PTTL
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Posted 22/04/2013 - 22:28
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Well I've been shooting with Pentax and various flashes since 2008 and have never understood p-ttl so leant how to use manual flash control and change flash output accordingley.
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Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released
Concert photography
Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released
Posted 23/04/2013 - 07:53
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I don't own the 540 fgz but I do have a Metz 58. Personally I don't like using P-TTL. However, if you need fast accurate flash, you could try using your flash in A automatic mode, you set the aperture and ISO on the flash and then set the same aperture and ISO on the camera, you will now get much better results than using P-TTL as Gary (Cabster) states learning to control your flash manually will give you the best control.
When you are using flash are you using it directly? Have you tried bouncing it? There are a lot of light modifiers you can purchase that all do different things, but you can make your own and experiment which will increase and develop your understanding of light. If you are mainly a portrait shooter on of the best books you can read is a book by a guy called Neil van Niekerk, "Direction & Quality of Light" I have learnt more from reading this book than any other book and I have read a lot of photography books about lighting. You can also find a lot of info and guidance here http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html
Like everything in life you just have to keep practicing in order to improve.
When you are using flash are you using it directly? Have you tried bouncing it? There are a lot of light modifiers you can purchase that all do different things, but you can make your own and experiment which will increase and develop your understanding of light. If you are mainly a portrait shooter on of the best books you can read is a book by a guy called Neil van Niekerk, "Direction & Quality of Light" I have learnt more from reading this book than any other book and I have read a lot of photography books about lighting. You can also find a lot of info and guidance here http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html
Like everything in life you just have to keep practicing in order to improve.
Fletcher8.
Posted 23/04/2013 - 08:15 - Helpful Comment
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With flash you have to think to get the best results
You e.g. need to determine how much of the ambient light is important to reflect the scene; the camera can't do that for you The manual way on your camera is possibly the easiest as you can set the correct aperture for what you want to achieve (DOF) and shutter speed (influence of ambient light).
Your camera however has a setting under 'flash' called 'slow-speed sync' which will force longer shutter speeds so ambient light will have a bigger influence on the final result.
You e.g. need to determine how much of the ambient light is important to reflect the scene; the camera can't do that for you The manual way on your camera is possibly the easiest as you can set the correct aperture for what you want to achieve (DOF) and shutter speed (influence of ambient light).
Your camera however has a setting under 'flash' called 'slow-speed sync' which will force longer shutter speeds so ambient light will have a bigger influence on the final result.
Pentax K10D + Vivitar 55/2.8 macro + Super Takumar 55/1.8 + SuperMultiCoated Takumar 85/1.8 + SuperMultiCoated Takumar 135/3.5 + SuperMultiCoated Takumar 200/4 + Super Takumar 300/4
Pentax K100D + DA18-55ALII + DA55-300
Pentax K5 + FA31Ltd + M50/1.7 + DFA100WR + M120/2.8 (+ DA18-55WR at occasion)
Pentax K100D + DA18-55ALII + DA55-300
Pentax K5 + FA31Ltd + M50/1.7 + DFA100WR + M120/2.8 (+ DA18-55WR at occasion)
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108 posts
13 years
Greece
I have read some boring thinks about PTTL that do not give any easy tip of how to use it in a way that will deascrease "bad results".
So, this is my litle experience by now:
I shoot and had bad results leting the flash doing all the work as it should.
What i did was assuming that whatever the light situation was the flash would help me lighten thinks up but wouldnt "change the night in to day" and also wouldnt light just as little as it should where indoor lights were kinda bright and the subject was close enough.
Practicaly i was changing the aperture and some times the iso manually acording to the situation (light situation/distance/!!!COLORS!!!). But not as much as i would ("without the flash") without my "god-sent" little enlightening help.
Consider the flash as a help wich needs your guidence to help you! and you will get considerably better results!
Any other PTTL-experience that would help me and others is welcome here!
I will mark as helpfull only those posts wich will seem helpfull to me and i will run a poll to see if what i consider helpful, is indeed helpfull!!
Reagards,
Petros
sigma 18-125mm hsm DC, sigma 70-300mm DC