[Newtophotos]

Are there any good online guides for teaching the basics of using a flash? A few months ago my wife bought me the Pentaz AF360FGZ II. While using it on my K30 in manual mode (is this the wrong mode for the flash?), all my photos turned out awful. After spending about about an hour cycling through different settings (ISO, Aperture, Shutter on the camera, and the various modes on the flash) and getting nothing but way overexposed pictures, I gave up and put it away. Next weekend I have a wedding to attend and would like to have a very basic level of useability of the flash. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Slight related: what is the best type/brand of battery to use in the flash? Should I stick with the typical alkaline or go with one of the fancier battery types (NiMH, NiCA, etc.)?

[demondata]

WIth flash I usually just stay in Av mode, never have any issues, just occasionally lower output on the flash by 1/3 or 2/3 to avoid over-exposure if I'm fairly close. However, I'm no expert on flash photography, it's just a tool for me. Make sure your ISO is low.

As for batteries, I really like Sanyo Eneloops, especially because I don't use flash much, it's good to have the batteries not lose their charge by much over longish periods of inactivity. I have a box full of various other brands of rechargeable batteries and should just recycle them, I just couldn't be bothered with them now since using Eneloops.

[phoned]

I have the exact same flash mounted to K5ii. I use it in program mode (but sometimes slow the shutter a little). I almost always bounce directly up unless I'm at a really far distance from the subjects, then I forward it a little. Don't try to skimp too low on ISO, or you won't get a lot of background light and things will look funky imo (e.g. bright subjects, but off in the distance pure darkness, if that makes sense). The last reception I was at I was ISO800, shutter slowed to 1/30 or 1/25 .. f/3.5 and 18mm pretty much the whole time and everything was acceptable. That is still quick enough to stop most peoples movements being that wide, and allows some of the DJs lights to cast some funkiness in the background.

The pentax will really try to meter as if a flash weren't attached, so you do need to pick an ISO and just go with it. I found 800 worked well, and normally even go down to 400, but naturally it would want to jack that right up as if the flash weren't even part of the equation.

[stevebrot]

Have you consulted both the camera and flash manuals? Your new flash is designed to fully integrate with the exposure automation systems of your camera and should operate nicely in all modes. Do you have your flash set up for P-TTL? As for batteries, I also recommend the Eneloop cells.


Steve

[Newtophotos]

Thank you for all the replies.

Have you consulted both the camera and flash manuals? Your new flash is designed to fully integrate with the exposure automation systems of your camera and should operate nicely in all modes. Do you have your flash set up for P-TTL? As for batteries, I also recommend the Eneloop cells.

What are exposure automation systems?

---------- Post added 09-22-14 at 05:33 PM ----------

I have the exact same flash mounted to K5ii. I use it in program mode (but sometimes slow the shutter a little). I almost always bounce directly up unless I'm at a really far distance from the subjects, then I forward it a little. Don't try to skimp too low on ISO, or you won't get a lot of background light and things will look funky imo (e.g. bright subjects, but off in the distance pure darkness, if that makes sense). The last reception I was at I was ISO800, shutter slowed to 1/30 or 1/25 .. f/3.5 and 18mm pretty much the whole time and everything was acceptable. That is still quick enough to stop most peoples movements being that wide, and allows some of the DJs lights to cast some funkiness in the background.

The pentax will really try to meter as if a flash weren't attached, so you do need to pick an ISO and just go with it. I found 800 worked well, and normally even go down to 400, but naturally it would want to jack that right up as if the flash weren't even part of the equation.

Have you had luck using the flash at higher shutter speeds? I have found that going below 1/100 or 1/80 at weddings to provide blurt photos, especially of people dancing. I end up cranking up the ISO and the photos are very grainy.

[phoned]

Thank you for all the replies.



What are exposure automation systems?

---------- Post added 09-22-14 at 05:33 PM ----------



Have you had luck using the flash at higher shutter speeds? I have found that going below 1/100 or 1/80 at weddings to provide blurt photos, especially of people dancing. I end up cranking up the ISO and the photos are very grainy.

Looking at the exif of some of the good ones I took, 1/30 was pretty acceptable for more adults dancing. I even got some of kids down at 1/8 to 1/15 range and they were only just starting to induce some higher levels of blur. It's really amazing how a flash can isolate things in time like that. As well, this was also 18mm and not super close to people, so any motion would have been a bit less pronounced anyways.

In either case... putting the flash in pttl mode (not manual mode), bounced off a ceiling, with the camera in P with the ISO set, and maybe the shutter adjusted slower if you desire should be a good starting point.

Also... the flash will auto zoom the head which I found is TERRIBLE in bounce mode. Canon flashes lock to 24mm soon as you start to bound them. On the 360 you can either pull the 13mm diffuser out, or manually zoom it to 16mm each time. It seems to really help it produce more light output that way, but this is something you need to play around with and see for yourself.

