The 7d Basics: Flash

MartinRayVaughan

Hi there, I've been shooting with my new 7d for a month now and I still feel like I don't understand the dynamics of using the 430 ex Speedlite. Can someone help me?

My biggest question: What's the best setting for shooting with flash? Av? Tv? Manual? Often times, I get the flashing "250" on my screen, which I think is telling me I'm doing something wrong in the situation?

Could someone explain the basic approach as if I was idiot? lol. I've read two books on the 7d and still don't feel like the best flash set up has been covered.

Thanks!
Marty

divamum

1. Manual on the camera. Canon flash does odd things when shooting in Av. If for some reason I MUST shoot automatic, the flash is better in P than Av. I haven't had to do that for a long time, however - I prefer shooting in manual.

2. ETTL on the flash works great if you don't want to go all-manual, but the 430ex WILL let you work in manual flash if you prefer (change the mode on the flash). I have generally found ETTL very satisfactory as far as exposure. Use FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) to dial the power of the ETTL flash up or down (if you press the button on the top lcd screen for flash/iso, you can then quickly adjust FEC without going into the flash menu system).

3. The flashing 250 indicates that you will be overexposed if you shoot at 250, which is is the maximum synch speed UNLESS you press the "HSS" (High Speed Synch) button on the flash, at which point it will let you use higher shutter speeds. This is very helpful if you want to use fill flash on a bright day, or with a backlit subject.

MartinRayVaughan

divamum wrote: »

1. Manual on the camera. Canon flash does odd things when shooting in Av. If for some reason I MUST shoot automatic, the flash is better in P than Av. I haven't had to do that for a long time, however - I prefer shooting in manual.

2. ETTL on the flash works great if you don't want to go all-manual, but the 430ex WILL let you work in manual flash if you prefer (change the mode on the flash). I have generally found ETTL very satisfactory as far as exposure. Use FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) to dial the power of the ETTL flash up or down (if you press the button on the top lcd screen for flash/iso, you can then quickly adjust FEC without going into the flash menu system).

3. The flashing 250 indicates that you will be overexposed if you shoot at 250, which is is the maximum synch speed UNLESS you press the "HSS" (High Speed Synch) button on the flash, at which point it will let you use higher shutter speeds. This is very helpful if you want to use fill flash on a bright day, or with a backlit subject.

Awesome, thank you! I will apply some of your tips this week!
Marty

Brian C Kramer

It's not doing weird things, you just have to understand what it is doing, and it makes sense.

in Av mode, the camera is measuring ambient and flash exposures separately. The camera will make an exposure reading, which you can easily change to get the balance you want. The flash exposure compensation button will allow you to choose how much flash is added to the subject, and the exposure compensation will affect how much ambient light is allowed in. This is great for outdoor portraits using the flash as fill, as you can balance your light sources independently, without messing with aperture/shutter speed.

The flashing 1/250 means that the ambient is too bright to get a proper exposure with the selected aperture, so you'll either need to use high-speed sync, or close down the aperture a little.

travischance

HSS is definitely the way to go when shooting in bright sunlight