tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post6870837010085768581..comments2023-05-27T02:33:34.320-07:00Comments on Nikon CLS Practical Guide: 9. TTL and TTL-BL StudyRuss MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-51248311739891863182013-12-07T17:21:13.219-08:002013-12-07T17:21:13.219-08:00Hi Riss,
Do you still maintain this blog?
I was w...Hi Riss,<br />Do you still maintain this blog? <br />I was wondering if bouncing the external flash should change any of the results you demonstrated on this page.Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-834727984709189712009-06-14T19:08:22.727-07:002009-06-14T19:08:22.727-07:00Rick,
I'd be glad to take a look at your pict...Rick,<br /><br />I'd be glad to take a look at your pictures, but I don't see them anywhere.<br /><br />Please email them to me at russ@russmacdonaldphotos.com.<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-30530686404142100502009-06-14T18:42:45.339-07:002009-06-14T18:42:45.339-07:00Russ:
I hate to take advantage of a new found (hop...Russ:<br />I hate to take advantage of a new found (hopefully) friend, but I'm really struggling with this flash stuff and was hoping you would help.<br /><br />I took several pics of my daughter tonight at sundown and tried several shots using the Gary Phong LS II, and could not get a good shot.<br /><br />Would it be presumptuous to ask you and the group to look at them?<br /><br />I reduced the size down to about 1500x1500 so they wouldn't be too large.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Rick HollingsworthAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-30312356235669311402009-06-07T23:46:02.634-07:002009-06-07T23:46:02.634-07:00Great blog!Great blog!John Meyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17269289841578774845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-59472634804136421212009-05-13T21:44:00.000-07:002009-05-13T21:44:00.000-07:00Thanks for your reply.
I did some checking and fou...Thanks for your reply.<br />I did some checking and found that at least this program PhotoME will report the distance. I'm told there are others too.Abehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03284124199609874383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-12420546034512749412009-05-13T19:22:00.000-07:002009-05-13T19:22:00.000-07:00Hi again Abe,
I guess the flash doesn't completel...Hi again Abe,<br /><br />I guess the flash doesn't completely shut off because it's turned on. The thought is that if you have it turned on, you want it to flash, so it simply flashes at its lowest level.<br /><br />I don't think there is any way to see the distance that was reported by the lens when the shot was taken - at least no way with any of the software we commonly use.<br /><br />The flash ec button on the camera does exactly the same thing as the flash ec button on the back of the flash. And they add. I quit using the button on the camera after I forgot it a few times and couldn't figure out why my flash pictures were so far wrong. Now, I leave the camera flash ec button at 0.0 all the time.<br /><br />Watch for that range readout on the back of the flash. It is way off much of the time, especially with high ISOs and when you put the flash in FP mode.<br /><br />That readout is not used by the flash for any purpose. It is only for the photographer, and then it is not accurate. I don't use that readout for any purpose.<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-17682081415013787062009-05-13T18:17:00.000-07:002009-05-13T18:17:00.000-07:00Hi Russ,
Reading this enlightening section on Dist...Hi Russ,<br />Reading this enlightening section on Distance/Background/etc. brought up these questions, doubts. <br /><br /><br />>>when the background is darker than the subject. It reduces the power of the flash drastically in an attempt to balance the subject to the background<br /><br />Why fire at all? <br /><br />Is there anyway to see the distance of focus point, does it show in any of the exif or meta data or in the camera (D300)? <br /><br />when my sb-800 is mounted on camera, and I change the flash ev by pressing the button on the left of the popup does this change the ev of the sb-800 or must I change it on the back of the sb-800? When I tried this I found that changing this ev changes the distance range on the back panel of the sb-800 but that the ev on that panel does not change. <br /><br />Another curiosity is this, changing the ISO setting obviously changes the distance range of the sb-800. But it seems that this is only until 66' after which no matter how much you increase the ISO it only changes the min but the max goes not over 66'. Have you noticed this? Or is this due to the lens I currently have on the camera, sigma 15-30? <br /><br />I have also noticedAbehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03284124199609874383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-7409267531340958452009-03-27T07:51:00.000-07:002009-03-27T07:51:00.000-07:00Hi again John,You are again right!In the past I us...Hi again John,<BR/><BR/>You are again right!