Thanks Chuck AKA Dr. Flash,
Your email is undoubtably the best simple guide to flash photography I've
ever read. You are correct that the 300D is limited to 6 V triggers on the
hotshoe and that a voltage isolator/regulator is expensive (I did check a
few weeks ago when you mentioned it when I first got the 300D). Indeed I've
been kinda worried about what flashguns would be safe to be used on the 300D
dince. In my time, I've had a few Miranda Flashguns - such as the 650 CD and
700 CD etc. (which were inexpensive and 'multi-dedicated' and intended for
various film cameras from the "Big Five" - Oly, Nikon, Canon, etc.) These
had 'bounce' heads and, in some cases, simple 3 step Zoom heads and
generally worked with the TTL/autoflash systems of my film cameras. They did
have the advantage of height (the head being at the top of the fairly tall
gun and so raised quite a distance from the hotshoe). I tended to stick to
the T20 with the OM2 SP and OM40 - and used the Mirandas on my other film
bodies or when I wanted to use bounce flash or coloured flash filters on the
flashguns. The Mirandas were sold along with the film cameras (apart from
one which I junked because it had some battery corrosion damage - from me
forgetting to remove a new set of cheap AA batteries I'd hastily bought and
used literally a couple of weeks before - I was amazed at how quickly
battery corrosion occurred. I didn't remove the batteries, like I normally
do, because I thought I'd sold the flashgun as I already had a buyer - but
obviously I didn't sell it when he came because of the damage. I may still
have a Miranda hiding somewhere amongst my old camera gear I've still got
left - but I wouldn't use it on the 300D. I have wondered if it would be
safe to use my T20 in manual mode on the 300D - but since I don't know what
voltage it uses at the hotshoe I haven't tried - the T20's manual does state
that it can be used in manual mode for other camera makes - though I've
never tried that. I've always used it on OM bodies.
Allan
PS No trees were harmed in the sending of this message and a very large
number of electrons were asked their permission to be terribly
inconvenienced. (And threw a party for them afterwards for being really cool
about it).
Disrupting the unnatural balance that you, as a conscious human being and a
confused mass of energy, have created.
-Disturb the mind -
>From: Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [OM] Re: So, it's a good camera
>Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 07:41:07 -0500
>
>The biggest advances you can make in flash photography are to use an
>old, low cost flash that offers multiple manual power settings and use
>it in manual mode. The easiest way to do manual flash is to pre-compute
>an exposure for one or more fixed distances (like 11 feet) and then
>always stand that distance away from the subject and use your zoom to do
>the framing. Perfect exposure every time and beats TTL every time. The
>reason I suggested 11 feet is that it's also a common f/stop. If your
>subject is at 8 feet or 16 feet then the exposure for those distances is
>just +/- one stop from the 11 foot distance. Easy to remember. If
>you'd like to use some other base distance, like 3 meters, just remember
>that multiplying or dividing by 1.4 (square root of 2) will give you the
>distances for +/- one stop from your base. You can't use this method if
>you're using bounce flash, of course, but, since you're shooting
>digital, you can narrow in on the correct exposure with just a couple of
>test shots.
>
>I was going to suggest a Sunpak 422D (with TTL foot for one of your film
>cameras) on a low cost bracket like the Stroboframe Quick Flip 350
><http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=6993&A=details&Q=&sku=52728&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation>
>but then I remembered that your 300D has no PC connection and the hot
>shoe is limited to 6 volts for flash trigger voltage. (There may be
>some 6 volt 422D's but my own 422D's measure about 10 volts). You could
>use it with a voltage isolator but for the cost of 422D plus a voltage
>isolator you could probably buy a Canyon 540EZ or another EZ series
>flash that offers manual control such as the 420EZ or 430EZ (model
>numbers less than 420 have no manual control). The EZ series of flashes
>don't support ETTL which is what's needed for automated flash control on
>all Canyon DSLR's. Because of that they're much cheaper used than the
>EX series of flashes needed for automation on the DSLR's.
>
>In addition to easily controlled manual power levels you'll get a zoom
>head (which also alters guide number) and an autofocus assist light with
>a range of 7 meters on the 420EZ, 10 meters on the 430EZ and 15 meters
>on the 540EZ. Having used the autofocus assist light on the 540EZ at a
>big dinner party and dance this past Saturday night I can attest that it
>works well. I think I only had two frames out of about 200 that weren't
>properly focused and that was me mis-aiming the camera in the dark.
>
>Raising the flash head above the built-in flash will reduce the
>incidence of red-eye. Adding a Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer diffuser
><http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=32576&is=REG&addedTroughType=search>
>will raise the light source even higher and soften the shadows a bit.
>But even that is still not enough to eliminate red-eye in all cases so
>the Stroboframe is still useful for that and will also cast shadows down
>and behind your subjects where they are less noticeable. The downside
>of the Stroboframe with the dedicated flash units it that you also need
>a Canyon off-shoe connector to activate the autofocus assist light.
><http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=12972&is=REG&addedTroughType=search>
>
>Since you probably don't have a flash meter you can predetermine the
>flash power by setting up a large white target (like a white dress
>shirt) at 11 feet or whatever you want for a base distance. Shoot test
>shots of the white target and keep backing the exposure down until you
>no longer get any overexposure indications on the camera's display
>screen when reviewing the image. Use an aperture of about f/8 for
>reasonable depth of field and ISO 400 to minimize flash power
>requirements and speed recycling. Adjust the flash power down for
>correct exposure (probably about 1/8 to 1/4 power at a 50mm zoom head
>setting). Since the older flash models only allow full stop manual
>exposure control you can fine tune the exposure with the aperture for
>1/3 stop control.
>
>Dr. Flash
>
>
>Allan Mee wrote:
> >
> > Arguably the biggest improvement in photography, for me, as I've moved
>up
> > through various cameras - has been in flash photography. The OM2 SP and
>Om40
> > were notceably better than my earlier film cameras - and, imo, the 300D
> > seems better still (at least with regards to on/in-camera flash). I
>think my
> > T20 may be just a shade more powerful than the 300D's built-in one (I
> > haven't compared guide nos but the 300D does takes better flash pictures
> > than my classic OM2 (which, unfortunately isn't an OM2(n) - I sold the
>OM2
> > SP to help pay for the 300D).
>
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