Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
> Ed, Do you have any experience from using this flash as a 'filler' in daylight, say late afternoons?
What Ralph said. I have used a lot of fill with smaller formats, but not with the 4x5 yet. No particular reason, just have not gotten around to it. I got the flash to shoot some Mardi Gras Balls this spring, but all the rest of my shooting time has been spent on Katrina damage. I will get back to people again soon, I hope.
Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
A Polaroid or digital helps you fine tune the mix of ambient and fill flash. It can be a very nice technique but usually you need a lot of flash power to use it in bright sun.
If you look at a popular magazine like Sports Illustrated you see it used alot when photographers need to shoot a portrait in Noon-day sun. But they also have to use larger strobe packs to generate enough power to outdo the sunlight. With a battery handle mount flash you maybe limited to shooting during lower light situations (such as against a sunset).
Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
You only need a lot of power to overpower the sun. If you are just trying to fill the shadows and preserve the ambient light feel, it takes a lot less power, esp. with something like Tmax 400 with its wide latitude. Set the auto to a couple of stops larger that the shooting aperature and it should work just fine. This is for candid, handheld, of course. If you are doing formal shots, then you can start metering the flash and using manual settings to get it right.
Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
Rather than trying to overpower the sun, you could use reflectors to re-direct the illumination. A flash is more for a smaller concentrated area in which you want to knock down shadows a bit. In situations where power sources are tough to arrange beyond using batteries, having many different reflectors, clamps, and holding gear can make life easier.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat
A G Studio
Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrik Roseen
David, thanks alot for your information ...that Norman setup is really tempting from what I see in your photographs. Really Nice - The lighting seems very delicate and soft and spreads evenly - not like most flash which tends to be more 'snapshot' like as Frank puts it.
David, What is the reason to shoot Efke PL100 at ISO200, in normal situations I need to shoot it at ISO50 ... Is this a trick to avoid those really strong highlights??
With Acufine, you can get an honest EI 200 with PL100. For the Halloween shots, I was looking for the Weegee look, and I think that Efke/Acufine at 200 has that kind of tonality and texture.
Normally, I rate Efke PL100 at EI 50 in ABC pyro.
Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
Thanks to you I hope to do some nice LF handheld+flash this weekend.
I will experiment with the combination of both flash and ambient.
I do have an Osram VS340 (GN=34) which has auto apertures f/4 and f/8, so getting f/16 would be a matter of reducing the ISO setting on the flash I guess. (I never needed to go this low with my small format before.)
If I add an orange/redfilter there will certainly be some calculations to be worked out. For plain flash in auto-mode it means reducing the ISO setting even more as I normally do with my Spotmeter (ISO100 becomes ISO12 for redfilter).
Anyone using two auto-flashes? I quickly thought about it but have not yet worked out how they would interfere/relate to each other. Assuming they were perfectly synched I guess they together would produce the same amount of light as a single one...So how do you get them to add up? Ahh, I'm getting dizzy, better not think too much about it ;-)
David, Thanks for the info about EfkePL100 and Acufine giving EI200! I will try it in the future.
(BTW, I invested in a used Nissin 5000GT (very similar to the Metz Mecablitz handheld) and will start to read more about the Norman 200C setup.)
Re: Which flash for Handheld LF 4x5"?
Um, er, ah, Patrik, guide number arithmetic will get you, and fast.
Remember two things. Flash guide numbers are often over-rated by nearly one stop. The most powerful portable electronic flash available is, I think and please correct me if I'm mistaken, the Metz CT-70. Its GN is 70, ISO 100, meters.
So if you had a CT-70, at 5 m with ISO 100 film you could shoot at f/14 with a CT-70 at full power. ISO 50 film is a stop slower, ISO 200 is a stop faster. Do the arithmetic to see if it will do what you want it to. Remember that in use the flash is probably ~ 0.5 stop down from rated output.
The amount of light an autoflash puts out depends on the setting, not on the speed of the film you're using. If, e.g., the autoflash's little calculator tells you to use f/4 with ISO 100 film at "low", it will tell you to use f/8 with ISO 400 film at "low." ISO 400 is two stops faster than ISO 100, f/8 is two stops dimmer than f/4. And so on.
Re claimed and actual power, my Minolta Flash Meter says that my three Vivitar 283s (claimed GN 120, ISO 100, feet) at full output are roughly 1/2 stop down from claimed output. My Agfa 643CS (claimed GN 64, ISO 100, meters) at full power is 2/3 stop down from claimed.
About using two autoflashes. Not a good idea. But two autoflashes run on manual are one stop brighter than one autoflash run on manual. Four are one stop brighter than two. And so on. Adding flashes isn't always a good idea.
Have you considered using flash bulbs?
Cheers,
Dan