thanks for sharing them.
The main difficulty with flash, at least as implemented on the Canon EOS system is consistency. Using flash with the camera in manual mode is the only way to get exposures with reasonable consistency in my experience, but for better reliability, you have to set both the camera and flash to manual.
Good thread!
Graeme
T