tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post7171760537051928240..comments2023-05-27T02:33:34.320-07:00Comments on Nikon CLS Practical Guide: 4. So, What is Flash Value Lock?Russ MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-85117878128507384342013-08-22T08:23:55.393-07:002013-08-22T08:23:55.393-07:00Hi Russ,
I'm looking at D600 Manual, looks l...Hi Russ,<br /><br /> I'm looking at D600 Manual, looks like for multiple flashes the CLS will count the entire frame instead of just the center frame ?.<br /><br /> JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-57396483876357776522013-05-11T08:20:33.256-07:002013-05-11T08:20:33.256-07:00just thought this article on fp high-speed sync mo...just thought this article on fp high-speed sync mode is interesting<br /> http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/syncspeed.htmorimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-41023496027148899222011-03-24T19:55:54.821-07:002011-03-24T19:55:54.821-07:00Hi Newton,
FV Lock is not for shooting parties. A...Hi Newton,<br /><br />FV Lock is not for shooting parties. At a party your distance to your subjects is constantly changing. Once you lock in a flash value, you cannot change distance to your subject.FV Lock is for setting the flash power for an off-center subject or for controlling blinks. You have to make sure your distance doesn't change.<br /><br />For shooting parties, let the Nikon TTL do its magic. Use regular TTL with -0.3 FEC, and put the camera in Manual mode at 1/80, f/4.5, and ISO 400.<br /><br />You'll get great shots in most party lighting.<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-3711844854021580602011-03-24T14:31:45.819-07:002011-03-24T14:31:45.819-07:00Sorry, my name is Newton..
Hello Russ!
Congratulat...Sorry, my name is Newton..<br />Hello Russ!<br />Congratulations for your blog, very helpful indeed!<br />I hv a D90 and a SB-600. I found very difficult to use TTL together with FV Lock for shooting indoor parties. I was like having to meter the flash almost in every shot, and I wasn't getting a constantly light. Plus I hd to advise the people that the first flash wasn't the "real" picture, that it was just for meterng the light.<br />Can I get the same results using the flash in manual mode and use the shutter to 1/15th?<br />Is there any tip you can give me for manual mode?Newtonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-58473955304249673652011-03-24T14:29:23.007-07:002011-03-24T14:29:23.007-07:00Hello Russ!
Congratulations for your blog, very he...Hello Russ!<br />Congratulations for your blog, very helpful indeed!<br />I hv a D90 and a SB-600. I found very difficult to use TTL together with FV Lock for shooting indoor parties. I was like having to meter the flash almost in every shot, and I wasn't getting a constantly light. Plus I hd to advise the people that the first flash wasn't the "real" picture, that it was just for meterng the light.<br />Can I get the same results using the flash in manual mode and use the shutter to 1/15th?<br />Is there any tip you can give me for manual mode?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-64024248817254130042011-03-09T07:27:14.361-08:002011-03-09T07:27:14.361-08:00Thanks for the explanation Russ! much appreciated!...Thanks for the explanation Russ! much appreciated!Nabil Z.A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17937930068068524584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-85147186516097891602011-03-08T18:18:34.466-08:002011-03-08T18:18:34.466-08:00Hi Nabil,
No, not quite.
