Exposure / Bracketing etc.

[cowasaki]

I did have this as part of another post but decided to split it up prior to it being answered as it really is a separate thread!

I am having a bit of a problem with exposure in that I can take 50 pictures and some will be under exposed and some over exposed. I usually use aperture mode and this problem is mainly when using a flash (both with and without the diffuser & bounced and unbounced)

I thought that using the iTTL mode on my SB800 should allow the camera to control the flash in order to prevent over or under exposure but when I look at the pictures I have to correct the exposure.

I have tried to use bracketing and have set it to 9F 0.7+- I thought that this took 9 exposures spaced out by the 0.7 but cannot see any difference in the NEF files and there is only one per picture! Have I got this completely confused?

To be perfectly honest I have not read the SB800 manual as much as maybe I should have done but it is as big as the manual for my D200 and I have really used it for reference!!

One last thing - how many shots do people get out of a set of rechargeable batteries on their SB800.

Help, i'm confused :bonk:

maybe I should have put this under lighting!

 

[Gandhi]

Don't know about number of shots from the flash.

Bracketing.... you might be well off putting the camera in continuous shoot mode so it rattles of 9 shots over the bracket program. The only time you need to press the shutter once is if you're doing WB bracketing, as the camera then copies the NEF file with different WB settings. Unless I'm reading your question wrong!

Check you don't have the camera set to be the commander for CLS as that will muck up your flash exposures.

Try putting the camera in manual and metering for the available light, then letting the flash sort out the fill.

It might be that you're just too close to the subject?

Are you using matrix metering?

 

[cowasaki]

Don't know about number of shots from the flash.

Bracketing.... you might be well off putting the camera in continuous shoot mode so it rattles of 9 shots over the bracket program. The only time you need to press the shutter once is if you're doing WB bracketing, as the camera then copies the NEF file with different WB settings. Unless I'm reading your question wrong!

Check you don't have the camera set to be the commander for CLS as that will muck up your flash exposures.

Try putting the camera in manual and metering for the available light, then letting the flash sort out the fill.

It might be that you're just too close to the subject?

Are you using matrix metering?

I am using bracketed exposure not bracketed white balance. I was using automatic white balance at the time. I was also using spot metering.

I don't understand the bit about putting the camera in continuous mode and taking 9 shots to get the bracketing to work! I thought that when you took a shot with the camera and you had it bracketed it recorded x amount of pictures recorded at different white balances/exposures etc unless I completely misunderstood it!

How far do you have to be away from the subject?

 

[kalibre]

1) Get about 100 shots out of my SB600 being used wirelessly, which I think is a bit cack.

2) A 9 shot bracket needs 9 presses of the shutter release (or nine shots in continous mode) and should record 9 shots of varying exsposure.

 

[cowasaki]

1) Get about 100 shots out of my SB600 being used wirelessly, which I think is a bit cack.

2) A 9 shot bracket needs 9 presses of the shutter release (or nine shots in continous mode) and should record 9 shots of varying exsposure.

Eureka ! That was the missing bit of information I thought that it did the shots just from you pressing the button once. So as you press the button it records the information nine times. Just done it now ! Only problem now is that my SB800 can't keep up!

 

[Garry79]

If you are using flash will it not adjust it's strength based on each of the bracketed exposures anyway?

 

[cowasaki]

If you are using flash will it not adjust it's strength based on each of the bracketed exposures anyway?

Arr ok. Just trying to learn about this, I can see why automatic modes are so popular

 

[tontoshorse]

Eureka ! That was the missing bit of information I thought that it did the shots just from you pressing the button once. So as you press the button it records the information nine times. Just done it now ! Only problem now is that my SB800 can't keep up!

and luckily the D200 on continous mode knows when the required number of shots has been taken and stops. I always use it in this mode to prevent the next set of shots starting mid way through the range - although I've never taken 9 bracketed shots.

 

[cowasaki]

Yes with the above information I have adjusted the settings to 5 pictures. I suppose it will work far better with natural light shots. Just been in the menu and there is something about flash bracketing maybe I need to read this through as well and see if I can work out what it is talking about.

 

[Garry79]

Flash bracketing adjusts the power of the flash over so many shots and keeps the camera settings the same.