Looking at the various settings, personally I prefer the lowest with the sharpening I can start to see slight halo's as the sharpening is increased I prefer to sharpen in CS. The same for the contrast. The other setting I couldn't see much of a difference. I was hoping to get some good photo's but it hasn't stoped raining and flash wasn't giving me the correct results.

Christine,

We have a pic of the flash but no name. With that I may be able to find some info.

Don

PS Can't do any thing about the rain though :D

Don its the vivitar DF200.

Got a manual but a bit of a problem, opened the file and ............ its in Russian. :D :D

Don

The very small manual I got with the flash wasn't very helpful, just told me how to set it up so it recognised the camera trigger. I wish canons flash guns weren't so expensive it would be in my kit bag most of the time.

This will give you guys a laugh.
Found the link in my search ........ http://www.birdforum.net/archive/index.php/t-41099
How old is that thread ? :D

Don

I think the thread is two years old.

It was Sept 2005 just before I bought the Vivitar from 7dayshop I thought it was a lot longer then that.

Christine,
I have been trying to use a web translator to understand this sheet. Can you post a series of pics 1 page at a time of the instructions.

My web translator now has a headache and wont play anymore. :D

Don

Sorry it took a while had to download a new driver for scanner. Crumbs that was hard work I to try three diferent formats before I could upload.

Thanks Christine

Don

Don.

I have run some tests with the Flash, I am glad now I did. I have been using it in the wrong mode. There are three settings No1, No2 and detect. I found the detect was very fiddly to use because when the camera goes into standby I have to detect all over again. I have been using it in no 1 mode, I saw and heard that the flash was firing so thought nothing more about it. Any photo's I took where lit up by the on camera flash. Today I decided to completely cover the the on camera flash in the forward direction with my hand and just leave enough of a gap to fire the slave, all I got was black pictures, so tried the curtain sync in a different mode still no joy. Then I put it into the no2 setting. This one must be the correct setting for my camera.

I have made a temporary diffuser for the flash as you can see in the photo and put a plastic top over the on camera flash. I have taken lots of photo's all at different f stops and have now found the ideal setting for various distances.

I have included two photo's one of my hall 13ft long 200s, F5 this was done with the diffusers and one of a vase of flowers at 6ft 200s, f8. I have some I took of Mario but he won't let me use them they have also turned out very well.

Phew!!! Glad that is over. It could have been a big mistake.:eek:

Christine

Glad its all turned out OK Christine,

My reading of the instructions and what I managed to glean off the net infers that no2 is the correct setting.

Very impressed with the diffuser. It overcomes any colour problems with bouncing off a ceiling and is very versatile.
Did you try without the diffuser over the pop up once you had solved the no.2 setting ? As the pop up is a lot lower power I would not think you need it. If you do find you have to use it, you need to drill holes to get some air circulation in there, as the flash will generate a fair bit of heat that needs to be got rid of.

Top job all round.

You should start a money savings tip thread with this.

Don

Thanks Don I will do like you say and put a few holes in the flash it may stop any overheating, I am quite surprised how powerful the little pop up is but I wouldn't want to rely on it. The slave flash I found was to harsh pointing straight ahead even on a 1/4 power it was much better with the diffuser. I am going to make a proper diffuser out of a white plastic milk carton, the one I used was made out of the box I get my photo paper in, I don't like to buying something if I can make it.:D

Christine

Blue Peter badge in the post :D

Don

Christine,

Stephen posted this link in the flash thread ages ago. Something to give you some design ideas.
http://www.toddwalker.net/e20/flashtest/

Don

Thanks Don. I forgot about that.

Don I said I would make a diffuser.:D I made it out of a paraffin bottle

Wow Christine.

Massive reflector. I bet the light from this is nice and soft. Should work well with the pop up.

Have to post a pic before you get your badge. :D

Don

Don this was the only thing I could think of to take I had the settings on F10 200s and cover the built in flash.

Just added another one there is still very harsh light considering its bounce perhaps I will have a go at putting a matt finish on the reflector it maybe a bit to shiny.

Christine,

Pic 1 is not really a fair test as lots of reflective surfaces. Pic 2 however is better. Looking at the shadows on the wall it appears that all the light is from the DF200. First thing to try is, with the same subject, remove diffuser from the pop up. The effect will show in the shadows. A bit of matt white emulsion paint on the large diffuser may still be needed but give this a go first.

Don

Christine,

I have just been looking a pic 2 again. Given the closeness of some of those stems to the wall the light is not as hard as it may first appear. I am now banking on the undiffused pop up lessening their effect.

Don

I have now tried three more shots.

1. Diffuser as is, with no diffusion on the pop up.
2. Piece of white paper over diffuser to soften glare from plastic, popup covered.
3. Piece of paper on diffuser, pop-up uncovered.

