Okay, wedding coming up next week and I've just a new 580EX II flash.
previously, i have shoot with 580EX and leave my camera on TV mode, set the speed to 125 and let the flash do it's magic.
was talking to another photographer, he recommended still shoot at AV mode, adjust the aperture and let the camera figure out the speed, and the flash will take care of itself.
sounds crazy.... any ideas? what do you usually shoot with flash? Av or Tv or Manually.
If you are happy with the way the 580ex performs on Tv, I'd suggest starting with the new flash there and doing some careful checking to see that you get similar or better results, and especially that it's actually working properly before going into a wedding. Then with sample situations, and in non-critical situations explore the other settings, etc. I wouldn't suggest going into a wedding with both new gear and a new approach until fully comfortable with both.
ARDENT wrote:
I shoot manual with flash... since shutter speed has very little to do with it at this point.
+4 on shooting manual. Shutter speed will only affect the amount of available light that you get in the image. But yes, ETTL will still work in AV mode if you use it...and high speed sync should work for fill if you shoot wide open.
+1 manual and flash -- then you can control how much ambient light you want in the shot. Make sure and set up high speed flash sync, though, or you could be in for a rough surprise.
Got to be carefull with AV mode and flash. If it is very dark it might pick a very slow speed like 1/5 sec and your shots will be blurry. They will look ok on the screen of the camera until you zoom in.
Setting the camera in manual at a speed of 1/80th and choose your f stop for the depth of field you want. F4 say for most shots and f5.6 or f8 for group shots.
Yup manual camera & flash settings here. You'll find that on E-TTL mode the flash will sometimes take longer to recycle. If you set the flash manually for the distance it needs to cover (eg if the roof is 3 metres high, you would set the flash to say, 7 or 8 metres for a tad more light) you will get the light you need and quite often quicker recycle times too; which is of much importance with Weddings!
As others have mentioned too, shutter speed has little to do with it as it only controls ambient light. The longer shutter speed you choose, the more ambient you'll let in and vice versa. When the flash is on manual, aperture controls the power of the flash. If you want less flash power, either dial it down on the flash, or stop down your aperture. Definitely do some practice first if you're not sure as you don't want to be caught off-guard on the day!!
I set camera for ambient and bounce/fill with the flash.
I apologize for the almost nonexistent info right there, but that's the simplest phrase.
The problem with setting things to Av, Tv, or auto is that sometimes just moving a little bit and causing the camera to pick up different contrasts, ie: shiny dresses or the black from the mens' tuxes, will make the camera + flash give inconsistent results.
No they are not both the same. E-TTL will differ depending on what the camera is metering. +1 in manual mode will give the same light every time, so long as the aperture and to a lesser extent shutter speed (as it will let in more/less ambient light) remain the same.
MANUAL! The only way to shoot in 90% of any situation is to control the camera and make it do what you told it to do. We have never gotten a descent shot at a wedding shooting on anything but manual with the exception of AV for some outdoor shots when moving fast through different exposures. But it still sucks shooting in AV! The ETTL flash is pretty dumb IMHO, but works OK with exposure compensation from time to time. We mostly shoot our flashes on manual as well.
Im a newbie also not looking to do a wedding but interested in shooting. I was wondering what you guys have your ISO levels set to if you doing something low light with a flash?
because at 1/80 and f4... Iso's would float around 1600? -800?
Eggyacid--DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use AV with flash inside or in dimmer light. The shutter speed set will be too slow to stop subject or hand holding motion, in most cases, so you end up with blurry images, like visitor2004 said, which you won't see until you look at them later on the computer, when it is too late. This is because Canon cameras always try to expose for the ambient light in aperture priority. Nikon cameras don't do the same thing--I believe 1/60th speed is used in aperture priority. Perhaps your friend uses Nikon?
Manual camera mode is always best when using flash, because YOU are controlling things, not the camera or flash. Manual FLASH mode is used by some for ultimate control, as with Sir Revalot, but I would guess most people use the flash TTL (ETTL or iTTL) with compensations.
Things work out with your method because when inside and/or in dimmer light, TV sets the aperture to the widest the lens can go and then fills in the rest with the flash. Downside--you are always shooting at the widest aperture--could be good, could be bad. Downside--you are always shooting at 1/125th--could be backgrounds are too dark, could be you aren't stopping motion anyway if the backgrounds are bright. The only up side is you don't have to think--downsides outweigh the up side...
dimi_arachi--that 'could' be a work flow. If you are bouncing the flash and the ceiling height stays more or less the same, and your subject distance stays more or less the same, you are good. If these factors change, the flash exposure may change. I agree with Sir Revalot though--ETTL is somewhat flaky. Personally, I use auto thyristor for most indoor receptions, which is easier to predict (to me).
