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G2 general questions

Austin:
It has to do with fill flash. What you would want to achieve is an EV that has a shutter speed of your synch speed or slower that also has the aperture that fits into the camera distance range. So therefore, if yout set the camera to 1/200 when the amient requires 1/60, your flash will be acting as a main light source and not a fill. Doing this, you will neot get the proper bablance between ambient and flash exposure in a fill flash situation.

1/200 or "x" would be fine shooting at night or in a dim indoor situation where the camera flash is the main source of light. The shutter speeed is not that important unless you want to burn in more detail from your background.

I myself always shoot in manual exposure mode when I use the TTL flash control on the TLA 200 for fill on My G2. That way, I control the ambient within the synch range.

I was never a big flash shooter with the G2 because my Nikon works much better in flash situations. But I have found that using manual in fill flash situationson the G2 works best
 
Hi Michael,

> It has to do with fill flash. What you would want to achieve is an EV > that has a shutter speed of your synch speed or slower that also has > the aperture that fits into the camera distance range.

I do understand how fill flash works, and you may very well be right, but I see it as a source of potential problems, irrespective of why they may have done it.

> So therefore, > if yout set the camera to 1/200 when the amient requires 1/60, your > flash will be acting as a main light source and not a fill.

But...this is not for fill flash, this is simply for flash, where the flash is the main light source...if I want fill flash, I can set that up on my own by using manual exposure. I would really want to use manual exposure to do fill flash anyway, unless what I am metering on is right in the middle of the image.

BTW, I posted the meter plot for the G2 here:

http://www.darkroom.com/MiscDocs/G2MeterPlot.jpg

It's VERY center weighted, and for me, may be an excellent meter pattern, as I prefer spot meters.

> The > shutter speeed is not that important unless you want to burn in more > detail from your background.

Shutter speed sure is important if you don't want to get motion in the image in a higher ambient light situation, especially with the 90. If I can simply use 1/200 (X) without any problem, with the TLA-200 in TTL mode, then that solves the problems their implementation may cause me...but the question remains as to why it gives me the "underexposure" indication...I guess I'll have to burn a roll of film and try the different modes and see what happens.

Thanks for your comments,

Austin
 
<But...this is not for fill flash, this is simply for flash, where the flash is the main light source...if I want fill flash, I can set that up on my own by using manual exposure. I would really want to use manual exposure to do fill flash anyway, unless what I am metering on is right in the middle of the image>

Don't most camera's mark there synch speed? I guess that's how Kyocera does it.

<But...this is not for fill flash, this is simply for flash, where the flash is the main light source...if I want fill flash, I can set that up on my own by using manual exposure. I would really want to use manual exposure to do fill flash anyway, unless what I am metering on is right in the middle of the image>

You just answered your original post with this answer.

<Shutter speed sure is important if you don't want to get motion in the image in a higher ambient light situation,>

Of course! But wouldn't you already know that if you decided to burn in the background? Modes Pones? I've frozen action with 1/30.
 
Austin:

The TTL system is basically designed to work in Auto like other TTL and TTL OTF systems and will provide flash below the sync speed. The confusion begins with their term “Aperture-priority Auto Exposure” page 146, which is Auto

Manual X and bulb page 147 Also for non-TTL flash units.

Rather than trying to decipher the manual it does provide the information all be it confusing. On page 156 fill flash using the AEL to lock exposure works like Hasselblad TTL OTF fill flash in that it will expose the background and provide flash. The arrows indicate over or under exposure and require selecting an appropriate aperture. Also page 154

On good thing about the solid 16 flashing arrow unless in darkness you can bet you have the lens cap on.

The AE lock also work like Hasselblad in that your can lock a reading and make several exposures. It does warn you that the exposure is locked by flashing the exposure in the viewfinder. Unlike the static L.