Christine,

No 3 has best exposure but the pop up in 1 & 3 is slightly more poweful hence the stonger shadow. Need to think how to trim it a bit. Right hand side of no 3 is nice but shadow from pop up on the left is quite hard.

I need to have a bit of a think as its getting close. Can you do one with the vase about a foot off the wall but expose as in no 3. It would be interesting to see what happens to the shadows on the left side particularly.

I will download these and have a proper look.

Don

These two are as follows.

Both photo's with vase 18" from wall
1. Paper to soften on bounce flash and nothing on popup.
2. Paper to soften on bounce flash and white plastic cap over pop up.

Don I am hoping to have the live model this weekend some alterations to do on dress. So will be able to do a little practicing I may get her to go on balcany if its dry then I should have daylight as well.

Christine,

Just to help us think about this I have marked up image 3 from your last post and repost your first as a reference point.

Don

The reception for the wedding is be held here in a marque so if all goes well I will be editing as the day goes along, I will be able to see straight away what photo's are going to be fine and any that may need to doing again. I know I will be printing some off of the group shots to hand out on the day. I may be the mother of the bride but I know where I will be most of the time.

Its still very harsh I will go and paint the diffuser with some matt paint. I think it looks better with the diffuser over popup. I have kept the fstop the same for all. The head of the flash can be set on widangle or zoom at the moment its in the middle for standard 50m lens there is wide angle and zoom settings. Once I have sorted out the harshness I will play with those setting.

Christine,

Exposure on no1 looks better. Notice the shadows from the DF200 are dissapearing. The pop up is the master light with a bit of fill from the DF200.
Live model will be good. Shadow around the nose would be the thing to look at.

A couple of questions.
What did you use for the pop up diffuser when you had it on ?
When you say paper to soften the DF200 what sort of paper do you mean ? Kitchen towel or paper - paper.

Don

Christine,

Just a thought as it would be preferable for the DF200 to be the master flash. Do you have a bit of white linen or similar, something fairly open weave that you could use to diffuse the DF200. That would allow more light through but keep the diffusion.

Don

The last set for today Don.
Rather than paint the diffuser I used some fine emery paper to dull the finish safer than having bits of paint peeling off.

1st Image I put a sheet of paper in front of the bounce diffuser and had the pop up with just the plastic cap over it, its still to harsh without some sort of diffusion.
2. paper in front of bounce but pop up covered to blank out.

I tried some with the df200 on all the zoom setting there wasn't much of a diference so no need to post those.

Sorry Don I was a little to quick, didn't see your post. I used a piece of A4 printer paper wrapped round the bounce flash.

Right up your street here Christine,

I looked at no 2 which is underexposed but the shadows look soft.

Increased exposure in CS to see what the shadows really look like.

I still think that an open weave white material should give good diffusion, and increase light output.

Colours a bit off but that was not what this is about.

Don

Here is the same image but exposer corrected at the raw stage, the colour balance is about right just a bit grainy. I may put some black tape over the front of the cap that should cut out light and leave my hand free and find some material to use. Nearly there.

Lovely soft light Christine. :cool:

Don

Don & Christine

I noticed that these test shots have been taken in rooms with very light walls. Do these test conditions match the room to be used on the day. The reason I question is that I will never forget an experience I had when a friend asked me to photography her sisters baby. This was some 25 yrs ago and it did leave mental scares. The shoot was with 100 ASA BW film. I had my main bounce flash GN36 and a slave GN16. The dark ceiling, wall paper and drapes soaked up all the flash. Very little light coming through the windows. We put on all the room lights and fetched in the bedside table lamps aswell. But I knew I was still in trouble.

The negs come out very low contrast. After much pushing of the development of prints I got something half decent which she was happy with but to be honest the score was only 2 out of 10 and I wanted to try again.

Thanks Rob I never thought of that I will have to put the vase in the dining room where there are lots of wood around. that should give me similar lighting to the room where the wedding is although I have a feeling that I will be to close and be in the shots to take any photo's there.

I have tried the flash today as a pre wedding sampler. I can't post any of the photo's unfortunately as the groom comes to visit the site occasionally. I have found the best settings for the Vivitar DF200 flash with the bounce reflector. If I set it between F6.3 and F8 @ 200s depending on the amount of light in the room I get about a third of a stop underexposed.

The following worked very well for me when I had taken a function. The difference is that I've shot the pictures where white was not a common theme but rich colors were the theme. The function was indoor as well as outdoor.

Indoor I shot with spot metering (12mm on the D1X), used a fast lens 24-85mm f/2.8 and had taken an equal number of shots with a diffuser on the flash as well as without the flash.

For outdoors I used a 3D Color metering. with a flash(minus the diffuser).

Overall, I would say I had close to 90% excellent pictures and the remaining 10% could be digitally mastered.

Hope the above helps