Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography by Guy, N.K. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography

Foreword by David Hobby 1. Introduction

About this book Why this book

I. Getting Started

2. Getting Started

A beginner’s configuration: Canon Rebel T1i/500D with a 430EX II flash unit Flash exposure compensation (FEC) Bounce flash Daylight fill flash An advanced configuration: Canon EOS 50D with two 580EX II flash units A practical example of wireless flash Dragging the shutter Getting the flash off the camera

3. Top Ten FAQs

1. My camera already has a built-in flash. Why should I buy an external one? 2. Why are the backgrounds of my flash photos pitch black? It looks like I was in a cave! 3. Why does the camera set a really slow shutter speed when I use a flash? Parts of my photos look sharp, but there’s weird fringing 4. Why are the eyes of my friends and family glowing an evil red? 5. Why won’t my camera let me set a high shutter speed when I turn on my flash? 6. I have an old flash unit. Will it work on my new Canon EOS digital camera? 7. I took two flash photos in rapid succession. Why is the second one totally dark? 8. Why are my photos dark when I use a Speedlite EX or built-in flash to trigger my studio flash equipment? 9. Why use flash at all? Why not just use a fast lens and a high ISO? 10. Why do my flash photos look so lousy? Do I need to buy a better camera or a more expensive flash unit?

4. Terminology

II. Technology

5. A Brief History of Flash

Pyrotechnics Flash bulbs Electronic flash The first challenge: flash synchronization Open flash Flash sync Controlling flash exposure The second challenge: flash metering

Manual metering Automatic flash-based (autoflash) metering Automatic camera-based (TTL) metering Automatic camera-based preflash (E-TTL) metering

6. Automatic Flash Metering

Enabling internal flash and external Speedlites Subject and background in flash photography Ambient light metering versus flash metering Freezing motion Normal flash sync Slow shutter sync EOS flash and icon modes CA (creative auto) mode EOS flash and ambient metering modes Program (P) mode Tv (shutter speed priority) mode Av (aperture priority) mode M (metered manual) mode DEP (depth of field), A-DEP (automatic DEP), and B (Bulb) modes Fill flash Fill flash ambient light reduction Flash exposure compensation (FEC)

7. Technical Topics

Canon EOS flash metering TTL flash metering

TTL limitations Digital cameras and TTL flash

A-TTL flash metering E-TTL flash metering

Limitations of E-TTL

E-TTL II

E-TTL II’s improved flash metering algorithms Distance data Cases in which distance data is not used

Type A and type B cameras

TTL, E-TTL, and EOS film cameras Kodak Digital Science (DCS) cameras

Flash technology availability summary Metering patterns

Ambient metering and metering patterns Center-weighted average metering Spot metering Partial metering Evaluative metering

Flash metering patterns

Film cameras and ambient metering with TTL flash Digital cameras and ambient metering with E-TTL flash TTL and A-TTL flash metering zones E-TTL flash metering patterns E-TTL II flash metering patterns

How mechanical camera shutters work Maximum X-sync

Maximum X-sync limits

High-speed sync (HSS)/FP (focal plane) flash

Using high-speed sync mode

First and second curtain sync

Second curtain sync Issues with second curtain sync

Inverse square law Guide numbers Quantifying flash output

Watt-seconds (Joules) Effective watt-seconds Guide number Lumen-seconds Beam candlepower seconds (BCPS)

Exposure value (EV) Color and shades of white

Color temperature Color temperature and film Color temperature and digital

Color filters

Color temperature correction Non-tungsten artificial lighting Mixed light sources Special effect filters Filter naming Limitations of filters

Infrared (IR) EXIF Safety and physical properties

Overheating and fire hazards Flash safety and babies Shock hazards Noise

III. Equipment

8. Dedicated Flash Units

Built-in (popup) flash

Popup flash limitations Improving built-in flash

Gary Fong Puffer Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop

Canon Speedlites

Small hotshoe flash units Consumer-level tilt-head hotshoe flash units Pro-level tilt-head hotshoe flash units Handle flash units Macro flash units

Speedlite naming scheme Older Canon Speedlites Third-party flash units

9. Canon Speedlites

Hotshoes

Flash feet

Flash heads LCDs Swivel and tilt for bounce flash Zooming flash heads

Automatic zooming Manual zooming Creative zooming Zoom compensation Zooming camera flash

Flash head diffuser panels

Catchlight panels

Autofocus (AF) assist light

Red AF assist lights Red AF assist and multiple focus point minutiae Flash brackets and alignment White light macro AF assist Main flash tube pulsing Disabling AF assist; disabling main flash ST-E2

Redeye

Redeye reduction

Flash exposure compensation (FEC)

Micro adjustment for flash exposure

Flash exposure lock (FE lock or FEL)

Engaging FE lock Flash exposure level

Fill flash ratios Auto fill reduction Flash exposure bracketing (FEB) High-speed sync (HSS) Enabling second curtain sync

