Any tips on how to use slave flash with an S3?

[Wesan]

Hi people!

Like I have mentioned in one or two previous threads here, I ordered a Soligor DG-340 AZ slave flash with my Canon Powershot S3IS. Still haven't got it - was supposed to be delivered last week, but now it's been delayed until beginning of July.

While I'm waiting for it, I thought I take the opportunity to ask here, where there are so many well experienced and educated photogoraphers who are willing to give a helping hand :D , if I could get some tips on how to use the slave flash with my camera? I have never used a slave flash before, but have read a little about how you can use it. But I'd like to know more.

On the Soligor DG-340 AZ, you can tilt the flash head (right expression?) to bounce the light off the ceiling or a wall etc. Are there any rules of thumb on how and when to use a slave flash and how to tilt the flash head and so on? Do I need to adjust or change any settings on the camera, when using the slave flash? Any tips appreciated. :)

Wesan

[BowerR64]

Well i read you get a good DOF the further the flash is away from the lens. So ide hold it in my left hand up high as i could pointing down on the subject as if it was in a studio or somthing using overhead flash lights with umbrellas.

Another thing i thought of is work with what lighting you have available. If your subject is sitting on the living room floor playing with toys and the sun is shinning threw the window at the left, ide want to put the flash on the right with a similar cast. I dont have one yet and havnt played with one but thats kinda how i use fixed lighting at home.

[Wesan]

Well i read you get a good DOF the further the flash is away from the lens.

Thanks for the tips, BowerR64! :) You get a good DOF the further the flash is away from the lens, you read? Is that DOF as in Depth of Field? Then, I'm not sure I understand - I thought DOF depended on the aperture, distance from subject and focal length (see my thread about S3's highest aperture (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20694)). Not the light (although you need light to get a picture, of course...:p ). Or did I misunderstand something here? :confused:

Wesan

[BowerR64]

Well, im not sure how it all works because i dont have one and i havnt messed around with one but i think it gives the subject a 3D kinda of look if that makes sence.

If you look threw a light beam you probobly wont see any shadows so it wont give the image any kind of distance or seperation it will just look lit up.

If the light is comming from say the top left it will cast shadows and give the image depth. The more lighting the more depth, say from the top left and top right.

I think it also works with the focus. If the light hits a subject closer it may look lit up more or somthing. Im not real sure but thats what i read. That it helps the DOF and it helps red eye

If your getting one do some testing and post some images. I want to get one but i want a good one and i cant decide wich to get. What made you decide on the one you got? I want some adjustability, quick refresh times.

[Wesan]

Well, im not sure how it all works because i dont have one and i havnt messed around with one but i think it gives the subject a 3D kinda of look if that makes sence. ...and it helps red eye

Yeah...I think I see what you mean. If you only use the built-in flash, the light hits the subject "straight on". This can make the picture look "flat", so to speak, and gives bad shadows. But if you also use a slave flash, you can get the light from that flash to bounce off the ceiling and/or a wall, to make the light hit the subject from the side or behind also. That gives a more "3D-look" (as you described it) or depth in the picture. And helps reduce red eye. I found some info and example pictures (http://www.cyberphoto.se/support/blixt.htm), where you can see the difference between using only a built-in flash and a slave with together with the built-in flash. The first potrait of the man is taken with the built-in flash only and the second portrait with the bult-in flash together with a slave flash. The example is from the site where I ordered my equipment.


If your getting one do some testing and post some images. I want to get one but i want a good one and i cant decide wich to get. What made you decide on the one you got? I want some adjustability, quick refresh times.

You can find information about the slave flash I ordered on the Soligor site (https://secure.soligor.com/index.php?id=5&backPID=463&L=1&tt_products=7772&L=1). I was choosing between the Canon HF-DC1 and the Soligor DG-340 AZ. I asked a salesman of the site where I ordered my equipment for advice. He suggested the Soligor, because it has a stronger flash than the Canon. On the Soligor, you can also tilt the flash head, wich you can't on the Canon HF-DC1. The Soligor flash is also cheaper than the Canon (at least here in Sweden). That's why I chose that one - cheaper AND better. Good combination! :D Of course you can find even better slave flashes. But I think this one will be enough for me. At least to start with until I get more experienced.

Both flashes seem to come with a support bar, which you fasten to the tripod mount of the camera. That way, you don't have to hold the slave flash in your hand, but put it on the support bar and place it next to the camera - if you like. Although - then you still get the flash to hit the subject "straight on". That's why the Soligor is better than the Canon - you can tilt the flash head to reflect the light off the ceiling and/or a wall. But you can also hold the flash in your hand, further away from the camera, and point it the way you like, of course. Or place it somewhere in the room.

It seems I will not get the slave flash before I go on vacation at the end of next week. If I get it during the vacation (I'll have my mail forwarded to my summer place), I'll try to remember to take some sample photos, that I can post here when I get back home at the end of July or beginning of August. :)

Thanks again, BowerR64.

Does anyone else have some experience and/or advice and tips about how to use a slave flash with a digital compact camera like mine (Canon S3IS)?

Wesan

[Wesan]

Hi folks!

I think I promised to post some sample photos taken with the slave flash, once I got it and came home from vacation, didn't I?

Well, I've got the slave flash now and I'm back from vacation! :D So, here are a few photos I just took now.

The first is taken with the built-in flash only.

The second is taken with the slave flash pointed at a zero degree angle (that is straight, as the built-in flash).

The third is taken with the slave flash pointed at a 60 degree angle (upwards, of course...:D ).