When I pressed FV Lock,...Hi Nabil,<br /><br />No, not quite.<br /><br />When I pressed FV Lock, it fired the preflashes and the flash exposure system locked in the correct flash power automatically, based on the subjects in the center of the frame.<br /><br />I didn't mention it, but after FV Lock, I half-pressed the shutter to lock focus on the subjects.<br /><br />Then, I recomposed and completed the shutter push.<br /><br />Nowhere did I lock exposure or say that I locked the exposure. The flash locked its own power, but the camera exposure was set manually with the shutter, aperture, and ISO that I chose.<br /><br />Russ<br />Then, I recomposed to place the subjects at the edge of the frameRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-35407299138566370212011-03-08T14:11:59.018-08:002011-03-08T14:11:59.018-08:00Hi Russ,
I'm very new to this CLS and trying ...Hi Russ,<br /><br />I'm very new to this CLS and trying to absorb as many as i can.Your blog seems to be understandable compared to other websites and i thank you for that<br /><br />From what your wrote:<br />"I first pointed my flash at the subjects and pushed the FV Lock button to fire the preflashes and lock in the correct flash power. Then, I recomposed the shot to place the subject on the left 1/3 line (rule of thirds), and released the shutter"<br /><br />So from what i understand:<br />1. Aim at subject<br />2. Push FV lock for preflash<br />3. Half press shutter button after pressing FV(is that what you mean by "lock in the correct exposure", and do you have to hold half press for recomposing?)<br />4. Recompose picture (with the half press held from the previous step?)<br />5. Full press<br /><br />ThanksNabil Z.A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17937930068068524584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-42246947633471606442010-06-17T06:16:33.570-07:002010-06-17T06:16:33.570-07:00Hi JW,
I have seen the same thing. It is definite...Hi JW,<br /><br />I have seen the same thing. It is definitely setting the power of the flash too high (or in many cases, too low). I believe it has to do with an adjustment on either the flash or camera. Since the flash power is consistantly too low or high, I just apply flash compensation whenever I use FV Lock.<br /><br />My D200 is about one stop too dark, and my D3 is right on.<br /><br />Nikon may be able to adjust this if you send them your camera and flash.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-45855105817871819262010-06-16T20:51:44.368-07:002010-06-16T20:51:44.368-07:00Russ,
Just now playing with FV Lock on my D700 wi...Russ,<br /><br />Just now playing with FV Lock on my D700 with SB600 mounted on-camera. As a test, I fired a normal shot at a subject. Then hit FV Lock and fired the exact same shot. The shot with FV Lock appears to be about 1 stop brighter even though the framing was exactly the same. Is this an expected behavior?<br /><br />I shot totally Manual for ambient to eliminate any camera adjustments and ISO was fixed as well. Thoughts ...<br /><br />JeffJW Stephensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-36698425586432242592010-04-30T11:34:01.240-07:002010-04-30T11:34:01.240-07:00Hi Peejay,
You're most welcome!
Have fun wit...Hi Peejay,<br /><br />You're most welcome!<br /><br />Have fun with CLS!<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-53565472310464391922010-04-30T06:05:58.723-07:002010-04-30T06:05:58.723-07:00Thanks Russ!! :) appreciate your thorough explanat...Thanks Russ!! :) appreciate your thorough explanation on this :) Now, i'm really liking the CLS features of our nikons :)peejaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-51304523164471531012010-04-30T06:05:28.672-07:002010-04-30T06:05:28.672-07:00Thanks Russ!! :) appreciate your thorough explanat...Thanks Russ!! :) appreciate your thorough explanation on this :) Now, i'm really liking the CLS features of our nikons :)peejaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-38992315287370146372010-04-29T17:55:55.869-07:002010-04-29T17:55:55.869-07:00Hi Peejay,
The Wireless CLS system is very sophis...Hi Peejay,<br /><br />The Wireless CLS system is very sophistocated and it basically takes care of itself.<br /><br />When using multiple flashes, all you do is aim at the subject and push the FV Lock button. The system automatically cycles through all the groups and sets the power of each group separately, and if there are multiple flashes in a single group they all get set to the same power, and together they will all add to the correct amount.<br /><br />The system works best when each group hits the subject with its preflashes somewhere on the front so that a good return is reflected back through the lens. If a group is positioned so that it hits the subject directly from the side, then the power will sometimes be set too high as the system tries to get a standard power reflected off that group.<br /><br />When you fire the FV Lock, all the calculated power settings are stored in the flashes themselves, and they are all sitting there ready to fire.<br /><br />Then when you press the shutter, as soon as the shutter is open, the Commander sends the 'fire' command, and they all fire simultaneously.<br /><br />This is why FV Lock stops the blinking problem. It is virtually impossible for anyone to blink fast enough after the fire command so that eyes will be closed. The only closed eyes you have are from chance blinks (or someone who is watching your finger and closes his eyes as he sees you push the shutter). That's why I always hide my shutter finger as I push the shutter.<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-34220151317630142282010-04-29T14:10:09.965-07:002010-04-29T14:10:09.965-07:00Hi Sir,
I'm just wondering, in handling multi...Hi Sir,<br /><br />I'm just wondering, in handling multiple flashes, and using the camera as commander, how will you do the FV lock? do i just need to point the camera at the subject, then press the FV button? or do i still need to put the AF point on the subject and hit half shutter as well?<br /><br />In addition, since only the camera will be pointed to the subject, how will the other external flashes lock the exposure on the subject?<br /><br />Appreciate your help on this :)Peejaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-89271768000112713412010-04-21T11:49:46.171-07:002010-04-21T11:49:46.171-07:00Hi Jeff,
Yes, if the model has light colored skin...Hi Jeff,<br /><br />Yes, if the model has light colored skin and or is whearing light clothing this will work. But watch out - it won't work all the time.<br /><br />Thanks for the nice comment, but I don't think I'm quite in the same league as Joe McNally. He does some of the most amazing work with speedlights! I love to watch his videos!<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-7147382735444170572010-04-21T05:08:11.750-07:002010-04-21T05:08:11.750-07:00Thanks for the quick response Russ.
