Flash problem- making me VERY cranky

[Outdoorsman]

I've been using my old 420 EZ flash with my new Elan 7N, and so far it's been just fine. But recently I shot my nephew's birthday party. The flash did not fire for a single shot; a good hour's worth of following little kids around with a big attachment on the camera for what apparently was no reason. I was just a little conspicuous, you might say. The conditions were 3:00 in the afternoon in direct sunlight. Of course the shots were contrasty but still OK. I wanted some fill to balance out the harsh shadows, but no dice. The worst was when they moved into the shade to have him blow out the candles. Most of the shot was in the shade, with only a little part in direct sunlight. And the flish still did not go off. Of course with one eye closed and the other in the viewfinder, I did not see if the flash fired then, but now I'm stuck with a very dark shot of the kid blowing out his candles and one little part of the frame correctly exposed. (see photo) It's as if the camera ignored all but the brightest part of the frame and didn't bother to take into account the fact that the flash was on. I have my younger brother's 8th grade graduation to shoot next week, and I'd hate to think my flash has croaked with no time to replace it- using the built-in flash will be a nightmare... any ideas?

[Outdoorsman]

Well, never mind. It seems to have resolved itself. I ran a test roll with a few settings adjusted so the camera acts like the 650 that the flash was designed for. I had set the camera in AV mode at f/8 with the custom function set to lock the sync speed to 1/125 in AV mode. I also set it to bias exposure to the selected AF point. Also I had the flash custom function set to allow flash but allow AF-assist only with the Speedlite (to keep the rave strobe effect from happening). This setting I also zeroed. So by setting the camera to the center AF point and leaving it in TV mode set to 1/125, and zeroing out every custom function associated with exposure, I got the flash to act like a flash- main light source in dimly lit interiors, and revert to fill in outdoor daylight. I guess changing the settings in the first place was the problem.
Thanks for all the great help! All your suggestions were very useful, and I'm glad you were willing to help me resolve the problem...

[skyline315]

Thanks for all the great help! All your suggestions were very useful, and I'm glad you were willing to help me resolve the problem...

no problem! you can always count on me

no, honestly, ive never used a flash in my life. i'll be forced into it one of these days im sure, but im having too much fun right now playing with natural light.

[Outdoorsman]

yeah, I know. I was cranky.... I do, however, recommend you get a flash and use it- there are a lot of "available light" situations in which a little fill would help balance out harsh shadows. But don't think for a minute that I have any idea how to manually calculate FE! I just let it do its thing on auto, and as long as I remember basic rules about using a flash, my pics turn out fine.
The graduation was last night- went great. Camera performed beautifully- I missed only one shot, and only because I was not physically able to be in the right spot. I was also amazed at how many people were taking pictures but had no idea how to do it. They were just pushing the button and expecting the camera to do everything. People with compact digitals standing at the very rear of the gym and trying to take flash pictuers over the crowd. People with 35mm SLRs shooting without flash. I was using Portra 160, and without flash and wide open I was only getting about 1/10 and 1/8 second. I can't imagine anyone using ISO 800 or 1600 and and still expecting stellar images. So much grain it would make me queasy! (unless its B&W).
I guess it's all just a matter of knowing how to use the tools to accomplish your goals.

[skyline315]

yeah, I know. I was cranky.... I do, however, recommend you get a flash and use it- there are a lot of "available light" situations in which a little fill would help balance out harsh shadows. But don't think for a minute that I have any idea how to manually calculate FE! I just let it do its thing on auto, and as long as I remember basic rules about using a flash, my pics turn out fine.
The graduation was last night- went great. Camera performed beautifully- I missed only one shot, and only because I was not physically able to be in the right spot. I was also amazed at how many people were taking pictures but had no idea how to do it. They were just pushing the button and expecting the camera to do everything. People with compact digitals standing at the very rear of the gym and trying to take flash pictuers over the crowd. People with 35mm SLRs shooting without flash. I was using Portra 160, and without flash and wide open I was only getting about 1/10 and 1/8 second. I can't imagine anyone using ISO 800 or 1600 and and still expecting stellar images. So much grain it would make me queasy! (unless its B&W).
I guess it's all just a matter of knowing how to use the tools to accomplish your goals.

any way you could point me in the general direction of learning to use flash properly? ive only used the built-in flash on my N80 when in low-light point and shoot situations. i HATE the artificial feel it adds to my photos. learning the proper techniques and what kind of flash i should look into buying would be very useful.

[Outdoorsman]

Well, for starters... Experiment with FEC on your N80. Usually in outdoor portrait situations, or when photographing natural history subjects, a little fill for a more even lighting effect can be helpful. You may also like to try the slow-sync mode for nighttime shots where a foreground subject is not well lighted. Try out all the flash modes and effects. You may find a certain graphic appeal in the images.
The best this you can do is get yourself a flash unit. I'm a Canon shooter but the Nikon SB series Speedlights seem to have all the right functions, strongly comparable to the Canon EZ series. You'll spend a couple hundred, however. For picking one to buy, your flash should support all TTL modes that your camera has. It should have a good high guide number. Anything over about 120' should be fine. It should have a tilt/swivel auto zoom head with coverage from at least 28mm to 90mm or more. FP mode is great to have also. Those are the basics.
Then have fun! You'll feel like a pro with that big thing stuck onto the camera, and people will notice you. I wish they would make those things a little less conspicuous- a big old periscope-looking thing...
basically, you hate your flash because it's not producing the images you want. This is the flash's fault. Not yours. The built-in flash on these cameras (mine too!) are not very useful. The tube is really small and too near the lens. They have adequate guide numbers and will get you a shot in a pinch. I do not use mine unless I have no time to get my flash. But they are not really effective as the main source of light. You really need a larger flash to get more creative control.

[skyline315]

pardon my ignorance, but FEC?

[Outdoorsman]

It's OK! FEC stands for Flash Exposure Compensation. This works just like exposure compensation on your N80. You can dial in different power settings for the flash to get the effect you want. It can get very complicated, however, because some of your camera's modes might meter with flash differently than without it. I don't know Nikon, so I can't say how it's different. But read your owner's manual in the Flash section- your built-in flash does have the ability to alter the power level. The manual may also describe how the camera is metering the scene with the flash, so you can decide how you want to bias it compared to the natural light.
Here's a little tip- your flash is designed to emit light with the same color temperature as normal daylight (something like 5500 degrees Kelvin) so if you use it with available light that is of a different color temperature, it may make the picture look wrong. I shot a pic of my little brother at the beach one evening. It was dusk, but the sunset was still casting some nice muted colors. I wanted a portrait, but had no tripod. I popped up the flash and fired off a few with a little flash unterexposure dialed in and even though the exposure was pretty even, the light on his face did not match the ambient light. It looked like someone had fired a flash into his face. He dug the pic, but I did not!

[skyline315]

cool. makes much more sense now. thanks

[schuchmn]

Modern flash systems are wonderful, if complex. If you're a Nikon user, by all means get Thom Hogan's "Nikon Flash Guide". It's the best explanation of the system youo're likely to get.

Dennis