cony25

I bought a neewer flash, went to an event,,,5 consecutive pictures came out totally dark.

The settings were TTL,,,it kept happening....what did I do wrong??

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Post an example image with store original so we can see the camera settings when downloading the image. Best way to get help from other online users.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

There is no such thing as a Conon Mark I 5d so I'd speculate you didn't follow the instructions correctly.
The Canon EOS 5D is ETTL compatible and syncs at 1/200 of a second. Is your Neewer flash ETTL compatible and did you have the shutter speed set correctly?!

cony25

Sorry it was a Canon Mark II....can you tell me more about the right settings....

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The 5D II is ETTL-II compatible. If you have the flash unit set to ETTL and the camera's external flash set to ETTL and shutter to auto in AV mode you should get good flash shots almost all the time, as long as you give the flash time to recharge. Make sure the flash mount is meant for Canon. If not, the flash may fire but it will not work as expected.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

You might have the incorrect model of your Neewer Flash unit? Check that first before doing any troubleshooting.

NikonCharlie Loc: Kansas USA

I bought a neewer flash <--- that's what you did wrong.

cony25

Yes, very slow to turn around,,, I have to wait before I can take the next picture, but 5 consecutive??
Any recommendations that won't break the bank?

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

I have had very good luck with Neewer and have used them with my 70D without a problem. I have not used it with the 5d mk II yet but can try it later this afternoon and let everyone know if there is a problem. What is the Neewer model number. I suspect that the problem is a setting on camera surrounding external flash. Does the camera show that it recognizes the flash as TTL ?

cony25

Yes, u may be right.. can you guide me in this process?
How do I set it to identify each other?

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Assuming your Neewer flash is compatible with Canon, it likely couldn't be much simpler...

I don't have a Neewer, so the following is based upon Canon flashes. I have eight of those (550EX, 580EXII, MT-24EX and MR-14EX).

Neewer are 3rd party copies of the Canon, though, so I suspect they're very, very similar.

SETTING THE FLASH:

1. Mount the flash in the hot shoe, install a fresh set of batteries and turn it on.

2. Using the "mode" button on the rear of the flash, set the flash to "ETTL II", "ETTL" or "TTL".

3. With flash pointed directly at the subject (not tilted up, down or rotated), it should automatically set itself for the best match to your lens focal length, in a range from 24mm to 105mm and longer. But, if using a lens wider than 24mm, the flash probably may have a wide-angle diffusion panel to pull out and position over the flash tube. These are usually able to accommodate as wide as 16mm (on full frame, which the 5DII is).

If you tilt or rotate the flash head at all, such as to "bounce" the light off a ceiling or wall, you'll likely need to set the lens focal length manually (using the "zoom" button) or may be limited to just one.

For this reason, and because it requires far more powerful flash and introduces other variables, complicating things, I suggest you not bounce... at least for now. Try using direct flash instead. If it seems to harsh, use a diffuser or small soft box on the flash as a modifier... but still use it directly.

4. Depending upon the model of flash, it also might have another button to toggle through "standard", "high speed sync" (HSS) or "2nd curtain sync" flash modes. For now, leave this set to "standard" (neither HSS or 2nd Curtain enabled... those are use in certain situations, so eventually you'll want to learn to use them).

SETTING THE CAMERA:

The only things you need to set on the camera are your exposure mode dial (lefthand shoulder), and the usual exposure factors...

1. Set the camera mode dial to "M". This will cause ETTL flash to fire "fully". The camera will treat the flash as the primary/only light source.

While it's certainly possible to use "Av", "Tv" or "P" auto exposure modes with ETTL, with any of these the flash will be treated as "fill", secondary to ambient light which the camera will still use to determine exposure factors. Flash power will automatically be reduced by 1-2/3 stops (unless you override it... see add'l info below).

2. Set your shutter speed to 1/200 or slower. This is the 5DII's "flash sync speed"... Setting slower speeds doesn't matter, as far as the flash is concerned. But slower speeds will allow more ambient light to be recorded in images and can make for ghosting or difficulty hand-holding a shot. Faster can be used, too... by enabling "high speed sync". However this greatly reduces the reach of the flash, so for now I'd recommend leaving HSS off.

