Using flash in manual mode

ruffdog64

ruffdog64

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Harvey
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Can someone help please, can I use flash in manual mode as opposed to sticking it auto mode, by that I mean how will I get the exsposure correct as how will the camera know I want to use the flash, sorry if I've not explained it properly,Harvey
 
When the flash is in manual, use the camera in manual exposure mode.

You can calculate from the guide number, or you can trial and error checking your results on the camera screen. The Lighting 101 on the Strobist blog is a good place to start reading, and will give you a series of exercises to practice with.
 
That's what I'm trying to do have the camera in manual and if I've got it correct the flash will work with ttl metering?
 
A flash is either in manual mode, or in ttl mode.. maybe you'd better start at the beginning with what camera you're using and what flash.
 
If its an internal flash then it should automatically be set to TTL?

My bad, totally read the question wrong, sorry!

I think you can set it manually, but i'd head for the user-manual first..
 
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Are you using the flash in your camera body or an external one?
Are you using the camera in manual, the flash in manual, or both? And if not both what modes are they in?
 
My camera is the canon 1000d and the flash is an external one from jessops model 360afdc , I have the camera in manual mode and the flash in ttl mode, hope this helps
 
Alastair said:
When the flash is in manual, use the camera in manual exposure mode.

QUOTE]

Actually not quite true, I have used fllash more than any club member I know, now I didn't say I knew better than anyone, just used it longer, in fact on a recent outing out of fifteen only two of us took flash.

On auto I always, perhaps through many years of messing it up :'( have learnt, much like driving a car, when and where to use fill flash.

1/8th or 1/16th for fill can really work wonders, then again I also shoot into the Sun, perhaps I am just different.
Click to expand...
 
ruffdog64 said:
I have the camera in manual mode and the flash in ttl mode
Click to expand...

With the camera in M and the flash in TTL:
Your camera settings decided by you will affect the ambient exposure only (the image you would capture if you weren't using a flash).

The flash power setting will be decided by the camera by it firing a preflash (a flash before the shutter has opened, so it won't appear in your images), seeing how much light is reflected back from this preflash and then combining that information with the aperture and ISO values you have set on the camera to work out the amount of power needed to get what it thinks is a correct exposure.

If you set your flash to manual as well as the camera:
You will need to manually calculate the power level required using the guide number of the flash at any given power and zoom level (check the manual), the distance between the flash and the subject and the camera's aperture and ISO settings. You can either do this yourself or there are websites and smartphone apps which will allow you to enter the numbers and it will do the calculation for you. Then you set the power level on your flash, this is done as a fraction of full power so for example 1/1 is full power while 1/4 is a quarter of full power.
Or you can just flash away and check it on the screen until you get it right, though this will annoy anyone in the vicinity.
 
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I delete most of what I just typed as Darren posted a better explanation while I was typing, I'll just add.

Sly Arena (speedliter's handbook) suggests making BIG changes when setting manual flash power, so if it's over exposed at full power drop down 4 stops to 1/16, if now under exposed go backward to what you started with half the previous change.

So that would be a 4 stop change, then a 2 stop, 1 stop and half a stop change and you should be bang on then.
 
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Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply I'm very greatful and it's helped. I tried a while ago to take some shots at a folk music night without flash because I thought people might get fed up with the flash but as it turned out they wouldnthave minded so igotan external flashandwill give it a go Saturday night
 
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