I used to shoot manual flash 100% of the time but for the last couple of
years I have been using the T-32 or other auto mode flashes for daylight
fill flash. I haven't done this with OMs because of their very slow
flash sync but it should work just as well except that you'll normally
be forced to a very small aperture and also very slow film if you're in
full daylight.
Using any camera, set it for ambient light exposure using a shutter
speed less than or equal to the max sync speed. If you're in daylight
you'll likely have to use the fastest speed available along with the
lowest ISO available. With the Canon 5D I use 1/200 and ISO 50 or 100.
With the Oly OM-D E-M5, although the nominal max sync speed is 1/250 I
find that I can use 1/320 without any problems. That's good since the
camea has a @$%&*# minimum ISO of 200 (what were they thinking?)
Mount a T-32 or any other flash with auto mode (not TTL), set the flash
to auto mode and adjust the ISO to 2 stops less than the camera's
setting. Then check to see that the f-stop setting that you've already
set on the camera is an available setting on the flash unit. For
example, using a T-32 on an E-M5 a sunny 16 exposure at ISO 200, and
1/200 sec would be f/16. Setting the flash's ISO two stops down from
200 gives ISO 800 on the flash. After setting ISO 800 you will see that
the flash will only allow apertures of f/11, f/16 or f/22 in auto mode.
Since we've already chosen f/16 for the camera we're good. Doing the
same with ISO 50 on the 5D would give a full sun exposure of f/8 using
the max sync speed of 1/200. With the flash set 2 stops down from ISO
50 to ISO 200 we again find that the flash can handle f/8 in auto mode.
(or f/11 if we set the camera at ISO 100 rather than 50)
Caveats: Auto mode flash is only accurate out to about 6 feet. So use
your zoom to stay within the range. But shooting that close is also the
reason to use auto rather than manual. If you were shooting in manual
mode assuming a distance of 6 feet and accidentally moving even one foot
closer will result in serious overexposure.
Also keep in mind that, with the camera set accurately for the ambient
light, any flash at all amounts to overexposure. That's why I stay 2
stops down with the flash. If I don't get the fill I really want I've
at least cut the shadows down and can probably get the rest in
PhotoShop. Shooting only one stop down and adjusting your ambient
exposure to compensate to prevent obvious subject overexposure will
leave your background an obvious one stop down. Some may prefer that
but not me.
Dr. (sometimes auto) Flash
On 7/12/2013 5:04 PM, usher99@xxxxxxx wrote:
> 3Ti Ag writes:
>
>> Obviously, the 3Ti doesn't do auto-exposure on the ambient. This is
>> where the wet-ware does the auto-exposure of the ambient. The flashes
>> kinda do their own thing.
>
> Yeh, very convincing. Another exclusive cool feature of the 3Ti but
> would miss the dymamite auto TTL metering on OM for night shots.
>
> Is it a averaging metering pattern? I think the early OM 2's had a
> center weighted pattern.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/ckty9bs
>
> I think it is shutter speed dependent as well whether OTF or off the
> curtain. No sure how the 3Ti works.
>
>
> Oh, found the John Lind bright fill method--unlike the other normal
> fill this methos does work, but I think I have only used it twice.
> Wish his other TTL fill procedure really worked.
>
> http://lists.tako.de/Olympus-OM/1999-04/msg00323.html
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
>
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|