I did some por...Thanks for the quick response Russ.<br />I did some portraits last weekend in a warehouse. The STU and sb800 was just to my right. I was having trouble getting the su800 to trigger the flash unless I was slightly behind the flash. Then I tried something different. I pointed the sensor away from me and at the model. Worked flawlessly for the rest of the shoot. Apparently the signal from the su800 bounced off the model and then back through the umbrella to the sensor. I was able to move around alot and could get shots close to the model with the umbrella and flash behind me and the camera.<br /><br />Great blog, between you and Joe McNally I'm starting to figure this CLS stuff out.<br /><br />JeffJeffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-15390013429811933042010-04-21T04:44:23.900-07:002010-04-21T04:44:23.900-07:00Hi Jeff,
Yes, FV Lock works great for off-camera ...Hi Jeff,<br /><br />Yes, FV Lock works great for off-camera flash. It definitely keeps all the shots looking the same.<br /><br />However, it's important to know that FV Lock resets itself when the camera meter times out. You have to go into the camera menu and find the meter timeout and extend it to the maximum when shooting group shots. Otherwise it will time out and you won't notice it.<br /><br />Also, I stopped using my SU-800 for portraits with my Remotes in umbrellas, because the SU-800 sends the commands forward and up, but not very strongly out to the sides. I was having cases where my flashes in the umbrellas to the sides or behind me weren't firing.<br /><br />I also had no-fires when using the camera in vertical orientation. The camera sometimes blocks the Commander signals that fire the umbrellas on my right.<br /><br />So, I went back to using an SB-800 on-camera as the Commander with a diffuser attached and pointing straight up to send the commands out in all directions. That is much more reliable.<br /><br />Also, the preflashes won't make your subjects blink when using FV Lock!<br /><br />Still, you have to remember to orient the flashes in each umbrella so the small round red IR window is pointed at the Commander.<br /><br />Also, I usually use reflecting umbrellas, because the Remote is easier to 'hit' from the commander. In shoot-through mode, the umbrellas sometimes block the command signals. Sometimes they go right through, sometimes they don't.<br /><br />Hope that helps,<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-88761720070394342962010-04-20T16:23:13.696-07:002010-04-20T16:23:13.696-07:00Hi Russ,
I'm starting to play with multiple o...Hi Russ,<br /><br />I'm starting to play with multiple off camera flashes. I'm going to be doing some wedding formals for a coworker next month. I'll be using 2 sb800s through 2 43" umbrellas for the group shots. I'll use my su800 of possibly a third sb800 as the commander. So here is the question. Does FV lock work with off camera flashes? I'm going to be using a tripod for the group formals and it would be really nice if the look of the shots was consistat and I didn't have to fix to much in post.<br />Thanks for your time<br /><br />Jeff MaanumJeffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-76559080197192800122010-02-05T05:54:07.293-08:002010-02-05T05:54:07.293-08:00Hi Kevin,
I think you are one of a few who have r...Hi Kevin,<br /><br />I think you are one of a few who have read all my blogs! Congratulations!<br /><br />With an ambient of 1/5th, f/5.6, and ISO 400, you will definitely eliminate the ambient on the subject when increasing to 1/500th and f/8. You can prove this to yourself by taking a picture at those settings. It will be very dark.<br /><br />Then, if you turn on your flash and the subject and the background are both bright, that's coming from the flash. this will happen when the subject is too close to the background.<br /><br />To get good control of the background, the distance from the camera to the background needs to be more than twice the distance from the camera to the subject. The farther away the background, the more control you will have of background exposure.<br /><br />It is in the distance behind the subject where the flash power dissipates. It does this according to the Inverse Square Law. In other words, if the distance from the camera to the subject is 5 feet and the distance from the camera to the background behind the subject is 10 feet, the flash power will be down to 1/4th the power it was at the subject. That's two stops, so the background will be two stops darker than the subject. Then, if the ambient was set to expose three stops dark by the camera, then the background will be down by 5 stops, and that is pretty dark.