I have confilicting information on the preferred settings for the Nikon Speedlights when paired with a BB.. After setting the exposure appropriate for the ambient light, should the speedlight be set to TTL FP, TTL BL FP or Manual??
Settings for fill flash with Beamer
I have confilicting information on the preferred settings for the Nikon Speedlights when paired with a BB.. After setting the exposure appropriate for the ambient light, should the speedlight be set to TTL FP, TTL BL FP or Manual??
Hi Michael. I am using a D200 + SB800 set to TTL FP, -2.0EV with the better beamer. This works very good for me. Sometimes I adjust from -2.0 to whatever achieves my exp goal, but mostly I just leave it alone. I love the ability to use the high speed syncs with this setup!:D
Dan, thanks.. !!Originally Posted by Dan Brown
All the BB does is to concentrate the Flash beam with a fresnel lens. You can use the BB in manual, FP, TTL, any mode you would like. The Camera will try to balance the background and foreground tones. Normally I try to use the least amount of flash needed to avoid the over flash look. Use flash exp comp to balance Flash and ambient to taste. Just check your histogram and check your files to make are you are getting the results that you like.
Robert
Robert thank you.
I suppose my next question is.. which setting would off the the greatest flash distance? I know opting for FP (High Speed Sync) will be needed almost all the time, but will on setting allow for a greater sitance than another?
Also, am I correct the BB will offer approximately three times the distance displayed on then speedlight LCD? In other words, if the LCD shows a working distance of say 15 - 35 feet, will the Fresnal lenses characteristic allow for a distance of approximately 90 feet?
FP drops output to 1/8th power at low speeds and output goes down as the shutter speeds go up. I have seen people post interesting data logging of output vs. shutter speed on other sites.
No I think you can expect about 1 to 1.5 stop gain. or about double or a little more in my experience.
Make sure you keep the BB aligned and in proper manual zoom setting.. And make sure the flash head doesnt tilt down, some tilt just slightly.
Robert
Wow...1/8th power... that's a bunch of reduction. Gotta wonder if there isn't a better way.
I've spent a fair amount of time aligning the flash head with and without the Beamer. Thanks for reply!
Any idea how much is to be gained with the SB-900 if anything???
Well normally you are using flash for fill to balance the ambient so even in FP the flash is a huge help. I normally use my flash as fill to supplement ambient and to fill in shadows and not as a main light source.
Robert
Depends what bodies you use. If you have FX the output, GN, isnt much higher, if you use DX or FX/DX then it is a decent upgrade, it can zoom in for DX bodies and can zoom to 200mm at the long end.
Robert
Absolutely agree.. I was referring to being able to add a bit of distance and still have a visible amount of fill in the shadows.
The better beamer will increase the flash distance a bit more than 2x. Simply going 1/3 above your normal 1/250 shutter-speed to 1/320 (High-Speed sync) will approx reduce the flash output by 1/2. Go to manual and check the foot/meter scale on the flash LCD.
Best,
Chas
Hi Michael
My most common settings with the BB & D300 are 1/250s f/4 (this will vary) ISO400 with -1.7EV. This was with the SB-800.
The most common problem people have is getting the BB aligned properly, once mastered, the rest is easy.
I'm looking forward to using it on my new SB-900. Preliminary tests with the teddy bear in a tree in the backyard
with NO BB have been very promising. I look forward to using it in Botswana next September.
Here's an image I like from my visit to the Sth Luangwa, Zambia using the BB & SB-800, last year.
Cheers
Marc
Marc, awesome image!!
I've spent a fair amount of time with alignment.. I started with the SB-800 alone on the body and ultimately leveled the head of the speedlight using a wooden match stick held in place under the flash head with a piece of gaffers tape.
Then I the BB to the equation and made sure all was still aligned. I was using a 70-200 at about 100mm, and projecting the flash onto a tree across my yard...in a manner that I could see the limits of the flash illumination on the tree.
Next I introduced the flash bracket (wimberly) and adjusted the set screw for perfect alignment.
So, I think I have a good grip on the alignment.
I'll try your settings though. You don't use High Sped Sync?
Hi Michael
I should have said so before, i do use High Speed Sync, great also for fill flash during the day.
Cheers
Marc
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