<BR/><BR/>In the past I used my incident meter quite a bit, and it does do a much better job than reflective metering. However, the in-camera metering works so well, I find myself using the incident meter less and less. A lot of it has to do with learning how to compensate the flash by just looking at the subject.<BR/><BR/>Also, the incident meters are fairly expensive, so my blog is mostly for people who use only the in-camera meter.<BR/><BR/>But you are right. Incident meters measure the light falling on the subject, so they are never fooled by the reflectivity or color of the subject. This makes them more accurate.<BR/><BR/>I have found, though, that for most shots, it is faster and just as good to use the in-camera meter and adjust the exposure based on what I see in the histogram and blinking highlights.<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-60741594674645758012009-03-27T07:39:00.000-07:002009-03-27T07:39:00.000-07:00Hope you don't mind...just one more thought to run...Hope you don't mind...just one more thought to run by you...<BR/><BR/>I've recently bought a sekonic l-358 light meter and I'm starting to do more incident metering. So far I like what I see. I've often thought the built-in meter can be fooled since it's a "reflective" meter. Incident metering appears to be more accurate as I continue to experiment with it. So it would seem with a more accurate metering of a bright background (using my sekonic meter) then setting my d300 to that then setting my sb600 to ttl/bl/fp...well my pictures seem to be even better.<BR/><BR/>I didn't see much on your blogs related to incident metering vs. reflective metering.<BR/><BR/>Have you experimented with incident metering vs. the in-camera reflective meter?<BR/><BR/>Thank you again.<BR/><BR/>JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-89329831768094963592009-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:002009-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:00Hi again John,Whoa! A book is way too much like wo...Hi again John,<BR/><BR/>Whoa! A book is way too much like work! I enjoy just writing this blog and helping people learn more about photography - the flash in particular, since Nikon didn't really tell us all the details about their system.<BR/><BR/>Now, on to your question: shooting the B&G together is simple as long as you keep as much white in the shot from the bride's gown as from the groom's suit. If the dress is huge, then you may want to increase the flash ~ 0.3 ev, but I usually just brighten it in post processing.<BR/><BR/>I always make sure to underexpose rather than overexpose.<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-90874731491866235352009-03-27T06:58:00.000-07:002009-03-27T06:58:00.000-07:00Yes...very helpful. More of a problem for me is w...Yes...very helpful. More of a problem for me is when I'm shooting both of them together. That's where I begin to hesitate. I guess "underexpose" is better that "overexpose".<BR/><BR/>BTW - I've read several of your blogs here related to ttl / ttl bl. They've been really helpful to me understanding why my flash shots are not consistent. I believe my future shots will be much better with the information you've given shared.<BR/><BR/>If you write the book...please allow me to buy the first one (autographed please).<BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/><BR/>JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-20156747703766478972009-03-27T06:32:00.000-07:002009-03-27T06:32:00.000-07:00Hi John,Any time you shoot a person, you have to d...Hi John,<BR/><BR/>Any time you shoot a person, you have to decide first how tight the shot will be. If you zoom in for a tight head & shoulders shot, then the clothing color and reflectivity doesn't affect the flash as much.<BR/><BR/>However, if you back up and include a significant amount of the bride's white dress or the grooms black suit, it will have a major impact on the exposure.<BR/><BR/>If there is a lot of the white dress in the picture, then the flash will see the bright reflection and decrease its power significantly. In this situation, I usually increase the flash by about 0.7 ev over what I have been using. I also check the histogram and flashing highlights screens to be sure the added exposure doesn't blow out the bride's face.