Also setting custom setting 1 to 1 the shutter release will lock both focus and exposure like most point and shoot cameras. It will also revert to the standard function by setting the AEL for exposure then you can focus and or focus lock at a different distance than the locked exposure. And the exposure will blink.

In manual mode, focus the distance can be shown on the viewfinder by pressing the focus lock. The exposure reading will change to show the distance. Unlike any other camera I own or have used, none show the distance in the viewfinder.

Regards

Gilbert
 
Why/when would one want to lock AE and AF at the same time? And why/when would you NOT require AE and AF to lock? Can someone help me understand? Thanks. > >
 
The situation where I commonly want to lock the exposure but not the focus is when I am shooting into the sun. I then take the exposure from behind me turn round and compose/focus the picture I want into the sun. The focus distance behind me is irrelevant to what I am taking in front of me. I sometimes have to use manual focus as the sun can scramble both the image convergence and the IR. Wilson
 
Wilson,
I am not sure I understand what you said. It sounds like a technique I want to learn. Could you explain your technique again in other words as to shooting into the sun. What is your subject and what do you want to have have proper exposure? What do you want in proper focus? Are you photographing people, landscape, building, etc?

Howard
 
Howard, This is a very simple technique, which seems to work well for a wide range of subjects mainly people and buildings and to a lesser extent landscapes. The idea is you find a somewhat similar subject behind you and by locking the exposure on that subject (I usually flick the AEL lock switch, having rather arthritic fingers, I am not wholly confident about holding the shutter button continuously half depressed) you are effectively making the assumption that the incident light on the exposing subject behind you will be correct for the subject into the sun. It is more than often a correct assumption. A more advanced technique is as follows: This works better with an RX set to the spot meter function although the G2 seems to be so centre weighted that it is close to spot. I have a proper Polaris 3 degree spot meter but I have found that the answers I get from either the G2's or RX's built-in meters are near enough to the Polaris, well within the latitude of modern films. The idea is to use the zone exposure method and lock on light shadows, where you can make out good detail (number 3 in the 1 to 9 Ansel Adams scale ignoring 0-dead black and 10-pure white) behind you and then compensate minus 1 to 1 2/3 stops as one feels might be correct. If I remember correctly from my photographic studies over 35 years ago, each scale number is roughly equivalent to one EV. With the very wide contrast range of modern films, in theory, we could use a 13 number scale but I don't think that I for one, can differentiate and mentally number 13 contrast levels in a few seconds. You should have a developed film averagely correctly exposed, again in theory, for scale number 5, mid point of contrast but to maximise the real world contrast levels, nearer 4 is probably better. Particularly with black and white, there was a very good old maxim - expose for the shadows and print for the highlights. It does not fully apply for colour but it still has relevance. If you try this for a few films, you will soon get a feel for the compensation you need. With colour, it is easier to correct a slightly over-exposed film than under. The cheapest way to play with this technique and to learn it is to use a good digital with lots of variable parameters. Wilson
 
Why/when would one want to lock AE and AF at the same time? And why/when would you NOT require AE and AF to lock? Can someone help me understand? Thanks. > >

One instance is:
Perhaps your subject has some unusually bright or dark subject and the opposite background making it difficult to meter correctly. And perhaps near the subject at a different distance is a mid-gray area that you can lock your camera exposure reading and then focus on the subject and recompose for your exposure. Basically you are trying to overcome reflected meter errors e.g. such as measuring snow. Of course there are other options as Wilson mentioned exposure compensation for the condition. Experiment you will have some fun.

Also, Snow or a dark subject you will need to correct for exposure using one method or another.

Regards

Gilbert
 
Ok. So i understand how one would need AE Lock. Perhaps even how AE Lock would be useful when tied to AF Lock at the same time. But when would you need to have AE Lock separate from AF Lock? (Please give an ex&le.) Wouldnt your subject be the point of focus all the time and wouldnt you want your subject to be properly exposed? (eg. a human face in the shade on a bright day). So why/when would one want AE and AF not tied together? TIA. >
 
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