3. Your ISO and aperture settings control flash "reach", both near and far. Even though the camera itself is set to M (manual), with the flash set to ETTL (3rd party flash might only show "TTL") you are actually going to get auto exposure within a certain range of distances. Too close, you get over-exposure (the flash output can't be reduced enough).... or too far away and you get under-exposure (flash isn't powerful enough). You are in control of this range of distances to a large extent, by the ISO and aperture settings you make (again, shutter speed doesn't matter, so long as it's 1/200 or less). Canon flashes display their working distance range, taking into account ISO and aperture settings, on a scale at the bottom of the LCD screen. I don't know if Neewer do this too. If they do, great. If not, you might need to consult the manual, do some test shots and develop your own cheat sheet, or do some math to determine what settings to use.

Note: The flash actually fires twice when it's in ETTL mode. The first "pop" of the flash is a low power test (1/64) that the camera and flash use to determine a correct exposure, then the second is fired in sync with the shutter opening. This happens so fast, you probably won't even notice that the flash is firing twice.

TWEAKING THE SETTINGS might be done for various reasons.

The most important of these, if the flash is too harsh or strong or too weak, Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) can be used to decrease or possibly to increase the output, as you see fit. This acts much like Exposure Compensation, except it can be set using a control on the flash itself... usually a dial or multi-directional buttons on the rear of the flash itself. FEC works whether the flash is in "fill" or in "full" mode (whether the camera is set to M, versus any of the AE modes). It is possible to set FEC with the camera too... but is usually faster and more easily done using the controls on the flash itself.

HSS is used when you need a shutter speed faster than the camera's native sync speed... but the faster the shutter speed, the shorter the distance the flash can reach. So, for practical purposes, this is mostly (but not always) a feature used with "fill" flash, as opposed to "full" flash.

2nd curtain sync is used with especially slow shutter speeds, usually (but not always) with fill flash. What it does is delay the firing of the flash until late in the exposure, so that "light trails" are behind moving subjects, rather than looking rather odd because they are in front of the subjects.

POWER MANAGEMENT...

Your flash will probably recycle faster and give you more shots per set of batteries if you use quality rechargeable AAs in it. Those are usually NiMH. But there are some rechargeable hybrid alkaline, too. Avoid Lithium batteries unless shooting out in the cold. With rapid, repeated use lithium batteries will get hot! NiMH and alkaline stay cooler. Non-rechargeable lithium also are usually are more expensive.

Bounce is possible, but it typically wastes a whole lot of light and forces the flash to fire a lot more fully and take longer to recycle. If bouncing off ceilings and walls, there also are a lot of variables of distance and color of the bounce surfaces, which can cause a lot more problems. If you must bounce, use a bounce card or bounce accessory that attaches to the flash and gives you consistent distance and color. Those are a bit bulky, but a lot more controllable.

Many event photographers instead use some sort of light modifier with direct flash. There are diffusion panels and mini-softboxes, grids and other types of modifiers that attach to the flash, making for "nicer" light with far less wasted light. There also are flash "extenders", mostly for use with long telephotos (300mm and longer, on full frame... or about 200mm or longer on APS-C cameras). These basically position a Fresnel lens in front of the flash to concentrate it's light. Flash extenders are more likely to be used for wildlife or sports, than for event photography.

Close-up and macro flash has other challenges.... By themselves, standard flashes will tend to over-expose subjects that are really close. For this reason, there are several types of flash and lighting designed especially for this purpose. But a standard flash can work, so long as it's output is strongly diffused.

Some flashes can utilize an accessory power pack, via a socket (or modification). Canon sells the CP-E4 for use with their flashes and there are similar 3rd party manufacturer items. These hold 6 or 8 additional AA batteries, to supplement the 4 installed in the camera. These can use either rechargeable or standard alkaline batteries and typically speed up flash recycling noticeably, at the same time they give you lots of additional shots. There also are rechargeable power packs (such as Quantum) that use a larger, specialized battery and operate much the same way, but are heavier and more expensive.

Whatever power source(s) you use, if you set as large an aperture and as high an ISO as possible, these will allow the flash to fire at lower output and can significantly help speed up recycling. It might even make possible to fire 2 or 3 shots with a flash, before it needs to pause to recycle. Of course, you'll still need to be sure the aperture gives you adequate depth of field and that the ISO being use isn't too "noisy". So experiment with the camera and flash, to find a compromise that works best for you.