<BR/><BR/>If there will be a lot of the black suit in the picture, then the flash will think it is not bright enough and increase its power. This is the absolute worst situation if you don't catch it, because it will definitely blow out the groom's face. You can fix underexposre in post processing, but there is nothing you can do that will fix a blown face. I always decrease the flash by 1 ev when I shoot the groom to include the black suit. Then, I also check the histogram and flashing highlights screens.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps,<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-34365973319366711442009-03-27T05:44:00.000-07:002009-03-27T05:44:00.000-07:00Russ,Can you give some helpful hints on shooting a...Russ,<BR/><BR/>Can you give some helpful hints on shooting a bride (dressed in white) and a groom in a black tux?<BR/><BR/>Thank you.<BR/><BR/>JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-5836315562615684022009-02-14T10:29:00.000-08:002009-02-14T10:29:00.000-08:00To Anonymous,When I began to study this, I thought...To Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>When I began to study this, I thought that every D and G lens would send distance to the flash, and that information would be incorporated into the flash power calculations.<BR/><BR/>However, I discovered that the distance information reported by the lens is ONLY used in flash power calculations when in TTL-BL mode.<BR/><BR/>More surprising to me was that this distance information is NOT USED in TTL mode.<BR/><BR/>I have not read the SB-900 manual, and it may be explained there, but it is not explained in the SB-800 manual.<BR/><BR/>Did I understand your question correctly?<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-3275541403432332232009-02-14T08:17:00.000-08:002009-02-14T08:17:00.000-08:00it's written in the manual that focus distance mat...it's written in the manual that focus distance matters for the metering system.<BR/><BR/>why do you think it's your discovery?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-77045430079034156862009-01-29T12:09:00.000-08:002009-01-29T12:09:00.000-08:00Hi Jeff,Thanks for the nice feedback!If anything i...Hi Jeff,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the nice feedback!<BR/><BR/>If anything is unclear please post questions.<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-41139087287561333002009-01-29T10:48:00.000-08:002009-01-29T10:48:00.000-08:00Russ,Thanks for taking the time to create and shar...Russ,<BR/>Thanks for taking the time to create and share this information. As a new owner of a Nikon D700 and SB900 flash I have really been taxing my brain reading the manual and trying to understand. Your information has cleared up many questions for me.<BR/><BR/>Thanks,<BR/>Jeff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-47915285330588501702008-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:002008-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:00To Anonymous,I used a Nikon 17-55 AF-S f/2.8 G DX ...To Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>I used a Nikon 17-55 AF-S f/2.8 G DX lens for my tests.<BR/><BR/>However, there is no real difference in flash photography between the G and the D lens. Both report distance info to the flash computer.<BR/><BR/>Of course, as I mentioned in my blog, distance information is only used in TTL-BL mode. Furthermore, it is only used when the flash head is pointed straight forward.<BR/><BR/>Distance information from the lens is never used when in TTL mode.<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-26840914567672816192008-12-01T09:31:00.000-08:002008-12-01T09:31:00.000-08:00In your study for flash with distance did you use ...In your study for flash with distance did you use a G or D lenses? Or do these lenses offer no added benefit for matrix fill?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-64020105596928293922008-11-28T09:01:00.000-08:002008-11-28T09:01:00.000-08:00Thank you very much for your support. I'm shooting...Thank you very much for your support.<BR/> <BR/>I'm shooting with your tips now.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again!Kimrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06502093404154206802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-27584095391990577492008-11-28T06:06:00.000-08:002008-11-28T06:06:00.000-08:00Hi again Kimrock,First, for any indoor shot in art...Hi again Kimrock,<BR/><BR/>First, for any indoor shot in artificial light you should always use TTL - not TTL-BL.<BR/><BR/>Then, the problem with taking a flash picture of two people shaking hands is that you are aiming between them, and the flash metering is then looking at the background. It see the return flash weak from the background, so it increases the flash power.