Physical controls on flash unit Custom functions/menu items External Speedlite control Second curtain limitations Enabling second curtain sync with manual equipment

Manual flash

Speedlite 420EZ Speedlites 430EZ, 540EZ, 550EX, 430EX, 430EX II Speedlites 580EX, 580EX II Manual flash calculations

Enabling wireless E-TTL flash

Physical switches Push-button controls Menu controls Macro units Changing wireless E-TTL settings Changing channels and groups

Speedlite 420EX Speedlites 430EX and 430EX II Speedlite 550EX Speedlites 580EX and 580EX II Macro lites MR-14EX and MT-24EX

Enabling and changing ratios

Enabling ratios Changing A:B ratios Changing C compensation Flash menu control

Specifying wireless flash output manually Master flash firing on/off

Integrated Speedlite transmitter, or built-in flash as master

Built-in flash to control one group of slave units Built-in flash and ratios Enabling built-in flash to light the scene Wireless all-manual flash

Advanced M (metered manual) ambient metering

Meters and feet

Quick Flash/Rapid-fire mode Stroboscopic (MULTI) flash Flash exposure confirmation LED Range warning Modeling flash Auto Power Off/Save Energy (SE) mode Speedlite autoflash/External flash metering

580 EX II autoflash

Optical slave triggers Custom functions (C.Fn) on flash unit

Resetting default settings

External Speedlite control Test flash (manual firing) Rear control dial Weatherproofing Automatic white balance compensation Live View, silent shooting, and flash Cycle time and high voltage ports

10. Manual Flash Metering

Manual flash metering Trial and error

Manual flash in a digital age Digital histograms

Flash meters

Incident light metering

Choosing a manual flash unit Trigger voltages

Measuring the trigger voltage

Incompatible shoes Autoflash metering

11. Off-Camera Flash

The Seven Basic Methods for Off-camera Flash Control Off-Camera Method 1—Open flash Off-Camera Methods 2 and 3—Wired cords Off-Camera Method 2—Wired sync-only: PC cords

PC connector problems and other sync plugs Speedlites and PC cables

Off-Camera Method 3—Wired with automatic metering: Canon flash cords

The Off-Camera Shoe Cord Multiple TTL flash cords for film cameras

Off-Camera Methods 4 and 5—Wireless optical control Off-Camera Method 4—Wireless optical, sync-only: optical slaves

Line of sight and range Misfires from other units Optical slave E-TTL misfires Disabling E-TTL on Speedlites Light and infrared Compatibility problems (SCR lockup)

Off-Camera Method 5—Wireless optical with automatic metering: Canon wireless E-TTL

How wireless E-TTL works Line of sight Channels and groups Wireless E-TTL ratios Manual wireless E-TTL control Macro ratios Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 Third-party support

Quantum QNexus Sigma Metz

Drawbacks of wireless E-TTL

Off-Camera Methods 6 and 7—Wireless, radio frequency (RF)

No line of sight requirement Enhanced range Digital coding Multiple receivers Regulatory issues Latency No cross-manufacturer support Battery drain while idling

Off-Camera Method 6—Radio, sync-only

PocketWizard MultiMAX and Plus II Elinchrom EL Skyport

EL Skyport Universal EL Skyport RX

Bowens Pulsar Microsync Digital Quantum FreeXwire Cactus/Gadget Infinity V2/V2s/PT-04 Cactus/Gadget Infinity V4 Yong Nuo CTR-301P

Off-Camera Method 3—Radio with automatic metering

Quantum Q-TTL RadioPopper PX

RadioPopper advantages RadioPopper limitations

PocketWizard ControlTL devices

Basic features Compatibility with sync-only PocketWizards Manual output controlled by the 580EX II Upgradeable via USB port Advanced features Higher efficiency sync HyperSync Range limits Not compatible with entire Canon range

12. Flash Accessories

Flash diffusers Small diffusers

Sto-Fen Omnibounce Gary Fong Lightsphere Demb Flash Diffuser Speedlight Pro Kit Flexi Bounce Harbor Digital Design Ultimate Light Box

Small reflectors

Demb Flip-It! PRESSlite VerteX Hanson Fong Skin Glow

Medium-sized reflectors

LumiQuest Quik Bounce LumiQuest Softbox III Westcott Micro Apollo Speedlight Pro Kit Reflectors Generic vinyl diffuser

Large portable diffusers

Umbrellas Umbrella brackets Lastolite Ezybox Westcott Mini-Apollo Westcott Recessed Front Apollo California Sunbounce Micro Mini

Other flash accessories

HonlPhoto Speed Strap HonlPhoto Speed Grid Speedlight Pro Kit snoot with honeycomb HonlPhoto snoot Walt Anderson Better Beamer flash extender, from Arthur Morris/Birds as Art

