Fill in flash

[Stemmy]

Some people never try to use flash if the can help it. I think its a must if used properly.

Below are two images one with no flash and one with a bit of fill in. Both taken withing a minute of each other.

Make your own mind up.

Comments welcome.

[BarryM]

Totally agree, only recently started using fill flash and found what a difference it makes.

[bartonflyer]

Certainly shows the effect - but what I'm unclear on is what you mean by "one with a bit of fill in" - what is "a bit of fill in"?

If I put the flash on in auto mode then I loose control of the speed, aperture etc. To use fill-in flash effectively do I need to use manual mode, carry a meter and do the arithmetic or can I use aperture or shutter priority.

Thanks
Ian
(Puzzled oof Bolton)

[David Worthington]

Had a quick play with the no flash shot.... whatdoyathink

[StagePhotography.co.uk]

hmm looks blotchy.... red faces....

I agree the fill in really works and gets rid of the shows,
I just need to work out how to do it with my camera.. :)

[lostmysnorkel]

While the pop-up flash works very well on the Nikon D-SLRs for fill, if you have an SB-800 then you can achieve far greater control.

Depending on the metering mode and camera mode set, you can set the flash to either 'TTL', or 'TTL BL'. (BL=Balanced).

THEN, put in -1 stop Exposure Compensation on the flash gun.

The exposure compensation will need to vary with the lighting conditions, but I would recommend a MAXIMUM flash power of -1 stop.

I use fill-flash almost religiously, and the flash gun is pretty much permanently attached to the camera although it is very easy to use too strong a flsh and flatten all the facial features.

A nice pair of pics to illustrate Martin

[StagePhotography.co.uk]

My Camera... S3 Pro...

D-TTL Exposure Metering System: The FinePix S3 Pro offers Intelligent Flash with the D-TTL full-aperture exposure metering system providing outstanding results with all Nikon compatible speed lights. A first-time offering in a Fujifilm digital camera, this allows a new level of creative lighting options for FinePix S3 Pro users.

My flash... Nikon speedlight SB-22s...

When I turn the Speedlight onto TTL, the green light shows
but he camera will NOT take a photo.. the shutter button doesn't nothing...

In the eyepiece I see the Flash Icon "flashing"...

Doesn't seem to work like I thought it should...

Camera on Manual, 1/125 at F8... 100iso..

[Stemmy]

I set the flash to ETTL (Evaluative Through The Lens) with a -1 increment.

All my shots are flash on camera.

By the way the shots are straight out of the camera so please don't have a go about colours - sat etc.

I think the fill flash reduces all those unsightly shadows and bags under the eyes.

[tonymidd]

Fill-in is not magic, it's common sense.
How you meter is irrelevant in most situations. If you are using the camera at ISO100 set the flash to ISO 400 or 800 for a weaker effect. Alternativly if working in AP or manual set the camera aperture, say f8, and then tell the flash to use a wider aperture f5.6 or 4 or even 2.8.
If you are using the built in flash set this to -1 or 2EV.
Main thing is to get a WEAK flash input to raise shadow detail without blowing highlights or getting those high spots on noses or foreheads.
The only way to find out how your outfit and technique cope with fill-in is to do a dummy run, costs now't with digital apart from time but you'll learn a lot.

[Eastern_herp]

Fill flash is a must if the weather is bright. If the sun is behind someone I tend to set the flash to 3 stops under if I am close to the subject. If it is for a full group then I set it to the same as the camera.

Everyone who uses fill flash has their own preference.

In the first shot I would have opened up the exposure a bit by dragging the shutter time to brighten the background a bit. If used correctly the background should have been as bright as the second one.

[Eastern_herp]

My Camera... S3 Pro...

D-TTL Exposure Metering System: The FinePix S3 Pro offers Intelligent Flash with the D-TTL full-aperture exposure metering system providing outstanding results with all Nikon compatible speed lights. A first-time offering in a Fujifilm digital camera, this allows a new level of creative lighting options for FinePix S3 Pro users.

My flash... Nikon speedlight SB-22s...

When I turn the Speedlight onto TTL, the green light shows
but he camera will NOT take a photo.. the shutter button doesn't nothing...

In the eyepiece I see the Flash Icon "flashing"...

Doesn't seem to work like I thought it should...

Camera on Manual, 1/125 at F8... 100iso..
I would check the S3 manual to check that the flashgun is compatible. I had a flashgun that was meant for nikon but wasn't compaible with the S3.

[lostmysnorkel]

My Camera... S3 Pro...

D-TTL Exposure Metering System: The FinePix S3 Pro offers Intelligent Flash with the D-TTL full-aperture exposure metering system providing outstanding results with all Nikon compatible speed lights. A first-time offering in a Fujifilm digital camera, this allows a new level of creative lighting options for FinePix S3 Pro users.

My flash... Nikon speedlight SB-22s...



Check that the SB-22s IS a D-TTL speedlight. When Nikon introduced their digi range they tweaked their TTL system a little. As far as I am aware, only the SB-500 and -800 are fully D-TTL compatible.

If you S3 uses Nik's D-TTL system you will probably need to upgrade your gun.

I had been using SB-24s on my film bodies and had to stump up for the SB-800 when I went digi!

[Eastern_herp]

I went for the Metz 54mz4i instead and am quite happy with it now I am used to it.

[lostmysnorkel]

I set the flash to ETTL (Evaluative Through The Lens) with a -1 increment.


E-TTL is Canon's version of the same thing I think (TTL-BL on Niks).

It assesses the metered area and provides flash to fill the dark bits!

Also - for those not used to the technique - keep the flash output lower than the meter says you need ie -1 EV or more. It's easy to overdo fill-flash and spoil a good pic.

Ideally, the scene should be exposed for the natural light, and the fill flash should just take the edge off the shadows.

[tonymidd]

If you are not using a dedicated manufactureres gun make sure the trigger voltage/current is OK for your camera. For instance the old Metz 45 is not suitable for most digital cameras so don't be tempted to get one of these workhorses off e-bay, you need the 45CL-4 Digital.
I do like Metz guns with SCA3000 as you can use all the features with virtually any camera by changing a simple fairly inexpensive module. If I was in the market today I'd go for the 54MZ-4i or if a lot of power was needed the superb 76MZ-5.

[lostmysnorkel]

OK, so now we've totally confused everyone.......

..........:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: