Fill flash with built in flash

meddyliol

Senior Member
This is probably a really stupid question but if I want to use the built in flash as a fill flash, how do I do it? What setting must be made so that it flashes every time and not just in low light?

Thanks

Brian :confused:
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
u must be in manual mode aperture priority mode or shutter priority. not in P mode. just keep your flash up. use EC as u need.
not a stupid question.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
You can use Flash Compensation (this is different than Exposure Compensation) with the pop-up flash as well. If ambient light is good, I tend to back off the flash by 1 to 2 stops if all I want is a little fill. You will have to experiment to determine the correct setting for your exact lighting situation though.

To adjust the flash compensation, press and hold the Flash button and use the command wheel to adjust the amount of compensation. I'd suggest dropping it back 1.5 stops for starters, but you get the idea.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
This is probably a really stupid question but if I want to use the built in flash as a fill flash, how do I do it? What setting must be made so that it flashes every time and not just in low light?

Thanks

Brian :confused:


The internal flash will flash every time if its door is open and you are in camera A, S, P, or M mode. Open the door when you want flash, close it when you don't.

If in Auto mode, don't open the door - the flash door opens itself when it thinks flash is necessary, in Auto mode.


The internal flash will work fine in P mode, probably best for beginners with flash outdoors. My advice is to use P mode outdoors unless you are pretty famiilar with using flash. P mode specifically knows how to set a proper shutter speed for flash, and is likely your best bet, especially outdoors. Pro photographers working weddings and moving back and forth between indoors and outdoors will joke, and call P mode "Professional Mode", because it is a big help.


Fill flash is Nikon's default flash mode if the internal flash menu is in TTL mode. This means auto flash compensation for fill flash level, it handles itself. You can still adjust flash compensation for a little more or less (to correct auto results), but the Nikon idea is automatic fill flash.

The only alternative to this about fill flash mode for the internal flash is to set Spot metering mode (not likely a good idea outside in sunlight), when it shifts out of fill flash mode, and then you have to set flash compensation manually.

A few of the hot shoe flashes have a menu to choose between TTL flash mode (not fill flash), or TTL BL (which is fill flash). TTL BL is the Nikon system default. The terms are confusing because if no menu called TTL BL, then the one menu called TTL is actually the default TTL BL mode. The Exif will call it TTL BL.

But again, the internal flash menu TTL is the default fill flash mode, meaning TTL BL (fill flash).

Note the article (which doesn't explain this, may not even know or he surely would have said something, but it is necessary to know) says "I set Spot Metering mode", which means TTL instead of default TTL BL, which means NOT automatic fill flash, which means he has to set fill compensation manually. Manual compensation can be a fine thing offering choice, but Spot metering outdoors will be Hell for a beginner that doesn't know how. Spot metering does NOT mean the spot is correctly exposed, it means the spot will come out middle gray, regardless if it was on a white dress or a black dress. Spot metering mode does normally work fine with flash indoors (because the flash system does not do Spot metering, and the ambient is far down), but Spot will be a major headache for beginners outdoors (ambient does do Spot metering, which requires skill).

If NOT in Spot metering mode, then the TTL menu default flash mode is automatic fill flash compensation.

EDITED: The little internal flash does not have much power, so not much distance range. 8 or 10 feet is a lot for full flash level indoors. But less for fill flash in sunshine, because the camera will surely be up around f/11, which limits the flash. Up to 6 feet is surely better for internal fill flash in bright sun. A bigger hot shoe flash can make a lot of difference. Some are in the $50 range.
 
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Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
But again, the internal flash menu TTL is the default fill flash mode, meaning TTL BL (fill flash).
Good point. Even so it doesn’t make much of a difference as far as I can tell whether I use TTL or TTL BL since TTL metering is dependent on the tonality of the subject, ambient light etc. My point here being, even with TTL BL engaged I *still* have to ride the Flash Exposure Compensation button to get the exposure *I WANT* out of the shot; regardless of the camera/flash might "think" is the correct exposure. I agree TTL BL does a nice job but my method is still: Shoot, check and adjust the FEC as necessary; even when shooting TTL BL.

I think we need to accept a certain flexibility in our technique as opposed to expecting that by meticulously analyzing how our camera and speedlight work in test situations, that we could get every image perfectly exposed from the very first frame. I believe this is one of those areas where there is a danger of over-thinking things and expecting real world situations to fall within specifically anticipated behavior when the better solution would be to simply adjust FEC as needed, and on an on-going basis, while you shoot.

Just my proverbial two cent's.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
Good point. Even so it doesn’t make much of a difference as far as I can tell whether I use TTL or TTL BL since TTL metering is dependent on the tonality of the subject, ambient light etc. My point here being, even with TTL BL engaged I *still* have to ride the Flash Exposure Compensation button to get the exposure *I WANT* out of the shot; regardless of the camera/flash might "think" is the correct exposure. I agree TTL BL does a nice job but my method is still: Shoot, check and adjust the FEC as necessary; even when shooting TTL BL.


I put some simple comparisons at Flash pictures are Double Exposures- Outdoors (at bottom of page)

The theory is this:

The camera always meters for proper exposure of ambient (except Manual mode). The flash has to use those ambient settings that it discovers are in effect ...

but

A. TTL flash mode (the real TTL mode, also selected by Spot metering) also meters for a full and proper flash exposure (like for example indoors). But outdoors, two proper exposures (sun and flash) add to 2x exposure, which is one stop overexposure of the near subject. So we have to apply manual compensation. -1.7 EV flash has been the classic value preferred in bright sun.

B. TTL BL flash mode (which is the default mode for the TTL menu, UNLESS the flash offers two menus, for TTL and for TTL BL)... it knows about this, and so in bright ambient, it will reduce the TTL metered value to be only a fill level. In bright sun, that will typically be about -2 EV flash (from what TTL metered). The number -2 does not show anywhere, but it does, and result shows it. This provides only a minimum flash for fill purpose, and it is about right. But the ambient metering was considered proper, so the two exposures added will still add to about 1/3 stop overexposure of the near subject.

So underexposing the ambient a little can aid this, but enough of it can also make the flash subject "stand out", emphasized by the flash against a darker background. This can be good if you want that effect, but it be can be bad about appearing "natural", appearing as if no flash was used. The best fill flash appears as if no flash were used, with large obvious benefit, but not appearing obvious that it was a flash.

Indoors is an exception, since the metered ambient is so dim, typically insignificant, which is why we need flash. So in A or P or Auto modes, the camera substitutes a "minimum shutter speed with flash" of 1/60 second (default, some models have a selection menu for this, to be slower), because, well, because we are using flash instead. The ambient is well underexposed, and this is NOT fill flash.

Or Slow Sync or Rear Sync allows the slow shutter speed actually metered, and we are back to needing fill flash, since the slow shutter speed exposes for the ambient.


This thread would seem better moved to the flash forum. It applies to all DSLR models, not just about a D90.
 
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