very underexposed pics

[huoyun]

hey guys,

i was helping out with an event and found that the shots turned out super dark! when the flash fired, EV is automatically reduced, usually -2.7 to -3.0.. i guess that's why it became so dark.

it was in a hall at night. lights are *quite* bright but rather high up.
settings on:
- nikon sb600:
TTL-BL, with 14mm adapter on
- d80:
wb = flash
iso = 200
ev = 0
aperture priority, f5.6
shutter = 1/60 (fixed)

the shots were super dark when i fired at iso200, so i was forced to go 800. going thru the manual again, the workaround recommended was to shoot closer to subject, or use a larger aperture.

however, the above seems the same setting used for a friend's wedding. i went back to the shots on the wedding day and saw iso = 200 also.

not sure if it's the WB (not checked yet), but do you think there could be other reasons?

thankfully it wasn't a paid job!

 

[allstar]

perhaps u cld post the picture for us to see? iso 200? perhaps you should use a higher iso like 800 or more in indoor settings based on the lighting given. And perhaps a 600's guide number aint strong enough? if it's really under exposed, perhaps u could use ps to edit it?

 

[grantyale]

Shouldn't it be TTL instead of TTL-BL?
I'm not very familiar with iTTL system though.

 

[catchlights]

maybe he is using TTL and you using TTL BL
maybe he is using SB800 and you using SB600
maybe he is shooting wide open and you are shooting f5.6
maybe he is shooting direct flash and you are bouncing your flash off to a 20ft ceiling
maybe he knows how to get closer to subject and you prefer to shoot from far far away

so many maybe, who really know what happen?

and
why you say thankfully? just because it is not a paid job?
what if you are the only photographer for a wedding, and you don't have photos to deliver.. will that make you have less liability even if you are not being paid??

 

[lsisaxon]

hey guys,

i was helping out with an event and found that the shots turned out super dark! when the flash fired, EV is automatically reduced, usually -2.7 to -3.0.. i guess that's why it became so dark.

it was in a hall at night. lights are *quite* bright but rather high up.
settings on:
- nikon sb600:
TTL-BL, with 14mm adapter on
- d80:
wb = flash
iso = 200
ev = 0
aperture priority, f5.6
shutter = 1/60 (fixed)

the shots were super dark when i fired at iso200, so i was forced to go 800. going thru the manual again, the workaround recommended was to shoot closer to subject, or use a larger aperture.

however, the above seems the same setting used for a friend's wedding. i went back to the shots on the wedding day and saw iso = 200 also.

not sure if it's the WB (not checked yet), but do you think there could be other reasons?

thankfully it wasn't a paid job!

Post a picture with EXIF intact. When the flash shows a -EV after the flash is fired, that means the power is not enough. Could be due to several reasons like what catchlights has mentioned.. Your subject distance, the aperture you used, your ISO, the lens you used.. whether you bounced (did you check if the ceiling was too high?), the 14mm diffuser (did you need that?) would drastically reduce the available power from the flash, were your batteries fresh? Was the recycle time too long and you were shooting too fast, not giving enough time for the flash to be fully recycled?

 

[Henessy]

maybe he is using TTL and you using TTL BL
maybe he is using SB800 and you using SB600
maybe he is shooting wide open and you are shooting f5.6
maybe he is shooting direct flash and you are bouncing your flash off to a 20ft ceiling
maybe he knows how to get closer to subject and you prefer to shoot from far far away

so many maybe, who really know what happen?

and
why you say thankfully? just because it is not a paid job?
what if you are the only photographer for a wedding, and you don't have photos to deliver.. will that make you have less liability even if you are not being paid??

Quite true, too many varying factors. It will be gd if TS post the pics .

 

[Kimura_papaya]

hey guys,

i was helping out with an event and found that the shots turned out super dark! when the flash fired, EV is automatically reduced, usually -2.7 to -3.0.. i guess that's why it became so dark.

it was in a hall at night. lights are *quite* bright but rather high up.
settings on:
- nikon sb600:
TTL-BL, with 14mm adapter on
- d80:
wb = flash
iso = 200
ev = 0
aperture priority, f5.6
shutter = 1/60 (fixed)

the shots were super dark when i fired at iso200, so i was forced to go 800. going thru the manual again, the workaround recommended was to shoot closer to subject, or use a larger aperture.

however, the above seems the same setting used for a friend's wedding. i went back to the shots on the wedding day and saw iso = 200 also.

not sure if it's the WB (not checked yet), but do you think there could be other reasons?

thankfully it wasn't a paid job!

try to check ur menu, i believe u didnt turn on the iTTL function well and your flash probably fires with 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 power and not full power? if not is it ur flash bouncing direction is wrong?

one more thinkg i could think of is ur Slow Sync Curtain setup in your camera. you probably didn use that.

iy

 

[huoyun]

hey guys,

thanks for all your feedback. let me check on the settings first, then come back with you on the findings.

for now, what i can be sure of is that the flash did fire.

 

[CT 3833]

Hi, what you have mentioned was the D80 ev but you did not mention the FLASH ev. please press the ev button on the lower left of the built-in flash and check what is the setting.

 

[blive]

maybe he is using TTL and you using TTL BL
maybe he is using SB800 and you using SB600
maybe he is shooting wide open and you are shooting f5.6
maybe he is shooting direct flash and you are bouncing your flash off to a 20ft ceiling
maybe he knows how to get closer to subject and you prefer to shoot from far far away

so many maybe, who really know what happen?

and
why you say thankfully? just because it is not a paid job?
what if you are the only photographer for a wedding, and you don't have photos to deliver.. will that make you have less liability even if you are not being paid??