<BR/><BR/>The solution is to always widen your focal length (zoom back a little) until you can place one of the two people in the center ofd the frame. Then, you recenter the picture correctly in post processing by cropping.<BR/><BR/>The other thing you can do is always reduce the flash to about -0.7 ev. Then, you restore the correct brightness in post processing. This is what I always do to avoid blowing out faces.<BR/><BR/>When a person is wearing highly reflective jewelry, it will make 'specular highlight', but the flash system is usually smart enough that it doesn't reduce the flash power. You normally just let those speciular highlights blow out and it looks fine.<BR/><BR/>Now, if a person is wearing white clothes, I always immediately turn up the flash to +1.0 ev if the person will be filling the frame. If the person will not be filling the frame, then 0 ev usually works best.<BR/><BR/>You do exactly the opposite if the person is wearing black. You turn down the flash or it will overexpose.<BR/><BR/>Again, everything you do is in relation to where you place the subject in the frame. The flash always meters the center weighted area of the frame to set its power.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps,<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-60812097376082100052008-11-28T02:56:00.000-08:002008-11-28T02:56:00.000-08:00Thank You for your reply. That helped me a lot. Th...Thank You for your reply. That helped me a lot. This is great blog site we've ever wanted. I think Nikon should thank u for this.<BR/> I'm a student and an amature photographer and using D40x and SB-600(to stay within my budget). <BR/>I'm finding my pictures overexposed due to lack of FV lock in my camera. I cannot make good exposure with the shots like two people shaking hands, a person giving a certificate to another person(using TTL, matrix metering, 1/80sec, f/5.6, iso 200). Such conditions don't provide me enough time to check histogram. iTTL-BL seems to work for off centerd images but it's unpredictiable under different kinds of ambient light. Could u please suggest me any solution except changing camera and using flash in manual mode(i'm very bad in judging a distance).<BR/><BR/>When a person is wearing highly reflective materials like metal chains, metal earings or white clothes; is it reliable to judge an exposure by looking at a histogram as you have said before?Kimrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06502093404154206802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-50378138276117340072008-11-26T06:17:00.000-08:002008-11-26T06:17:00.000-08:00Hi Kimrock,The actual setting you use on your flas...Hi Kimrock,<BR/><BR/>The actual setting you use on your flash may not be -1.0 ev. Different camera/flashes function slightly differently.<BR/><BR/>I always underexpose just slightly if I don't have time to check the histogram and blinking highlights screens. This is to prevent blowing out a face. That's the worst thing that can happen, and if you are shooting critical shots that have to be right, then you absolutely must avoid blowing out a face.<BR/><BR/>In post processing you can always recover a slightly underexposed image but there is nothing you can to to recover a blown out face.<BR/><BR/>So, with the SB-600, which I also own and use, I normally turn it down only -0.3 ev, because I find that it fires not quite as 'hot' as the SB-800's.<BR/><BR/>Now, if you are trying for a perfect image, and you have time to check the histogram and blinking highlights, then push the brightest pixels close to the right edge. That will give you the lowest noise and moise detail possible. Then, if you push it too far (and blow out a face), you adjust and shoot another shot.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps,<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-26514356702162386212008-11-26T05:57:00.000-08:002008-11-26T05:57:00.000-08:00You've mentioned that you put flash ev to -1 while...You've mentioned that you put flash ev to -1 while shooting indoor with Sb-800, does the same applies to SB-600?Kimrockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06502093404154206802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-21730203400980462932008-07-17T05:55:00.000-07:002008-07-17T05:55:00.000-07:00Hi Jaime,I will consider your suggestion.However, ...Hi Jaime,<BR/><BR/>I will consider your suggestion.<BR/><BR/>However, I am afraid it would make changes to my work much more difficult, since I constantly refine and update my blogs, based on feedback and additional questions. Over time, my blogs have become more accurate and easier to read.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the suggestion,<BR/><BR/>RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.com