Also be aware flashes will heat up when used repeatedly and rapidly. Most flashes have some sort of protective circuitry that will shut them down temporarily, if they start to overheat.

A relatively easy way to improve the quality of images made with direct flash is to mount it on a bracket, instead of directly in the hot shoe of the camera. To do this you also need an off-camera shoe cord, one end of which connects to the hot shoe, the other to the flash, to maintain connectivity and let the camera and flash communicate with each other. Moving the flash off to one side a little, and often a little higher up, will reduce redeye and shadow issues that are more likely to occur when the flash is closer to the lens axis. There are many types of flash brackets available. Personally I just keep it simple with two that I use: an inexpensive, fairly compact generic and a bigger, more adjustable Manfrotto bracket that can position the flash higher up, which can be necessary when using longer telephoto lenses. I also use a couple brackets that attach to the tripod mounting ring on some of my longer telephoto lenses, but those are rather specialized.

This looks a lot more difficult than it really is. Today flash is highly automated and relatively simple to use... but has a lot of tweaks, enhancements and accessories you can use if wanted.

cony25

Wooowww....Thank you so much!!!@@@@@@uote=amfoto1]Assuming your Neewer flash is compatible with Canon, it likely couldn't be much simpler...

I don't have a Neewer, so the following is based upon Canon flashes. I have eight of those (550EX, 580EXII, MT-24EX and MR-14EX).

Neewer are 3rd party copies of the Canon, though, so I suspect they're very, very similar.

SETTING THE FLASH:

1. Mount the flash in the hot shoe, install a fresh set of batteries and turn it on.

2. Using the "mode" button on the rear of the flash, set the flash to "ETTL II", "ETTL" or "TTL".

3. With flash pointed directly at the subject (not tilted up, down or rotated), it should automatically set itself for the best match to your lens focal length, in a range from 24mm to 105mm and longer. But, if using a lens wider than 24mm, the flash probably may have a wide-angle diffusion panel to pull out and position over the flash tube. These are usually able to accommodate as wide as 16mm (on full frame, which the 5DII is).

If you tilt or rotate the flash head at all, such as to "bounce" the light off a ceiling or wall, you'll likely need to set the lens focal length manually (using the "zoom" button) or may be limited to just one.

For this reason, and because it requires far more powerful flash and introduces other variables, complicating things, I suggest you not bounce... at least for now. Try using direct flash instead. If it seems to harsh, use a diffuser or small soft box on the flash as a modifier... but still use it directly.

4. Depending upon the model of flash, it also might have another button to toggle through "standard", "high speed sync" (HSS) or "2nd curtain sync" flash modes. For now, leave this set to "standard" (neither HSS or 2nd Curtain enabled... those are use in certain situations, so eventually you'll want to learn to use them).

SETTING THE CAMERA:

The only things you need to set on the camera are your exposure mode dial (lefthand shoulder), and the usual exposure factors...

1. Set the camera mode dial to "M". This will cause ETTL flash to fire "fully". The camera will treat the flash as the primary/only light source.

While it's certainly possible to use "Av", "Tv" or "P" auto exposure modes with ETTL, with any of these the flash will be treated as "fill", secondary to ambient light which the camera will still use to determine exposure factors. Flash power will automatically be reduced by 1-2/3 stops (unless you override it... see add'l info below).

2. Set your shutter speed to 1/200 or slower. This is the 5DII's "flash sync speed"... Setting slower speeds doesn't matter, as far as the flash is concerned. But slower speeds will allow more ambient light to be recorded in images and can make for ghosting or difficulty hand-holding a shot. Faster can be used, too... by enabling "high speed sync". However this greatly reduces the reach of the flash, so for now I'd recommend leaving HSS off.

3. Your ISO and aperture settings control flash "reach", both near and far. Even though the camera itself is set to M (manual), with the flash set to ETTL (3rd party flash might only show "TTL") you are actually going to get auto exposure within a certain range of distances. Too close, you get over-exposure (the flash output can't be reduced enough).... or too far away and you get under-exposure (flash isn't powerful enough). You are in control of this range of distances to a large extent, by the ISO and aperture settings you make (again, shutter speed doesn't matter, so long as it's 1/200 or less). Canon flashes display their working distance range, taking into account ISO and aperture settings, on a scale at the bottom of the LCD screen. I don't know if Neewer do this too. If they do, great. If not, you might need to consult the manual, do some test shots and develop your own cheat sheet, or do some math to determine what settings to use.