[bschriver11]

Yes you can find some tutorials online to help you get a better understanding of flash photography,much like the camera the flash has an auto mode but it can't "think" for you.The P-ttl works good but you need to help it out and understand how your camera meters for the flash,the TTL means through the lens so the same things that effect exposure will effect flash output like alot of white or black in the frame will change the exposure they also effect the cameras chosen flash output.

[bdery]

If you want to learn to use a flash manually, off-camera, then Strobist is the place to go. It has everything. Speedlighter is a good place too.

If you want to use a flash mounted on your camera, using PTTL, the flash will behave the same way that your built-in flash would. You gain the possibility of orienting the head to get some effects. Bouncing to a white ceiling or wall will make it look as if the light was more diffuse, and coming from your reflected surface. you can even bounce it behind you to get even, diffuse lighting. Yuo can also use a sto-fen adaptor (small rectangle of plastic that is provided with some flashes) and tilt your head at 45° if you have no bounce surface, it gives a more diffuse look than just the flash directly lighting your subject, but not as diffuse as a bounced light.

Be wary of reflective surfaces in the field of view of your lens. they will fool the metering system. Also remember that you cannot use a flash with shutter speeds faster than 1/180 seconds, except if it has high speed sync (HSS). This will lower the available power of the flash but let you use fast shutter speeds.

Once you understand the basics, experimenting is the way to go.

[Oldbayrunner]

^^^^^^^^ +1 Strobist: Lighting 101

[Newtophotos]

Should the flash not be used with the camera in manual mode?

[Newtophotos]

^^^^^^^^ +1 Strobist: Lighting 101

This guide seems to be intended for doing work with the flash unmounted, not how to get use an external flash mounted to the camera.

Are Pentax cameras not a good choice for flash photography as is suggested in this post: Using Pentax with external flash: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[aleonx3]

This guide seems to be intended for doing work with the flash unmounted, not how to get use an external flash mounted to the camera.

Are Pentax cameras not a good choice for flash photography as is suggested in this post: Using Pentax with external flash: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Not a good choice for those who don't want to learn about flash photography...

---------- Post added 09-23-2014 at 10:58 PM ----------

Should the flash not be used with the camera in manual mode?

I use it most of the time... camera in manual mode, flash in PTTL mode.

---------- Post added 09-23-2014 at 11:00 PM ----------

Slight related: what is the best type/brand of battery to use in the flash? Should I stick with the typical alkaline or go with one of the fancier battery types (NiMH, NiCA, etc.)?

If possible use rechargeable NiMH battery, better still use slow release rechargeable like ENELOOP on the flash.

[Oldbayrunner]

This guide seems to be intended for doing work with the flash unmounted, not how to get use an external flash mounted to the camera.

Are Pentax cameras not a good choice for flash photography as is suggested in this post: Using Pentax with external flash: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Yes it is mostly about off camera, possibly you must have read the first page or so and decided it wasn't what you want to learn and stopped at that point because had you have delved farther into it you would have gotten more insight on how to effectively and creatively use light using flash lighting.

Now in regards to this fine gentleman's article,your saying you are interested in learning more on camera when in fact this gentleman's article is regarding using Pentax flash off camera. Reading what he has to say I can only deduce he doesn't know much. I could list a number of things why I think that but why waste the bandwidth. You can read pros and con reviews till your blue in the face if you want but that wont give you the knowledge to effectively learn your equipment. Does Nikon and Canon have it easier using TTL and are there more products geared for them, sure but that doesn't mean you can't effectively use your equipment or there aren't products out there that can work with Pentax Pttl off camera.


Ok, you want to learn more about on camera flash. Here's a start;

You Tube

You Tube

[clackers]

Are there any good online guides for teaching the basics of using a flash? A few months ago my wife bought me the Pentaz AF360FGZ II. While using it on my K30 in manual mode (is this the wrong mode for the flash?), all my photos turned out awful. After spending about about an hour cycling through different settings (ISO, Aperture, Shutter on the camera, and the various modes on the flash) and getting nothing but way overexposed pictures, I gave up and put it away. Next weekend I have a wedding to attend and would like to have a very basic level of useability of the flash. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Use P-TTL, chimp, adjust the EC for the background and FEC for the subject, take the real one.

In full manual, you can go for ISO 100, shutter speed 1/180s (take advantage of the flash duration of around 1/10,000s), and adjust the aperture until happy. Start the flash power at 1/8 and push up/down.

If you're happy with the light on the subjects but want to brighten up the background, lower the shutter speed.

That gives you a lot of control like the pros do in a studio, but P-TTL is good for the rapidly changing, unscripted chaos of an event. :-)