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Canon
EOS 10D Review • Flash
Peter
Kun Frary
Retractable
Flash
Like most midrange SLR
cameras, the EOS 10D sports a retractable flash above
the pentaprism. E-TTL flash metering is linked to all
7 focusing points and syncs at 1/200 or slower. Flash
coverage is fixed at 18mm. The flash auto erects
during backlighting or low light in Full Auto and some
PIC modes. In Creative Zones (P, Av, Tv & M), you
must press the flash button to erect it. The Guide
Number of 43 feet at 100 ISO translates into a 17 foot
range at ISO 100. Flash exposure compensation (-2 to +
2 in 1/2 or 1/3 stops increments), FE Lock and second
curtain sync are available. The retractable flash is
handy for fill flash and close snapshots, but not much
else.
The EOS 10D and Elan
7E share an irritating feature: use of the retractable
flash as an AF assist light. A brilliant white strobe
rapidly pulses in low light thereby blinding and
confusing your subjects before you take the picture.
Yuck! Well, at least red eye is reduced. The
near-infrared AF assist light of the Elan, Elan IIE
and A2 are discreet and elegant. Why change a good
thing? You may disable the AF assist light with custom
function 5.
E-TTL Flash
Metering
When you press the
shutter button, the popup fires a low power preflash
to determine flash exposure a split second before
exposure. The Evaluative pattern is used to measure
both ambient light and flash.
The active focusing
point is linked to metering and, thus, flash exposure.
In other words, there's an exposure bias in favor of
the object you focus on. Thus, you should avoid the
lock-AF-recompose technique or suffer unpredictable
results. Why? Flash exposure is determined a split
second before exposure. If the active AF sensor is
over something other than your subject--a black
void--you'll get incorrect exposure. If you can't live
without the lock-AF-recompose technique, Canon
designed FE Lock for you (see below).
Fill-in
Flash
In bright light, above
EV 10, the popup provides automatic fill-in flash in
Full Auto and P modes. In dim light, EV 10 and below,
flash is the main light in Full Auto and P modes (the
background may be dark). Av, Tv and M modes deliver
automatic fill-in flash in any light, even at night
(slow sync mode). Slow sync results in a natural
balance between ambient light and flash. You may need
a tripod due to the resulting slow shutter speeds.
Usually I find the understated look of the popup fill
flash to be perfectly balanced. Others may find it
needs more "pop" and may wish to add flash exposure compensation. Oddly, the 420EX Speedlite usually
overexposes and needs -.5 to -1.0 EV flash exposure
compensation to appear as balanced as the
popup.
Agashi in Vegas
• EOS
10D & EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM • The popup flash
was used for auto fill-in flash in Av mode. Yes, it was cold.
Strangely, in dim
light, the 10D, Elan 7E and other recent A-Type bodies
reduce ambient exposure in slow sync mode (e.g., Av or
Tv modes at night). In light dimmer than EV10, ambient
exposure is progressively reduced, reaching -1 one
stop by EV 7 or so (varies according to ISO). The EOS
A2, Elan, Elan II and IX don't exhibit this odd
behavior. Maybe Canon considers ambient light
underexposure a feature because it makes flash lit
subjects stand out? However, I'd rather have no
exposure reduction. The photographer should make the
choice themselves. If you'd like to know more about
this phenomena, visit the folks at the EOS
Documentation Project. They even gave it a name:
Flash
Negative Evaluative Exposure Compensation or
NEVEC.
FE Lock & Flash
Exposure Compensation
FE Lock is great for
off-center subjects or troublesome highlights that
fool the meter. FE Lock works like a spot or partial
meter for flash. First, place the center AF sensor on
your subject and press the AE/FE Lock button (*). The
popup or Speedlite fires a low power preflash.
Exposure is determined by the reflectance of the
subject in the partial metering circle, so be careful
what you aim at. Use a medium toned area for best
results. Finally, you have 16 seconds to recompose and
shoot. The flash will expose the subject correctly
even with usually light or dark backgrounds or an
off-center subject.
If you intend to use
FE Lock on an unusually light or dark object, e.g., a
white wedding dress, apply appropriate flash exposure
compensation first (it doesn't work after FE Lock):
subtract 1 to 2 stops of flash compensation for dark
subjects and add 1 to 2 stops of flash exposure
compensation for light subjects. Why? Spot or partial
meters are calibrated to read 18% gray tones. No
matter where you point, the camera expects a medium
tone (18% gray) and gives you the correct meter
reading for this result. However, flash exposure
compensation is easy to set:
1. You must be in the
Creative Zone (P, Av, Tv, M) for flash exposure
compensation to work.
2. Press the flash
exposure compensation button (camera top).
3. Turn QCD until you
get the amount of flash exposure compensation you
desire (the -2 to +2 scale is on the LCD)
San Francisco Tourist • EOS
10D, EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM, Av
Mode, popup flash, -1 FEC.
Popup Exposure
Accuracy
In contrast to my
experiences with Canon Speedlites, I found popup flash
exposures to be extremely consistent, turning out well
exposed images with relatively few user
overrides.
Speedlites
Why would you want to
use an external E-TTL flash if your camera already has
a popup flash?
- First,
even the smallest external Speedlite such
as the 220EX is twice as powerful as the
retractable flash. Thus, you have more
power for group portraits or subjects
posed against the setting sun.
- Second, a
shoe mounted Speedlite is less prone to
red eye problems because it is further
from the lens axis.
- Third,
Speedlites may be used off-camera on
stands of brackets for better modeling and
macro work.
- Fourth,
light modifiers, e.g., diffusers or bounce
cards, may be employed for softer light.
- Finally,
you may use special features of E-TTL
flash, e.g., high speed sync (FP Flash) or
wireless operation, not available on
popups.
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The 220EX, 420EX, 430EX ,550EX and 580EX Speedlites
are a cure for the EOS 10D's feeble popup flash.
Unfortunately, power comes with responsibility:
Speedlites often require more user intervention than
the popup to maintain consistently good flash
exposures.
Speedlites also cure
the camera's lack of a decent AF assist light. Instead
of an irritating series of bright flash pulses,
Speedlites emit a deep red focus pattern. Not only is
it less alarming to subjects, it works much better as
a focus aid. The 420 EX's AF assist is designed to
work with the 7 sensor AF array of the EOS 10D and
Elan 7/7E. Although a more full featured flash, the
550 EX only provides AF assist for the 5 horizontal
sensors. The upper and lower sensors have difficulty
locking in low light. Both the 580EX and 430EX cover
all of the 10D AF sensors.
If you're interested
in wireless flash you'll need both master and slave
units, e.g., 420EX (slave) or 430EX (slave) and a 550
EX (master), 580EX (master) or ST-E2 (master). Here's
my review of the ST-E2
Speedlite Transmitter.
A review of the 220EX
Speedlite is here.
A review of the 420EX
Speedlite is here.
A review of the 430EX Speedlite is here.
Wittner MT-70
Metronome • Canon
EOS 10D, EF 50 2.5 Compact Macro, Bogan 3001 tripod,
420EX Speedlite triggered by the ST-E2 and bounced off
a white panel (-2.0 flash AE comp)
©Copyright
2003-2012 by Peter Kun Frary • All Rights
Reserved
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