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Matt Hunt
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p.1 #1 · F75 flash issue

I've had my F75 for a few months now, last w/e I wanted to shoot a landscape in overcast but bright conditions using 100 asa.
In auto, 'P' and aparture priority modes the camera indicated that it needed the flash whatever the shutter speed and aparture mix was.

I could only stop the camera doing this by switching to Landscape, and then back to aparture priority and in all cases when it needed the flash it had plenty of 'room' to lower the shutter speed or open up the lens.

Discussing this with a friend today he said that his D70 does a similar thing when he has shot out doors, shot inside and then gone back outside. Is this something do with the metering algorithm (if the F75 uses such things)?

Thanks

Matt

Edited on Aug 24, 2005 at 09:38 AM

Aug 23, 2005 at 01:50 PM

grmedhat1
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p.1 #2 · F75 flash issue

Hello Matt and welcome to the club.

While I don't have a F75 I do have a D70. Coming from a F80 I've never used any of the Vari-Program modes on the D70 so I'll admit I'm a little ignorant in the way they operate. I've tried to duplicate what you found on my D70 but couldn't get it to behave as you described. It could very well be that the camera is acting the way it was designed to operate. If it's an annoyance and you want more control over your camera's aperture or shutter speeds, shoot in one of the other program modes S, A, or Manually. You might still get the 'use flash' symbol but at least the flash won't pop up automatically. I've never been a fan of the Vari-modes as they are too automated.

I don't know if that has answered your question or not, but if not ask again. That's what these forums are for.

Edited on Aug 24, 2005 at 09:38 AM

Aug 23, 2005 at 03:14 PM

Matt Hunt
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p.1 #3 · F75 flash issue

Thanks

I might wait until this evening gets a bit duller and then try recreating the situation and write down the aperture/shutter speed mix to see if I can understand why the camera is making this selection.

Edited on Aug 24, 2005 at 09:38 AM

Aug 23, 2005 at 03:22 PM

lxdesign
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p.1 #4 · F75 flash issue

Hey Matt,

I don't specifically know the F75, but I do have an F601 - which is basically like the F65 only a slight bit more advanced, and older model.

Anyhow, it sounds like you should probably be using manual exposure on a tripod for this shot. Overcast sky's can be tricky to shoot - and may I suggest you invest in a grey card? You hold the grey card in front of the lens about 12 inches away or thereabouts and at a bit of an angle to allow the camera meter to read the light bounce from the sky. You will get a more accurate meter reading this way. You should also bracket the shot. Take one picture at the meter reading, 1 over by 1 stop, and 1 under by 1 stop. This way you will hopefully have a shot which is correctly exposed.

lx

Edited on Aug 24, 2005 at 09:38 AM

Aug 23, 2005 at 03:27 PM

Timm
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p.1 #5 · F75 flash issue

I'm guessing here, but it seems to me that the camera is seeing a huge range of contrast, with the bright overcast skies and darker landscape. Since the camera has no idea of what your subject matter is, it is assuming that fill-flash will help to lower the range of contrast by bringing the foregorund exposure up. Which, of course, it won't be able to do, unless your entire foreground is within less than 100 ft of the lens, and at a fairly uniform distance.

The proper solution for this problem is a graduated neutral-density filter (GND), a rectangular filter that has a fairly abrubt change from grey to clear that you can move in front of your lens to tone the sky down while keeping the foreground exposure up.

The alternative is to take several exposures, manually, from a tripod. One for the sky, exposed +1.5-2stops above the spot-meter reading off the brightest part, one a grey-card exposure for the average of the foreground, and maybe one more in-between. Scan the film, spend five minutes getting the pictures aligned, then use PhotoShop to combine them. Expect to spend several hours on your first try; after that it speeds up to only about an hour per composite.

I've done this with slides, I do it frequently with digita, but if I were shooting film, I think I'd get a GND!

Timm

Edited on Aug 24, 2005 at 09:38 AM

Aug 23, 2005 at 04:59 PM

Matt Hunt
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p.1 #6 · F75 flash issue

Morning

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions.

The GND or gray card sounds good - and pay day is tomorrow!

Aug 24, 2005 at 09:38 AM


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