newbie with an issue

[photo_phly]

Ok, take it easy on me I am still new to photography.... With that said, I have a canon rebel eos k-2, i just recently got an external flash for it. when I shoot the flash is causing my shutter speed to slow down. when I shoot in Tv mode I can correct the problem by adjusting the shutter speed manually. Is this a correct way to go about this? are there any standard shutter speeds i should be using with the flash? indoors? outdoors?

[Wes]

I don't know the tech specs on the Canon, but my Nikon D70 has a sync speed of no faster than 1/500 on the shutter speed. If I set my shutter speed to something faster and then attach my SB600 flash into the hotshoe, my shutter speed will automatically slow down to the fastest speed supported. Yours may be doing the same thing.

[Wes]

Oh, and Welcome to TPF.

[Hogleg 44]

I'm no expert on this, but I know that on my MkII 1/250th sec is as fast as my camera will go on auto with the flash enabled. I presumed is was a sync thing relating to the duration of the actual flash and the shutter. Kind of a First Curtain, Second Curtain vs No Curtain thing.
Anyone else know?

[mivy00]

What external flash do you have?

In the normal shooting modes I think the fastest shutter speed is 1/250 unless your flash has a high speed sync

[photo_phly]

starting to make sense now, thanks everyone... so is it ok for me to set the shutter speed in Tv mode so I don't have that issue, or is that going to mess up my shot all together. I am still shooting film so no instant results :(

[srwatters]

When you shoot using a flash, the exposure is regulated by the aperture and flash power not really the shutter speed. The flash is so bright and lasts a very short amount of time so as long as the shutter is open for the entire duration of the strobe firing, your exposure will be determined by the aperture setting of the lens.

Now there are advanced techniques of mixing ambient light with flash (either fill flash or dragging the shutter), but primary usage is for the main exposure.

In most cases from 1/60 to 1/500 shutter speeds are normal for DSLR bodies. To be safe you need to consult your camera body manual for the maximum flash sync speed it supports. I'll bet you're just fine at 1/60 unless you are using a longer lens, then you might want to go faster to avoid camera shake blur.

Hope that helps.

[mivy00]

Here is a fairly good article that explains it a little better
http://www.naturescapes.net/082006/rp0806.htm

[epoh]

If you manually bump the shutterspeed up too high, you'll end up with part (or nearly all) of your picture severely underexposed.

I found that out playing with my alienbee. :)

[Hogleg 44]

Hey Matt and Scott.
Thanks for that. I learned, and understand it a lot better now!

[KJ Smith]

Jill,
It looks like the sync speed on your camera is 1/90 sec. If you set the shutter speed faster than that, you will only be exposing part of the film. 1/90 sec or below and you will be exposing the entire frame. Does this make sense?
Why do you want to use flash with a higher shutter speed?
There may be another way to accomplish your goal. Let me know if I can help.
kevin

[photo_phly]

Thank you everyone! Some great tips here and I learned a few things too! I'm going to check out the sync speed for my camera, and also play around with the apeture settings a bit. I'll try and post some results.

Thanks again,

Jill

[digitaldooda]

Make sure the batteries are fresh in your external flash....and they must be changed frequently (maybe every 2-4 rolls) if using flash for every shot depending on the distance to your subject and speed of your lens. If your camera cannot detect the presence of the flash on the shoe, due to weak batteries, then it will revert to long exposures (nence the long shutterspeed) when left in the auto modes.

I managed a camera store for 23 years and this question was asked a lot so don't feel like the lone ranger and just keep shooting!

Vickie

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by photo_phly

Ok, take it easy on me I am still new to photography.... With that said, I have a canon rebel eos k-2, i just recently got an external flash for it. when I shoot the flash is causing my shutter speed to slow down. when I shoot in Tv mode I can correct the problem by adjusting the shutter speed manually. Is this a correct way to go about this? are there any standard shutter speeds i should be using with the flash? indoors? outdoors?

You may want to read this "Flash Photography with Canon EOS" it covers both film and digital and is very good for both those starting and those wanting to know more.

[digitaldooda]

What a great resource....may have to put this link on my website.

Vickie