Agree with Catchlight....:thumbsup:

TS, settings are dependent on the existing lighting conditions. Its doesn't mean that a particular setting is useable for every similiar situation. I think you need to learn about the basics of photography. :think:

Anyway, you didn't specify what zoom range you were using and there is no photo. if a picture tells a thousand words, how could you decribe it in a few sentences?

You are using a D80. Didn't you check in between shot to see if the photo turn out ok, and adjust accordingly? The advantage of shooting digital is that you can check on the spot and adjust.

Thankfully, I am not a professional photographer and you are not working as my assistant. :bsmilie:

 

[Jix]

I agree with catchlights.

(I tot everyone knows that) there are a lot of factors to consider when shooting. You cannot just copy the settings that a friend used previously because it will not work. Different location, different lighting condition, different timing are just some of the factors that will force you to make adjustments. You canot memorize, understand the reason why your friend used that settings.

You better read your manual so that you can understand more on how your camera works.

 

[lsisaxon]

hey guys,

thanks for all your feedback. let me check on the settings first, then come back with you on the findings.

for now, what i can be sure of is that the flash did fire.

So after the flash fired, the display on the flash shows -something EV on the top right corner below the triangle with a minus sign, right?

Image taken from http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/NikonF5/Flash/SB600/index.htm

 

[desaintlights]

hey guys,

i was helping out with an event and found that the shots turned out super dark! when the flash fired, EV is automatically reduced, usually -2.7 to -3.0.. i guess that's why it became so dark.

it was in a hall at night. lights are *quite* bright but rather high up.
settings on:
- nikon sb600:
TTL-BL, with 14mm adapter on
- d80:
wb = flash
iso = 200
ev = 0
aperture priority, f5.6
shutter = 1/60 (fixed)

the shots were super dark when i fired at iso200, so i was forced to go 800. going thru the manual again, the workaround recommended was to shoot closer to subject, or use a larger aperture.

however, the above seems the same setting used for a friend's wedding. i went back to the shots on the wedding day and saw iso = 200 also.

not sure if it's the WB (not checked yet), but do you think there could be other reasons?

thankfully it wasn't a paid job!

try turning if off.......... because it over-rides the camera settings....

i was in a situation similar to yours not long ago..... by the end of the day, found the real culprit.......

hope this help...

 

[Liangerism]

i have a question here.

what's the different kinda situation that i should engage TTL and TTL-BL?

 

[night86mare]

maybe he is using TTL and you using TTL BL
maybe he is using SB800 and you using SB600
maybe he is shooting wide open and you are shooting f5.6
maybe he is shooting direct flash and you are bouncing your flash off to a 20ft ceiling
maybe he knows how to get closer to subject and you prefer to shoot from far far away

maybe he took off the lens cap, and you didn't? :bsmilie::bsmilie::bsmilie:

 

[desaintlights]

i have a question here.

what's the different kinda situation that i should engage TTL and TTL-BL?

very simple..... when you purchased your flash light... there's something called the "manual".... read it, it's there........ rather than I have to go though all again and type it out all over again...... seriously, please go and read it. no offend meant.

cheers

 

[catchlights]

i have a question here.

what's the different kinda situation that i should engage TTL and TTL-BL?

when you use your flash as main light, you use TTL, the exposure balance between flash light and ambient light is not your main concern.

when you want to balance the exposure of ambient light and flash light, you use TTL-BL, do note the flash by default will not brighter than ambient light when you using this mode, so if you are shooting at a very dim ambient light environment and your flash is set at this mode................... very good luck to you.

 

[blazer_workz]

very simple..... when you purchased your flash light... there's something called the "manual".... read it, it's there........ rather than I have to go though all again and type it out all over again...... seriously, please go and read it. no offend meant.

cheers

Everyone got different understanding and interpretation on reading..instead of typing text directing ppl to read manual..y not type some text and share some knowledge here?

 

[blive]

Everyone got different understanding and interpretation on reading..instead of typing text directing ppl to read manual..y not type some text and share some knowledge here?

Uhh, why not try reading the manual first, and then come here to ask for clarification instead? ;p

 

[blazer_workz]

Uhh, why not try reading the manual first, and then come here to ask for clarification instead? ;p

The question to me is very direct, and is seeking clarification..it has nothing to do with reading the manual.

"what's the different kinda situation that i should engage TTL and TTL-BL?"

BL - Balanced Fill-Flash
This always appear together with TTL. Based on the exposure control information, the flash output level is automatically controlled for a well-balanced exposure of the main subject and background (p.37).

Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash: TTL BL
Press the MODE button to display the TTL BL on the LCD panel, and Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash is performed. The flash output level is automatically adjusted for a well-balanced exposure of the main subject and background. (While performing Balanced Fill-Flash, no BL appears with cameras in Groups III and IV.)
- TTL BL indicates "i-TTL Automatic Balanced Fill-Flash" in the i-TTL mode.

That's is all written in the user manual about TTL-BL. Nothing mention about the kind of situation to use TTL-BL.

SB800 Manual is here -> http://www.nycv.com/manuals/Nikon/SB800_en.pdf
SB600 Manual is here -> http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/Speedlights/SB-600.pdf

Can you please share with me which page which paragraph tells you for different kind of situation use which mode of flash? :dunno: