K100 flash compensation

[Kit]

Hi Guys,
I was just wondering if you guys could give me some general advice on falsh photography using the on camera flash of the K100D?

I'm trying to get the most out of my camera and testing it's capabilities before investing in a shoe mount flash.

If I set the flash comensation to -1, does this mean that I'm effectively shooting with the lens at 1 f-stop higher (lower apature)?

If I was using the flash as a fill flash for portraits, should I set the compensation to -ve to make the portrait less flash or is it the other way around? Or should I just shoot in raw and then post process?

I'm realy just after some basic guidelines on flash photography and flash comensation so that I can push my camera to it's limits so any help that you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[MikeM]

The on camera flash is rather weak. It's not really good for much of anything really. I'm itching to get a real flash for my K10D.

Dialing the compensation up to +1 will give you an extra stop of flash power. Dialing it down to -2 will take away two stops.

Use the flash compensation to get the right balance of flash to ambient light. You could theoretically do this in post, but it would involve more than a simple exposure/level adjustment. You'd have to mess with masking off layers.

Say you're in a fairly well lit room and you'd like to just fill in the shadows just a little. You might dial the flash down to -1 or -2 so it doesn't become the main light.

[Kit]

Thanks MikeM. I guess the best way to learn is just to go out and try out the features. Do you have any ideas on which flash to buy? The pentax ones seem quite pricey to me but I wonder if it's worth spending the extra money or just going for a generic brand?

[mattdm]

Originally Posted by Kit

Thanks MikeM. I guess the best way to learn is just to go out and try out the features. Do you have any ideas on which flash to buy? The pentax ones seem quite pricey to me but I wonder if it's worth spending the extra money or just going for a generic brand?

If you need fancy features like high-speed sync and wireless P-TTL flash control (which is great, by the way), you'll need to spend a bit more. If your main concern is flash power for the dollar but still want something that works basically automatically, the Sigma EF 530 DG ST (non-"Super") is probably your best bet.

If you do have the money, the Pentax AF540FGZ looks really nice.

In between, I recommend the Metz 48 AF-1. It's much more polished than the Sigma flashes (including the Super version), and has all sorts of fancy features. Unlike the AF360FGZ, it has a head that both tilts and swivels, which means it's easy to use when you turn the camera for portraits. There's a rumor (may be wishful thinking) that Pentax is going to come out with a new flash at this level sometime soon and it may fix this deficiency. Until then (if ever), Metz is the answer.

In Europe, by the way, the Metz flashes are cheaper than their Pentax counterparts, and so I also recommend the high-end Metz 58 AF-1, but in the US that's significantly more pricey than the top-of-the-line Pentax model, so I'd skip it.

[ejones]

Originally Posted by Kit

Thanks MikeM. I guess the best way to learn is just to go out and try out the features. Do you have any ideas on which flash to buy? The pentax ones seem quite pricey to me but I wonder if it's worth spending the extra money or just going for a generic brand?

FYI - I have a Pentax K100D, and had been using a Quantaray bounce flash with a Pentax autofocus module (from my 35mm camera). It gave me light, but absolutely no control.

I just got a Pentax AF-360FGZ for my birthday, and I'm really happy with it. My wife paid about $250 for it, and I think it's worth every penny. You can quickly dial compensation up or down on the flash. It has a few other features that I haven't mastered yet, but it's very easy to get to the point of being productive with it.

I think it would be worth your time to look at it. I went to a local shop (Ritz Camera) and they let me play around with one for a few minutes so that I could see exactly how it would work on my camera. If you can find a shop nearby that will let you do the same, it's definitely worth it.