LiveView and Flash

MatBin

MatBin

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matt
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When I put my 5D3 into Av mode and attach a flash the image on the rear screen even with simulation off is dark but will be correctly exposed when the image is taken. But I need to see the image on the screen to compose etc, any ideas how I can see the image brightly?
Matt
 
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No
You're looking at a dark scene, so it looks dark. The camera can't show you what the scene would look like if you added more
Light from a different direction.

What you can do though is use your DoF preview button to flicker your flash which acts like a kinda modelling light.
 
If your camera doesn't have an auto "make it visible" setting, then you could make it visible for composition etc. simply by changing the exposure, e.g. whacking up the ISO or turning the flash off. Then of course you'd have to change it back.
 
What you didn't ask but it might help...

Whenever you use flash, you are managing 2 different exposures, the ambient light exposure and the flash exposure.

You can use AV, P, M or TV to manage the ambient exposure, and you can use ETTL or Manual to control the flash exposure.

When using the auto modes though, you need to appreciate that your camera cannot know what it is you want to achieve.

When using flash, I might want to just use the flash in a studio environment, ignoring the ambient completely, or I might be wanting to mix with light trails in a long exposure, or I might want to mix with a low ambient background to avoid that 'shot in a cave' look. I might be wanting to use a pop of flash in bright sunlight to take the edge off shadows, or I might want to overpower the sun or create a flash lit portrait where the sun provides a rimlight or hairlight.

My tip, if using flash as the primary light source is to use Manual to fix the ambient exposure, because Canon has a complex algorithm for the ambient exposure depending how dark it is.

Hope that helps
 
I am taking shots of house interiors, exposing for the light coming through the window and letting the flash balance the interior, this works OK and the whole image is well lit, apart from a little light loss at the edge of the image as I am using a 15mm lens. I have very little time to light the image as I would like with multiple flashes but hey ho. What I am really missing is being able to see the image in LiveView as it will appear once shot so composing and ensuring I have verticals vertical isn't easy, so I am reverting to using the viewfinder which isn't always convenient depending on room size, camera position etc.
Whacking the iso up might work, or the aperture as it's easier than iso but as I am generally at 5.6 or 8 it may not give me enough extra light in LiveView.
 
You'll get plenty of exposure to see framing if you just crank the ISO. Whizz it up to 12,800 or something and you'll be able to see everything. If you're doing a lot of it, and are very rushed, I'd save a high exposure to one of the custom settings, then you don't have to remember settings, or scroll through for ages. Just flick the dial to C3 (or whatever) to frame up and focus, then back to whatever you want to take the shot.

This of course won't tell you you flash exposure, but will work fine for checking verticals, focus, and what not.
 
MatBin said:
I am taking shots of house interiors, exposing for the light coming through the window and letting the flash balance the interior, this works OK and the whole image is well lit, apart from a little light loss at the edge of the image as I am using a 15mm lens. I have very little time to light the image as I would like with multiple flashes but hey ho. What I am really missing is being able to see the image in LiveView as it will appear once shot so composing and ensuring I have verticals vertical isn't easy, so I am reverting to using the viewfinder which isn't always convenient depending on room size, camera position etc.
Whacking the iso up might work, or the aperture as it's easier than iso but as I am generally at 5.6 or 8 it may not give me enough extra light in LiveView.
Click to expand...
Like I said though, there's no way live view can simulate what the image will look like when you've added flash (it's light that doesn't exist yet), I'm afraid chimping is the solution to that.

Make sure exp simulation in live view is off so you can see a bright image to straighten your verticals, but it'll not give you a 'preview' of your flash lit image.
 
Phil V said:
Like I said though, there's no way live view can simulate what the image will look like when you've added flash (it's light that doesn't exist yet), I'm afraid chimping is the solution to that.

Make sure exp simulation in live view is off so you can see a bright image to straighten your verticals, but it'll not give you a 'preview' of your flash lit image.
Click to expand...
I understand it won't give me a preview, in fact even with Iso racked up I still need to massively over expose then dial it back but assigning the iso setting to C3 works quite well, it should speed up my work flow.
Thanks all for all the help.
Matt
 
MatBin said:
I understand it won't give me a preview, in fact even with Iso racked up I still need to massively over expose then dial it back but assigning the iso setting to C3 works quite well, it should speed up my work flow.
Thanks all for all the help.
Matt
Click to expand...
With exp simulation off you should see the image bright enough for composing without having to mess with your ISO.
 
Phil V said:
With exp simulation off you should see the image bright enough for composing without having to mess with your ISO.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not :(
 
I shoot interiors and know what you're getting at. Simple solution to be able to see if your verticals are indeed vertical in a dark room is to increase your exposure temporarily, either by decreasing your shutter speed, increasing iso or moving the exposure meeting bar to the right. Check everything looks good then reset the exposure. Takes literally 5 seconds to do.
 
Oliver Pohlmann said:
I shoot interiors and know what you're getting at. Simple solution to be able to see if your verticals are indeed vertical in a dark room is to increase your exposure temporarily, either by decreasing your shutter speed, increasing iso or moving the exposure meeting bar to the right. Check everything looks good then reset the exposure. Takes literally 5 seconds to do.
Click to expand...

The perspective of a wide angle lens is never going to change night or day. Understanding the field of view (with any lens) and being able to apply this knowledge without thinking is just another skill that will develop after time.
 
Blank_Canvas said:
The perspective of a wide angle lens is never going to change night or day. Understanding the field of view (with any lens) and being able to apply this knowledge without thinking is just another skill that will develop after time.
Click to expand...

I have no idea how that relates to the conversation being had in this thread. Did you quote the wrong post?
 
Oliver Pohlmann said:
I have no idea how that relates to the conversation being had in this thread. Did you quote the wrong post?
Click to expand...

No, I posted it in the correct thread. The 'clue for you' was that I also was responding to a quote from another person who wanted to ensure that capturing interior verticals were indeed 'vertical' and not 'converging' which is a property predominantly of wide angle lenses which are frequently used for interior photography. This can be reduced in camera by using ensuring that the camera perfectly level and checking that all verticals in the frame are parallel in your viewfinder. Perhaps I should of expanded on my answer for clarity, but time time does not always allow. However, sometimes a short sentence is enough to 'signpost' people to another area or get the grey cells thinking.
 
Blank_Canvas said:
No, I posted it in the correct thread. The 'clue for you' was that I also was responding to a quote from another person who wanted to ensure that capturing interior verticals were indeed 'vertical' and not 'converging' which is a property predominantly of wide angle lenses which are frequently used for interior photography. This can be reduced in camera by using ensuring that the camera perfectly level and checking that all verticals in the frame are parallel in your viewfinder. Perhaps I should of expanded on my answer for clarity, but time time does not always allow. However, sometimes a short sentence is enough to 'signpost' people to another area or get the grey cells thinking.
Click to expand...

You've lost me. Your reply to my comment above where you said "understanding the field of view and being able to apply this knowledge without thinking is just another skill that will develop after time", didn't particularly relate to anything we're discussing. Interior photographers know how to keep verticals vertical in camera. We're talking about obtaining enough exposure in the live view mode to check composition, something which isn't easy to do if you're exposing for bright windows which may leave the room 4 to 8 stops darker - rendering it difficult to see. By implying we should "understand the field of view of a wide angle lens and apply this knowledge without thinking" you're suggesting the OP shoots blind in this scenario, which is bad advice.
 
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