How to use flash with analog body

crabe919 · 2013-09-17T10:35:06+0100

Hello, Can someone point me in the right direction for flash use with an analog body? At the moment i have a vivitar 550 fd flash and i would try to use it onto my pentax me super/ pentax Mx. When trying available light indoors in the evening, i shoot tmax @1600, which has it's down sides. If light isn't falling correctly onto a face, all can be too dark. I would like to try to bounce the flash on the ceiling or wall, to get some more detail into the faces, but don't know where to start and estimate a correct exposure. Do i stay with the light meter readings, or do i need to compensate for flash use? How to tackle this one? All info will be greatly appreciated! Adam

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crabe919 crabe919

54 posts
13 years

Posted 18/09/2013 - 14:39 Link

the AF280T is on the shortlist because of the swivel head (wall bounce)!

thanks for the info!

crabe919 crabe919

54 posts
13 years

Posted 18/09/2013 - 17:26 Link

For the pentax me super, flash syncs automatically @ 125, no slower speed choices here, mx it will be then.

michaelblue michaelblue

1293 posts
16 years
Shropshire

Posted 18/09/2013 - 19:23 Link

crabe919 wrote:
For the pentax me super, flash syncs automatically @ 125, no slower speed choices here, mx it will be then.

On the ME Super.....any speed up to 125th will do so just set the shutter speed manually, remember of course that too much ambient light will cause 'ghosting' though.

Regards,
Michael

crabe919 crabe919

54 posts
13 years

Posted 18/09/2013 - 19:42 Link

just tried it on the me super, if the flash is on and i put the camera in manual, i can't choose anything, speed is automatically set on 125

Edited by crabe919: 18/09/2013 - 19:42

johnha johnha

1415 posts
14 years
Lancashire

Posted 19/09/2013 - 00:18 Link

If the flash unit has an M/TTL or TTL switch, try switching that away from TTL. A lot of independent guns had these switches along with the usual Manual and several Auto settings. Alternatively a cheap non-dedicated gun (or one fired on a PC cord - i.e. not hotshoe mounted) would avoid any problems.

For fill-in flash, you should be aiming for 1:4 (flash:daylight) as 'normal' and possibly 1:2 for 'extreme' situations. For 1:4 you simply set the Auto ISO dial/calculator on the flash two stops higher and read the appropriate aperture for (for 1:2 one stop higher) the film speed you're using. You'll need to make sure the resulting aperture allows a shutter speed no higher than the x-sync though.

John.

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crabe919 crabe919

54 posts
13 years

Posted 19/09/2013 - 09:40 Link

Johnha,

thanks for the guide on how to use the fill flash.

If you say 1:4 for fill flash daylight, do i interpret this as using the camera with the normal exposure needed and ADD a bit of flash?

Any direction of howto tackle evening/night indoors shots? Yesterday i've tried a couple of shots with different setting on a roll. It was too dark for the mx (with iso 400 film) to give a correct exposure, is i put it at 1/60X and set the flash/aperture manually. Is there a better approach for the evening shots?

regards,

Adam

johnha johnha

1415 posts
14 years
Lancashire

Posted 19/09/2013 - 11:28 Link

johnha wrote:

For fill-in flash, you should be aiming for 1:4 (flash:daylight) as 'normal' and possibly 1:2 for 'extreme' situations. For 1:4 you simply set the Auto ISO dial/calculator on the flash two stops higher and read the appropriate aperture for (for 1:2 one stop higher) the film speed you're using. You'll need to make sure the resulting aperture allows a shutter speed no higher than the x-sync though.

Sorry, I think this is the wrong way round. For 1:4 you need to set the ISO on the flash two stops lower than you're shooting with - to under-expose the flash.

Apologies,

John.

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crabe919 crabe919

54 posts
13 years

Posted 19/09/2013 - 11:32 Link

2 stops lower means if shooting with iso 400 set the flash for iso 1600 (less light required) i guess?