Snudge
newbie
Reged: 14/08/2008
Posts: 3
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Hello Everyone!
Sorry if this is a bit of a donkey of a question but could anyone advise me on the simplest/easiest way to get good consistent exposures using Nikon D200 and the SD-800 speedlight? I was using a friends Canon equipment for sometime and I normally set the camera to 'M' and the Speedlight to TTL and I then used the internal metering system in the Canon to judge the best exposure and it worked everytime giving nice, even exposures. I then decided to buy the Nikon D-200 and love the camera and messed about a bit with the built in speedlight which was great (but caused a bit of the old red eye monster!) so I decided to buy the SD-800 speedlight to compliment the camera, however (this is where the silly bit of my question comes in) the meter in the Nikon does not seem to give a reading taking the fact that I have the speedlight on i.e. in a dark room it is still telling me to drop my shutter away down and open the aperture wide - this didn't seem to happen with the Canon.
So, I was just wondering if there was something really simple I'm missing here and what a 'fool' proof way to set this up would be to get me started.
Any ideas? Help would be much appreciated with this!! Thanks!
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spangler
addict
Reged: 04/04/2008
Posts: 462
Loc: Aylesbury
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Hi, welcome to the forum. As I understand it with the Nikon Creative Lighting System you determine the settings you wish to use and the flash unit provides the appropriate amount of light. I too had problems when I first started using Speedlights. There is a Magic Lantern Guide to the Speedlight System by Simon Stafford published by Lark Books.
Regards, Andrew
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Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.
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lightspeed
member
Reged: 17/09/2006
Posts: 117
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Yes, leave your camera on auto aperture, and flash on balanced fill TTL.
I am a big fan of bounced flash (assuming that the ceiling is white!), but you may find that the exposures are slightly dark with this combination. Dialing in around +0.7 - +1.0 EV compensation should sort it out. Look at the histogram to make sure you haven't overdone it!
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hech54
addict
Reged: 20/05/2006
Posts: 456
Loc: Germany and U.S.A.
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I have an SB-600 and a D70 and I'm also still learning like you. Lightspeed is correct IMO...Bounce bounce bounce. Bouncing a flash yields the best results for me....no matter how far away the subject is....that and the business card rubber banded to the SB-600 to help project some light forward.
I almost NEVER point my SB-600 directly at the subject...even when I have my 210mm lens on the camera taking candid kid shots from a distance.
I also adjust the intensity of the flash on the SB-600...not the camera...though I think the SB-600 reacts to what you do on the camera.
I have some examples of pics taken with my SB-600 and my 210mm lens....but Photobucket seems to be down right now.
I was more than pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the pics.
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Does the picture turn out differently than what you see in the viewfinder?
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Snudge
newbie
Reged: 14/08/2008
Posts: 3
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Thank you very much for all the advice! Think I should defo invest in the book, think this would be very useful. I had been taking some photographs at the weekend and decided at one point to put the camera on programmed to see if the camera would automatically balance out the light but the photographs seemed worse with bright foregrounds and very dark backgrounds. I'm going to my friends wedding this weekend so think I'll take my camera along and experiment a bit with the bounced flash - keeping well out the way of the pro photographer of course! 
Thanks again for the useful tips!
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hech54
addict
Reged: 20/05/2006
Posts: 456
Loc: Germany and U.S.A.
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Quote:
I'll take my camera along and experiment a bit with the bounced flash - keeping well out the way of the pro photographer of course!
I'd follow him around....or just stick close to him to get some pointers....just don't flash over his flash... 
Here are some examples of bounce flashing with the SB-600 and a D70 with 70-210D Nikon lens....in the hands of an amateur...:)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/hech54/Misc/comp4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/hech54/Misc/comp3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/hech54/Misc/comp2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/hech54/Misc/shy.jpg
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Does the picture turn out differently than what you see in the viewfinder?
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Snudge
newbie
Reged: 14/08/2008
Posts: 3
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Cheers for posting the links - photos are fab!! I'm sure I must have nearly blinded the people in the photos last week with my direct flash and they've been too polite to say! Flash bouncing would appear to be the way to go! Thanks!
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