Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Nikon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

  

Archive 2011 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s

  
 
ultrarunner
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


I have not really done any shooting with a flash, and tried a bit with mixed results indoors in medium lighting with the D3s and 85 f/1.4D I was getting over and under exposed with the flash set to TTL and shooting in A and S.

Naturally, I got much better results by simply dialing up the ISO and opening up that lens. But I would like to become more proficient using the flash and the options it allows.

Can someone help with some basic camera and flash settings to get me started. Along with the above mentioned lens, I'l likely also use the 35-70 f/2.8D and the 50 f/1.4D over the holidays, with most of the shooting indoors, etc...

Thanks so much,

Mark




Dec 13, 2011 at 08:04 PM
NathanHamler
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


wow, there's a lot to learn here.... experimentation is your friend....as your ISO increases (and aperture widens) your flash becomes much more efficient, and doesn't have to work as hard...personally i would not shoot flash with aperture priority or shutter priority....your consistency will go up greatly shooting manual mode with flash (whether it be TTL flash, or manual flash)...make sure you're not set to auto ISO either...ISO and Aperture both effect flash exposure, shutter speed has zero effect on the flash exposure (for all intents and purposes).....

but what i would suggest, is when you're indoors, set your camera to manual mode, iso at 800, and aperture at 2.8...then set your camera to matrix meter, and set your flash to TTL...that should do you pretty well....your flash wont work too hard, will recycle very very quickly, and you'll still bring in some ambient exposure....if you wanna get frisky, set your white balance to 3000k, and put a 1/2 cto gel on the flash...that'll help balance out the difference in color temp between the flash and the ambient light in a house...



Dec 13, 2011 at 08:35 PM
ultrarunner
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


Head to the cam and flash RIGHT NOW experiment, thanks for the tips Nathan and I'll post some examples.....


Dec 13, 2011 at 08:42 PM
NathanHamler
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


oh yeah, and point the flash straight up, or up and to the right or left....NOT STRAIGHT AHEAD...didn't mention that before...


Dec 13, 2011 at 08:56 PM
Justin Huffman
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


iTTL is impossible to manage, it works great for grab shots and the like but for pure control, as nathanhamler said you have to go manual. He has good advice... Id like to add that while your studying flash power output, mount it on a cheapo stand or put it stationary somewhere and shoot to the light. you'll learn a ton also check out strobist.com there'll you'll find more info on manual flash and its' abilities than you (or your wallet) ever wanted to know


Dec 13, 2011 at 10:04 PM
Justin Huffman
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


ultra - just saw the upload of kitty on the chair, red seat cushion and deep shadow cast by armrest... in this scene you could (maybe unless you have a 50' romm with 10' ceilings) have pointed your flash BEHIND you, yea i know.... you crank up the FV to nuclear and let it pop. it'll bounce light all over the room at the time of exposure thus mitigating kitty hot face and deep shadow in arm rest. just one of a thousand ways to light manually HTH.


Dec 13, 2011 at 10:08 PM
NathanHamler
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


Take your shutter speed down lower... Try and let some ambient leak in...if i'm indoors i never go above 1/100s on the shutter...


Dec 13, 2011 at 10:20 PM
WestCoastSnapp
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


I'm in exactly the same place with the same gear........bought the flash just for family stuff. I'm soooo glad I'm OCD as I've shot like 500 images in 25 hrs with the flash....

I rather like it. Never thought i would. I was out in the garden last night at 10:30 messing with the flash. Bare tree's, frosted apples still on the tree........tonight I walked the dogs on the beach at dusk and played some more.........I love it.

As a very new comer to flash photography I can see it can be super if you know how light and the eye/mind works? Crank that head all over the place....learn the shadow it will cast etc ....Play with + and minus EV. I've done it all in the last 24 and can see a definite path to using the flash to great advantage......I'm just 10,000 images away from knowing how, what, when and where.

I find iTTL fine with my 3s and the SB-800. Just gotta start playing with the angles...........next step is to start adding other flashes?

Keep at it dude. Be prepared to fail and the learning will be easy?

RH.



Dec 14, 2011 at 12:54 AM
abam
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


joe mcnally has proven that iTTL (and the nikon CLS) is a very capable and customizable system. a couple of examples

" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here
and

" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here
.

OP, try getting your flash off-camera with a TTL cord.

cheers



Dec 14, 2011 at 01:24 AM
NightOwl Cat
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


There's an SC-17 right now in the Buy & Sell.


Dec 14, 2011 at 06:28 AM
Mark_L
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


Welcome to the glorious world of TTL flash That is pretty much what happens with it, it gets confused just like the cameras meter and also sometimes seems to pick the 'thing' closest to the camera and exposes for that. Sometimes switching to TTL-BL and then increasing the flash comp works better since some distance information is used in it's calculation or you can use FV lock.

Also remember that with nikon the exposure comp affects both flash AND ambient exposure.



Dec 14, 2011 at 06:38 AM
ultrarunner
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


Great vids on the basics of using flash....very slick. I'll practice more today..


Dec 14, 2011 at 08:03 AM
WestCoastSnapp
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · SB-800 Flash setup on D3s


Sorry to crash your post with an image ultrarunner......but here is a pic I took last night practicing on the beach as mentioned in an earlier post........I have cropped this slightly to conform to the rule of thirds, upped the exposure slightly, brought up the shadow slightly and this is what I have.......Not bad for 24 hours with a flash.

Gotta tell you though I had the flash head in every position from 0 to 90 degrees and played with minus EV too. All the way to minus 3 i think.

So as mentioned, practice, practice and throw a lot away. hope you like this.....

http://gallery.me.com/richard.hyde/100524/DSC_9931/web.jpg



Dec 14, 2011 at 01:52 PM





FM Forums | Nikon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.