The only other light source in the room I used (aside from the camera's flash and the slave flash), was a 40 W light bulb. Camera was set at P mode.

The slave flash (Soligor DG-340 AZ) also has a manual zoom function (28-85 mm zoom) that you can use. I did not bother to use that function in these sample photos, however. I seldom use in otherwise when I take photos either, because I never know how much I zoom in... :o Still, I think it gives good results even without adjusting the zoom.

Personally, I like the results better with the slave flash. The 60 degree angle I think gives the best light and overall result. Maybe because it doesn't show my greasy skin as much... :D No...LOL...but it looks...softer, sort of...more "professional", maybe?

What do you folks think?

"Flashy regards"

Wesan

[Wesan]

I didn't get the photos in the message, if you see what I mean? Instead I got those stupid links. :( How do I get them to show in the post directly? I did it before, but I forgot how to...:o

Wesan

[BowerR64]

What speeds are you using? and what W/B is it set at?

You have to upload th eimages to another site. I use photobucket

[Wesan]

What speeds are you using? and what W/B is it set at?

I was using the P-mode on the camera, so the settings were done by the camera. The speed was 1/60 second on all photos and the white balance was on auto.


You have to upload th eimages to another site. I use photobucket

Thanks! Maybe that's what I did last time, then. I'll try to find that post and see where I uploaded the pics that time... :)

Wesan

[Wesan]

Let's see if it works for me this time...

Here is the first photo, taken with the built-in flash only:

http://hem.bredband.net/wesake/Pics/Built-in_flash_only.JPG

Here is the second, with the slave flash at zero degrees:

http://hem.bredband.net/wesake/Pics/Built-in_and_slave_0_degrees.JPG

Here is the one with the slave flash at 60 degrees:

http://hem.bredband.net/wesake/Pics/Built-in_and_slave_60_degrees.JPG

I think I got it this time!! :D

And, yeah - that's "yours truly" in the pics. Hope I didn't scare you! :p

BTW - I took the pics using the self timer and a my old tripod. The slave flash was set to fire with a 50 microsecond delay, after the built-in flash.

Wesan

[BowerR64]

I have a slave flash, its actualy a 35mm SLR flash and old old one i think (Canolite-D) and then i got a cheap flash trigger for it so that it fires when my onboard S2/S3 flash fires. When i first tried it i had problems with it not working. It seem to be slow, it could of been the flash OR the trigger im not sure. All i know is the images didnt seem to change with or without the slave flash.

So i went into the menu (each menu is different from mode to mode, P mode menu is different from M mode) i went into the manu and i turned on slow syncro and then it started to work but the color was whacked. Its like the flash is a different color as my onboard flash. I have to use custom white balance and fire the onboard and slave before it sets right.

With slow snycro on i could tell a BIG difference i the lighting and color. The images dont seem as flat and as 2D if that makes sence. It seems to bring out more detail of the subject that i dont notice using the onboard flash.

Once i set the custom white balance i had to run a 1/500th shutter with F8 apature because the flash is so strong. I think if i were to buy another slave flash ide get one that has an adjustable head and a flash level adjustment or flash intensity. I think mine is just set to blast light and works better at a further distance. I think using an external flash with these cameras they need to be high and far back.

What i just thought of is a monopod. Mount it to a monopod and fire it high up over my head. I may try that sometime

[sHanzek]

A couple of points:
(1) DOF, if it is referring to depth of field, will be greater the closer the flash is to the subject, since the flash will deliver more light to the subject, allowing the photographer to use a small aperture (lens opening). Small lense opening = greater depth of field.
(2) If you are using DOF to refer to visual depth (separation of object from background), that is a function of how far off center the flash is, not necessarily the distance from the object.

Back in my old 35mm days, I had multiple flashes: Sunpak 611 'potato masher' side mount flash with a ton of power, a Sunpak 522 sidemount with less power but tilt and swivel, a Vivitar 285 shoe mount with zoom and swivel and tilt, a vivitar 283 shoe mount with bounce, and a couple of tiny shoe mounts that fit onto a lens bracket for closeups (one on each side of the lens). I also had a couple flash slaves, one shoe mount and one with a wire. When I would shoot a group, I'd use one flash on the camera, and hold one of the big side mount flashes up as high as I could, and as far to the side as I could. That was taught to me by an old wedding photographer - that way your shadows would be behind the subjects. Eventually I purchased a light stand and used the slave to trigger the flash.

I'm looking at getting back into using multiple flashes with my S2IS; from what I read I can get a slave for my trusty rusty vivitar 283 (the only flash I have left). But it has to be a special slave that can handle the 'pre-flash' that many digital camera fire when their flash goes off. But on e-bay, looks like those slave are under $50. When I get my paypal account up to where I can use it without my wife seeing, I'll get some equipment and try some test shots.

Steve
S2IS and A620

[BowerR64]

Everyone says P&S have a preflash, if the S2 has on i sure dont see it. If there is a preflash then its not working on my camera because what im seeing is the flash is firing to late. Its firing AFTER the shutter has closed. Only when i set the slow snycro can i see any changes using the flash.

Ive tried all the flash settings on both the S2 and the S3 and the only way it works good is when i use slow snycro.

I think what i want is 2 small battery power slave flash that both use triggers and have them both set very light or have a low intinsity setting then use the onboard. I think with all 3 firing together it should work well and still be fairly portable.

On e-bay there is an inflatable flash diffuser that looks really cool. It deflates nice and small yet when you blow it up it has a nice large size that should really cover some distance.