Ringflash adapters

Rayflash orbis

Filter gels

Gel holders

LumiQuest FXtra HonlPhoto Filter Kit GelHolder.com

Do it yourself! Supports

Plastic foot stand Light stand Joby Gorillapod Justin Clamp MagicArm Kacey pole adapter Flash brackets

Batteries

Standard AA (zinc carbon/zinc chloride/manganese oxide) Standard AA alkaline (LR6) Rechargeable nickel-cadmium (NiCad/NiCd) Lithium AA (FR6) Rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMH/HR6) Hybrid/low self-discharge NiMH NiMH Chargers Other battery tips

External battery packs

Battery pack types

13. Studio Flash

Types of studio lights

Monolights

Pros Cons Analog monolight controls Digital monolight controls

Pack and head lights

Pros Cons

Ringflash Battery packs Inexpensive gear

Basic flash unit features

Flash heads and speedrings Modeling lights Optical slaves Trigger voltage Duration versus output Audio confirmation (beepers)

General studio gear

Light stands Booms Light stand attachments Ceiling support systems Backdrops

Canvas and muslin Seamless paper Backdrop supports

Radio control USB/Infrared control

Studio light modifiers

Flash head reflectors Umbrellas

Reflective umbrellas Shoot-through umbrellas

Softboxes Striplights Beauty dishes Self-illuminated panels Reflecting panels Snoots

Hot lights

Heat Power consumption Fewer light modification options No freezing of motion Limited filtration requirements Inconsistent color temperature Easily adjustable power output

Cheap vs. expensive

Reliability and repeatability Power and color consistency Unique features

IV. Technique

14. Basic Technique

Direction

Short and broad lighting Multiple light sources

Intensity

High key Low key

Quality

Achieving soft light

Color Basic Speedlite portrait photography

Bounce flash

Building a studio portrait

External flash off-camera with shoot-through umbrella diffuser Two off-camera flash units with shoot-through umbrellas Two off-camera flash units with shoot-through umbrellas, one background light Two off-camera flash units with shoot-through umbrellas, one background light, one hair light

Experimenting with light

15. Advanced Techniques

Slow shutter sync and motion Hard isn’t all bad Narrowing down the light Backlighting and flash in the frame Kill the ambient Cookies Open flash Stroboscopic (MULTI) flash High-speed photography

High-speed photography timers

Cross-polarizing Learning from the masters

16. Conclusion

V. Appendices

A. Flash Units for Canon EOS

Speedlites for film and digital cameras (E-TTL)

Speedlite 220EX Speedlite 270EX Speedlite 380EX Speedlite 420EX Speedlite 430EX Speedlite 430EX II Speedlite 550EX Speedlite 580EX Speedlite 580EX II Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2

Macro flash

Speedlite ML-3 Ring Lite Speedlite MR-14EX Ring Lite Speedlite MT-24EX Macro Lite

Speedlites for film cameras (TTL)

Speedlite 160E Speedlite 200E Speedlite 200M Speedlite 300EZ Speedlite 300TL Speedlite 420EZ Speedlite 430EZ Speedlite 480EG Speedlite 540EZ

Third-party flash Sigma

Sigma EF-530 DG ST Sigma EF-530 DG Super Sigma EM-140 DG

Metz

Mecablitz 15 MS-1 macro slave flash Mecablitz 76 MZ-5 hammerhead

Quantum Nissin

Nissin Di866 Nissin Di622 Nissin Di466

Marumi Generic flash units All-manual battery flash

Vivitar 285 LumoPro LP120 Yong Nuo YN460 Nikon Speedlight SB-800

B. Choosing a Flash Unit

A flash unit for casual and occasional use with a Canon digital camera or a type A film camera Advanced use with a Canon digital camera or a type A film camera A flash system for wireless E-TTL A flash unit for all-manual work, Strobist-style A flash unit for macro photography A flash unit for use with a type B film camera; no plans to buy a type A film or digital camera in the future

C. Features Table

Key to Appendix C: Features Tables

D. Custom Functions

Speedlite 430EX Speedlite 430EX II Speedlite 580EX Speedlite 580EX II

E. Sequence of Operation

E-TTL (film and digital) sequence of operation E-TTL II sequence of operation Wireless E-TTL sequence of operation TTL (film only) sequence of operation A-TTL (film only) sequence of operation

F. Lenses

Lenses With Distance Data

Prime/Fixed Focal Length EF Zoom EF EF-S Special-Purpose

Lenses Without Distance Data

Prime/Fixed Focal Length EF Zoom EF SPECIAL-PURPOSE

G. Troubleshooting

Built-in flash Speedlite power issues Flash unit compatibility Using the flash unit Flash unit features Autofocus assist Flash head coverage Wireless Studio lighting

H. Online Resources

Discussion forums Reviews and information Personal blogs

Credits and Acknowledgements

Models Manufacturers, Distributors, and Suppliers

Chapter Opening Images

Index

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