Canon 430ex Settings

dancer52

I bought a 580exII flash this year that has spent more time at Canon being repaired than on my camera! So, with another weekend of taking pictures at the racetrack upon me, I am renting a flash again. However, the only one they have available is the 430. I have never used a 430 before. Any suggestions on settings for the flash to use for taking pictures in a low light setting of cars going around the race track? Thanks for the help and giving me a moment to vent my frustration!

ziggy53

Please elaborate on what it is you hope to accomplish. Also:

Distance to subjects.
Subject speeds and direction with respect to your position(s).
Ambient light.
Host camera.

The more detailed your response the more we can help.

dancer52

I have a canon 40d camera using a f2.8L 70-200mm lens. The lighting at this particular track is pretty poor. I can get as close to the cars as I want to, but for safety reasons, I try to stay as far away as possible. I'd say in the past I'm usually about 20 feet away. I can move all around the infield at the track, so my position changes. Average speed is probably around 70mpg with some classes going faster and some going slower. Thanks!

ziggy53

I'll suggest ISO 800 and ISO 1600 with a shutter speed of 1/250th and start with the aperture wide open. This should get you more than 100 ft of range with the flash. Higher ISO will also conserve as much flash as possible to yield a faster recycle for faster responsiveness.

ISO 1600 will have some noise so be sure to nail the exposure. Also count on using software noise reduction for best results.

RAW files will give you better post-processing results but JPG is often needed for faster response from the camera.

If you do get a chance to shoot the cars in a lineup before the race, drop the ISO to 200 and shoot RAW.