sun & flash?

Angelo

dGrin friends, I need some help understanding something. I was out this afternoon taking shots. It was a clear, bright, sunny day in Los Angeles - yet my flash kept wanting to fire.

I was using my 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G lens on my D70. (auto setting). This didn't happen the other day under similar conditions when I was using my 28-200.

Any light you can shed (pun intended) would be appreciated. Thank you.

John Mueller

Ill take a guess,is there a setting on the cam to turn on or off the flash?

Angelo

MHJS wrote:

Ill take a guess,is there a setting on the cam to turn on or off the flash?

sure.

wxwax

Angelo wrote:

dGrin friends, I need some help understanding something. I was out this afternoon taking shots. It was a clear, bright, sunny day in Los Angeles - yet my flash kept wanting to fire.

I was using my 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G lens on my D70. (auto setting). This didn't happen the other day under similar conditions when I was using my 28-200.

Any light you can shed (pun intended) would be appreciated. Thank you.

Were your subjects backlit? Was there a big discrepancy between the light on your subject, and the surroundings/sky?

The camera may have been trying to balance the light in the shot because of the surrounding brightness.

Angelo

wxwax wrote:

Were your subjects backlit? Was there a big discrepancy between the light on your subject, and the surroundings/sky?

The camera may have been trying to balance the light in the shot because of the surrounding brightness.

why yes, yes indeed. by george I tink you've got it! That's EXACTLY what was happening! THANK YOU THANK YOU.

Any suggestions how to compensate/overcome the problem?

John Mueller

I dont know your cam,but I remember on one of mine sometimes I would on accident turn the setting on to force the flash,so it would fire when I didnt want it to.

Angelo

MHJS wrote:

I dont know your cam,but I remember on one of mine sometimes I would on accident turn the setting on to force the flash,so it would fire when I didnt want it to.

I don't think that's it. I think Wxy hit on the problem. Thanks.

wxwax

Angelo wrote:

why yes, yes indeed. by george I tink you've got it! That's EXACTLY what was happening! THANK YOU THANK YOU.

Any suggestions how to compensate/overcome the problem?

Either let the flash fire (it's a good thing, not a bad thing) or avoid backlit shots. Even better, don't shoot when the sun's high in the sky and the light is harsh. How's that?

snapapple

Angelo wrote:

Ya know, sometimes the answer is so simple and obvious it smacks you in the face. Thanks very much.

Hi Angelo,
I have had this problem when taking a shot of people in front of a dark green tree. I definitely did not want more light on the faces since the sun was bright. So I just turned the flash to "off". The picture came out fine. In a case like this, if I do want a fill flash, I turn the intensity of the flash down to about 1/3 strength. If I don't, it comes out overexposed. I had to look in the owners manual to find out how to do this, but it was simple once you knew which button to press while turning which dial. Shees!

Angelo

snapapple wrote:

Hi Angelo,
I have had this problem when taking a shot of people in front of a dark green tree. I definitely did not want more light on the faces since the sun was bright. So I just turned the flash to "off". The picture came out fine. In a case like this, if I do want a fill flash, I turn the intensity of the flash down to about 1/3 strength. If I don't, it comes out overexposed. I had to look in the owners manual to find out how to do this, but it was simple once you knew which button to press while turning which dial. Shees!

Yes that makes sense with portraits a nd fill-flash needs. There must be times when one simply doesn't want the flash to fire. If you allow the flash to fire isn't that tricking the camera to think all will be OK? As I review some of the shots I took today, where the flash fired, elements of the photo are very dark / silhouetted (sp?)