<br /><br />If the background is 20 feet, the flash power will be down to 1/16th the power it was at the subject. That's four stops. By then the background will be almost completely black in the image.<br /><br />However, this can be affected by a highly reflective room where a bounce will reflect strongly throughout the room creating a focus effect that doesn't follow the normal square-law falloff. Think of the zoom function on the flash. This is a special focusing mechanism that reduces the power dissipation to somewhat less than the normal inverse square-law function. Rooms with highly reflective walls can sometimes do this wich leaves the background brighter than it should be. The opposite also occurs in rooms with dark walls. In that case, the background will often end up darker than the inverse square law predicts.<br /><br />To reduce the background brightness in a highly reflective room change the bounce direction. I often turn the flash head completely around so that it is aimed directly backwards and bounces off less reflective surfaces behind me.<br /><br />Hope that helps,<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-70827446707797317652010-02-04T23:03:28.030-08:002010-02-04T23:03:28.030-08:00Russ, hi (a previous anonymous poster again) added...Russ, hi (a previous anonymous poster again) added my name for brevity :)<br />I have read every one of your blog entries, and may have missed the obvious? Thanks for your faster than speedlite responses :)<br /><br />I am unable to overpower the ambient (IOW, turn to black the backgrounds)<br />Setup:<br />Night time, indoors.<br />SB-600, correct exposure (camera meter) is 1/6 @ f/5.6 @ 200mm. ISO400.<br />Subject is about 8ft from lens, bkgd about 5ft from subject.<br />I crank the shutter up to 1/500s (D50 - nice to have that capability)and aperture to f/8, and the result is the same. Ambient is sill clearly visible, mbe a tad darker than exp.1.<br />I mean, that's 7 stops of adjustment, is the flash THAT powerful?<br />I tried TTL, BL, and FV lock.<br />Where am I going wrong pls?<br />---------------------------<br />Then, I was experimenting with the built in wide angle diffuser (14mm setting) on the SB-600 bounced off ceiling or wall, and noticed something very interesting. The fill in dark ambient from this is noticably better than a regular bounce with a homemade bouncecard. Where the card had left shadows in certain areas, the wide diffuser lifted all those easily.<br />Your experiences with using that diffuser if any pls?<br />Looking forward to your reply.Kevinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-66784046932117861052010-01-13T19:38:00.462-08:002010-01-13T19:38:00.462-08:00Hi Volker,
Thanks for the nice feedback!
Unfortu...Hi Volker,<br /><br />Thanks for the nice feedback!<br /><br />Unfortunately, you are right. As far as I know, there is no way to do FV Lock with the D60.<br /><br />Sorry,<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-89531835891621603062010-01-13T13:42:11.928-08:002010-01-13T13:42:11.928-08:00Hi Russ,
many thanks for all the work you put int...Hi Russ,<br /><br />many thanks for all the work you put into that site. It is fantastic!!!<br /><br />Being a flash photography beginner I just realized that my D60 doesn't support FV lock (or am I just not seeing it?). Is there a way to work around?<br /><br />Thanks and best regards<br />VolkerVolkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-60890015792475362162010-01-04T18:40:22.410-08:002010-01-04T18:40:22.410-08:00Hi Filipe,
Well, it took me a while, but I found ...Hi Filipe,<br /><br />Well, it took me a while, but I found the comment that was in error. It was in one of my answers to a question on this blog.<br /><br />What I meant to say was that in camera A and P modes, if you choose Rear sync, it will also put the camera into Slow Sync. Slow Sync will cause slow shutter speeds that will cause ghost trails. Then, Rear Sync will put the flash frozen image on the correct end of the motion blur.<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113726419970930271.post-38317551798085475352010-01-04T18:29:56.443-08:002010-01-04T18:29:56.443-08:00Hi Filipe,
You are exactly right, and you have ca...Hi Filipe,<br /><br />You are exactly right, and you have caught an error that I made. <br />I will fix the wording in the blog to make it correct.<br /><br />To restate all the cases:<br /><br />In camera A and P modes you can select Slow without Rear, but if you select Rear it automatically adds Slow. <br /><br />In camera M and S modes, you can select Rear without Slow, because Slow doesn't mean anything when you are setting the shutter speeds manually.<br /><br />Thanks for catching that!<br /><br />RussRuss MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288785902650834143noreply@blogger.com