550EX...They call these instructions?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Canon EOS FAQ forum : One Thread

I have recently stepped up to the 550 from the 380. I am extremely excited about the increased amount of control that I will have over my flash exposures. However, after having read through the manual 3 or 4 times, I am still confused about certain aspects and applications of the flash. I am certain that with a great deal of time, effort and patience that I will eventually better understand this flash, but does anyone know of a good resource to help me along the way. For example...If I am shooting at f8 with a 50mm lens, the flash will give me a very nice effective range read out. What is actually the best effective range? If it says that I am good from 7-25 feet, but I am focused at 10, should I stop down the lens to 11 and bring the effective range down? I do not like this option: I have to use more power and wait longer for the flash to recharge. Do I adjust the FEC by -.5 or so? The manual tells you how to do things; however, it does not suggest when to use them. Is E-TTL really that accurate? I never had to worry about this stuff with the 380. It did not seem as complex. I felt that I had less to worry about. I guess that with more control I have more to learn. That is fine. I am using the 550 on an Elan 7e. The scenario of f-stops and range I wrote above is fictitious. The numbers have been changed to protect the innocent.

-- Roger Shrader (rashrader@hotmail.com), January 25, 2001

Answers

You still don't have to worry about it. ;-)

The range just tells you whether the flash can properly expose the subject at the aperture that you (or the camera) have selected. If the subject is at the close end of the range, then the flash duration will be shorter, conserving power. I'd base the aperture on what you want to accomplish (within the limits of the flash) rather than worrying about optimizing for the flash power available.

Flash compensation is used when the subject is darker or lighter than average (18% gray), such as a bride in a white gown or a groom in a black tux.

Paul

-- Paul Ferrara (paul@columbusoft.com), January 25, 2001.


If you adjust your ISO with the flash range visible, you'll see the range change. Less for a lower ISO and more range for a higher ISO. These are the basics of flash photography. Faster film = more flash range. Changing your aperture at any given focus point will give you more (f/8, f/11, f/16) DOF and less (f/5.6, f/4, f/2.8) DOF. Adjust as needed. Be very carfeul when shooting with flash. Don't focus on a pure white or pure black subject without the appropriate FEC. + FEC for white and - FEC for black. The camera will shut down the flash too soon on white subjects and leave it on too long for black ones. If you shoot a roll of slides instead of print film, you'll see very easily. I prefer to focus on faces and use 0 or +5 FEC. Caucasion faces are not gray, but a little brighter than gray. FEL is option when recomposing, although with the 7e's focus points, I think you're pretty well covered, no?

If you absolutely must look at web stuff, go here. It's part of another ckmiller@pond.net), January 25, 2001.


As was said above, the range indicator shows how close or far away the flash will work properly. You don't need to do anything unless you are outside of this range. That is what E-TTL is for after all. As far as the other the other things are concerned, pretend you are still using the 380EX. It will work the same. When you have time, experiment with the increased control and capability. When you need to do something fast, go back to pretending you are still using the 380EX and quit worrying.

As for recharge time, when compared to the 380EX, if you are shooting from the same distance, with the same aperture and film speed, recharge time should be as fast, or faster since the 550 does not have to work as hard. If you are stopping down to decrease the range, the recharge time will be longer though. One thing I have found however, is that rechageable nikel-metal hydride batteries shorten the flashes recharge time significantly.

-- Brad (bhutcheson@iname.com), January 25, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