SB 600 + Ducks

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Bruce - 07 Jan 2007 17:41 GMT

I've just joined the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in the UK. So off I went to
photograph some ducks.The gear I was using is Nikon D70, SB600 & Nikkor
70-210mm F4 AI-S lens. Today on my 3rd visit I tried setting the ISO to 400
then 800 and set the flash to TTL-BL but found I had to reduce the flash by
one stop but it was still a bit overpowering (very dull overcast day). Has
any one any experiance with this subject as I want to get more involved.

Thanks Bruce (UK)

Reply to this Message

Rita Ä Berkowitz - 07 Jan 2007 18:36 GMT

> I've just joined the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in the UK. So off I
> went to photograph some ducks.The gear I was using is Nikon D70,
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> overpowering (very dull overcast day). Has any one any experiance
> with this subject as I want to get more involved.

You can cut it back farther if desired. I'm not sure how far your subject
is away from you, but I find adding a diffuser to work extremely well, even
outdoors. The SB600 doesn't come standard with one. See if you can find
one that is supplied with the SB800 or get yourself a rubbing alcohol bottle
and cut to fit. Yes, the alcohol diffuser works just as good as the totally
overpriced Gary Fong Lightsphere.

Rita

Reply to this Message

Rudy Benner - 07 Jan 2007 19:09 GMT

> I've just joined the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in the UK. So off I went to
> photograph some ducks.The gear I was using is Nikon D70, SB600 & Nikkor
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Thanks Bruce (UK)

I dial the flash down about 3 stops in TTL-BL, if that is too much, I put
the strobe in manual mode.

Birds are very uncooperative when it comes to photographers.

Reply to this Message

RichA - 07 Jan 2007 19:52 GMT

> I've just joined the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in the UK. So off I went to
> photograph some ducks.The gear I was using is Nikon D70, SB600 & Nikkor
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Thanks Bruce (UK)

A strip of that frosted, semi-transparent adhesive tape across the lens
of the flash sometimes works.

Reply to this Message

Bruce - 07 Jan 2007 20:34 GMT

I must admit I thought the reduction of -1 stop would have been about right,
the exposure at ISO 800 is shown as 1/250 @ f11 I assumed that the TTL-BL
would be equivalent to f8

Bruce

Reply to this Message

Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) - 07 Jan 2007 21:48 GMT

>I must admit I thought the reduction of -1 stop would have been about right,
>the exposure at ISO 800 is shown as 1/250 @ f11 I assumed that the TTL-BL
>would be equivalent to f8

You don't say what metering mode you used.

Signature

Ed Ruf (Usenet2@EdwardGRuf.com)
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html

Reply to this Message

Bruce - 07 Jan 2007 23:52 GMT

The metering was centre weighted.

Bruce

>>I must admit I thought the reduction of -1 stop would have been about
>>right,
>>the exposure at ISO 800 is shown as 1/250 @ f11 I assumed that the TTL-BL
>>would be equivalent to f8
>
> You don't say what metering mode you used.

Reply to this Message

Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) - 08 Jan 2007 00:20 GMT

>The metering was centre weighted.

So your statement the photo is over exposed takes into account what you
actually metered off? If would help to post an image and denote what in
camera settings where used.

Signature

Ed Ruf (Usenet2@EdwardGRuf.com)
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html

Reply to this Message

Bruce - 08 Jan 2007 16:39 GMT

>>The metering was centre weighted.
>
> So your statement the photo is over exposed takes into account what you
> actually metered off? If would help to post an image and denote what in
> camera settings where used.

Hi Ed

The photos were taken as NEF (RAW) so are rather large. My first visit was
on a brighter day & I took them without flash, on my second visit I noticed
people were useing flash but I only had the cameras built in flash but even
that was an improvement, by my third & last visit I had bought a SB 600 and
set it TTL-BL reducing the output to -.70 & -1. It was a very overcast day
so I increased the ISO to 800 this allowed me to use 1/250 in Shutter
Priority mode. As I am still trying out various settings the shooting
distance was only between 6 to 25 feet using the 70-210 lens. I have since
read on some wildlife sites that the flash can be reduced as much as -3.
What is your experiance?

Thanks Bruce UK

Reply to this Message

Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) - 09 Jan 2007 00:47 GMT

>>>The metering was centre weighted.

>The photos were taken as NEF (RAW) so are rather large. My first visit was
>on a brighter day & I took them without flash, on my second visit I noticed
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>read on some wildlife sites that the flash can be reduced as much as -3.
>What is your experiance?

I don't have experience here. However, I am confused by your choice of
center-weigted metering.

From my copy of Thom Hogan's Guide to the D70,
i-TTL-Balanced Fill-Flash, p.307:
"The camera balances exposure information from the matrix meter with
additional information from the lens and .....

I would seem to me at first glance you should be using matrix metering
instead of center-weighted.

Signature

Ed Ruf (Usenet2@EdwardGRuf.com)
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html

Reply to this Message

Bruce - 09 Jan 2007 01:34 GMT

I tried all 3 types of metering & matrix seemed the best , yet even so the
flash seems to need reducing more than -1 stop. I have now set the D70 to
continous focussing & will vary the flas from -1 to -3 and see which is
best. The birds are generally on dark water so that may throw things out a
bit.

Bruce

Reply to this Message