 Nami Sakamoto |
Studio Lighting for Digital Photography I've just bought my first digital camera (canon EOS digital rebel) last week and did a test shoot in a studio setting. I set my lights as usual, using a flash meter...., and all my shots came out underexposed. They are not just a slightly underexposed but REALLY DARK! What did I do wrong? I tried increasing the amount of light and opening the aperture as much as I could, and I even brought ISO up to 1600, but still shots look far too dark. Then I used the on-camera flash instead of studio lights, and the shot was properly exposed. I just don't understand why this little on-camera flash can light my subject and two studio lights can't. Is there some trick for studio lighting for a digital camera that I don't know about or do I have to go out and buy more powerful light? I hope I don't. Would you please help me?
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Piper Lehman |
Nami, Have you checked your camera manual to see if the Rebel has a pre-flash? Check for any info on using the on-camera flash as a trigger for studio lights. I know I have to switch my D100 over to manual flash instead of TTL auto so that the flash can trigger the studio strobes correctly. Also, are you sure your strobes even flashed when you did the shots above? Are you using a PC sync connection from your camera to your strobes, or are you using an infrared remote trigger? Sounds to me like your strobes did not trip at all, and you were only capturing the ambient light in these shots. Also make sure you've dialed in the correct sync speed and ISO into the meter before you take your readings. Hope this helps some.
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Nami Sakamoto |
Thank you for your thoughtful advice, Piper. I've found my problem by an accident. I was using my on-camera flash as a trigger for all studio lights (main, fill, back ground, and hair), and yes, they were going off everytime. But the trick was that the closest flash to the on-camera flash which was catching the signal from the on-camera flash and sending to the rest of lights (and also it was made by the different company from the rest of lights)was going off either too slow or too fast for my new digital camera's shutter opening, and the camera ended up with no light recorded in the shot. It took me a while to figured out, but when I switched the lights around, images are properly exposed every shots. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right since I'm not too bright on electronic stuff, but it works now. Thank goodness.
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Gregg Vieregge |
Light meters are for film. Your digital camera is know your light meter. For inside potraits set it at 100 ISO and take a test. Check the histogram. Being slightly underexposed is good, overexposed is bad. As digital has no depth od fiels the 100 ASo if where you should be for portraits. Dump the on camera flash as a slave trigger and get a synch cord and connect this directly to the main light. As you continue to always check your histogram you'll begin to understand your lights and the corretc settings. Good Luck
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Melinda Wheeler |
Speaking of the Digital Rebel, I'm thinking about getting one soon to add to my Canon arsenal. I have a Sony point and shoot that I'm using for my digital now. I have had a problem with poor correlation of the viewfinder version of the photo with the digital print version when I use the "manual" modes. I use an excellent photo finisher and he says that digital is more like slide film than print in that you can't make exposure corrections as easily. Is anyone shooting with the Digital Rebel on manual that can tell me whether the metering etc. is on target? It's a lot of money to spend if I can't use the manual settings that I love on my other Canon SLR's.
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Steve A. Stephens |
Nami, it would help alot to understand what kind of lights you have...with that in mind..canon digital camera's are polarized at the pc connection...so..if you have your plug into the base unit facing + to minus and the camera to - to +..it is wired backwards...try reversing the plug at he base unit and see if that will fire the lights properly....a light meter is a light meter...it should read the same for both digita and film based cameras....the manual settings should be the same as film based cameras...so setting your camera to manual f8 at 1/60th of a second should be the same as film based...when hookin them up to an external of studio flash..you have to make sure that the sinc cord is polarize the same as the camera or it won't fire...I was using this d60 and it wouldn't fire on my studio set up..reversed the plug at the base unit and it fired and exposed just like my film bronica 2.25x2.25 would....
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Melinda Wheeler |
The Digital Rebel does not have a PC connection. You have to use the on camera flash to trigger the other lights. That is one of the downsides of this camera. I just got mine yesterday and can't wait to try it out.
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Steve A. Stephens |
then you can get a pc block that fits on your hotshoe to connect to the lights...porter has those too...SS
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Cheryl Easter |
Nami, You said you figured out how to fix your problem. Are you still using your on camera flash? How did you switch your lights around? I just bought the Canon Rebel Digital and I'm trying to figure out my Mono strobe lighting with it. Your input would be greatly appreciate. Plus, I'm new to studio lighting anyway. Thanks for your help. CE
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Steve |
everyone might wanna check out http://www.expodisc.com/ http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7532896056&category=3860&tc=photo&ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1
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