P3D RE: Flash Photography help?

["Greg Kane, MD" <integrity@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David,

Not sure if the Cullman or Vivitar 2800 have thyristors (sp?) -- essentially
an exposure meter for and in the flash itself.  If it doesn't, invest in a
Vivitar or Sumpak that does.  $50 - $80 at Adorama.

Flash meters are probably not worth the expense and hassle unless you're
using 2 or more flashes at once.  Cheap (<$ 300) flash meters are said to be
reliably unreliable.  Somebody now makes a meter that's both a flash meter
and a spot meter -- a useful combination for Realist owners.

Just put the flash on the camera and set things the way  the flash's
instruction book says.  You set the f-stop for a general camera-subject
range, the flash/thyristor does the actual exposure adjustment.  Set it up
once then it's just point and shoot and shoot.  I use a Vivitar 283 and ASA
100 film with my Realists for indoor shots (f8, 60) and outdoor fill-in
(f16, 100).  Makes a huge difference.  Highly recommended. Highly
recommended.

It's also great to put one flash off to the side, triggered by a slave.  The
shadows make for a stunning 3D effect.  Set the on-camera unit to 1/4 or
1/16th power or aim it at the ceiling -- enough to trigger the slave, not
enough to wash it out.  A diffuser on the side flash helps, but cuts down
brightness.

I'd also suggest a book:  Mastering Flash Photography by Susan McCartney.
140 pages of powerful hands on flash secrets from a photo pro.

Cheers,
Greg

Greg Kane
Amateur Photographic Exchange Club
mailto:pgwhacker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/APEC/HowTo/HowTo.html





> Can anyone direct me to a FAQ or other source of instruction on using
> flash(es) with my Realist?  I have an inexpensive non-flash meter only.
> I have a Vivitar 2800 flash modified for the camera and recently acquired
> a Cullman SL28 hotshoe/slave flash to use off camera.
>
> My current technique is to set the vivitar to manual and guess at the
> exposure.  I keep thinking that there should be a more intelligent way to
> use these things...
> Any help with figuring exposures with one or more flashes would be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David
>
>
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