Note: The flash actually fires twice when it's in ETTL mode. The first "pop" of the flash is a low power test (1/64) that the camera and flash use to determine a correct exposure, then the second is fired in sync with the shutter opening. This happens so fast, you probably won't even notice that the flash is firing twice.

TWEAKING THE SETTINGS might be done for various reasons.

The most important of these, if the flash is too harsh or strong or too weak, Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) can be used to decrease or possibly to increase the output, as you see fit. This acts much like Exposure Compensation, except it can be set using a control on the flash itself... usually a dial or multi-directional buttons on the rear of the flash itself. FEC works whether the flash is in "fill" or in "full" mode (whether the camera is set to M, versus any of the AE modes). It is possible to set FEC with the camera too... but is usually faster and more easily done using the controls on the flash itself.

HSS is used when you need a shutter speed faster than the camera's native sync speed... but the faster the shutter speed, the shorter the distance the flash can reach. So, for practical purposes, this is mostly (but not always) a feature used with "fill" flash, as opposed to "full" flash.

2nd curtain sync is used with especially slow shutter speeds, usually (but not always) with fill flash. What it does is delay the firing of the flash until late in the exposure, so that "light trails" are behind moving subjects, rather than looking rather odd because they are in front of the subjects.

POWER MANAGEMENT...

Your flash will probably recycle faster and give you more shots per set of batteries if you use quality rechargeable AAs in it. Those are usually NiMH. But there are some rechargeable hybrid alkaline, too. Avoid Lithium batteries unless shooting out in the cold. With rapid, repeated use lithium batteries will get hot! NiMH and alkaline stay cooler. Non-rechargeable lithium also are usually are more expensive.

Bounce is possible, but it typically wastes a whole lot of light and forces the flash to fire a lot more fully and take longer to recycle. If bouncing off ceilings and walls, there also are a lot of variables of distance and color of the bounce surfaces, which can cause a lot more problems. If you must bounce, use a bounce card or bounce accessory that attaches to the flash and gives you consistent distance and color. Those are a bit bulky, but a lot more controllable.

Many event photographers instead use some sort of light modifier with direct flash. There are diffusion panels and mini-softboxes, grids and other types of modifiers that attach to the flash, making for "nicer" light with far less wasted light. There also are flash "extenders", mostly for use with long telephotos (300mm and longer, on full frame... or about 200mm or longer on APS-C cameras). These basically position a Fresnel lens in front of the flash to concentrate it's light. Flash extenders are more likely to be used for wildlife or sports, than for event photography.

Close-up and macro flash has other challenges.... By themselves, standard flashes will tend to over-expose subjects that are really close. For this reason, there are several types of flash and lighting designed especially for this purpose. But a standard flash can work, so long as it's output is strongly diffused.

Some flashes can utilize an accessory power pack, via a socket (or modification). Canon sells the CP-E4 for use with their flashes and there are similar 3rd party manufacturer items. These hold 6 or 8 additional AA batteries, to supplement the 4 installed in the camera. These can use either rechargeable or standard alkaline batteries and typically speed up flash recycling noticeably, at the same time they give you lots of additional shots. There also are rechargeable power packs (such as Quantum) that use a larger, specialized battery and operate much the same way, but are heavier and more expensive.

Whatever power source(s) you use, if you set as large an aperture and as high an ISO as possible, these will allow the flash to fire at lower output and can significantly help speed up recycling. It might even make possible to fire 2 or 3 shots with a flash, before it needs to pause to recycle. Of course, you'll still need to be sure the aperture gives you adequate depth of field and that the ISO being use isn't too "noisy". So experiment with the camera and flash, to find a compromise that works best for you.

Also be aware flashes will heat up when used repeatedly and rapidly. Most flashes have some sort of protective circuitry that will shut them down temporarily, if they start to overheat.

A relatively easy way to improve the quality of images made with direct flash is to mount it on a bracket, instead of directly in the hot shoe of the camera. To do this you also need an off-camera shoe cord, one end of which connects to the hot shoe, the other to the flash, to maintain connectivity and let the camera and flash communicate with each other. Moving the flash off to one side a little, and often a little higher up, will reduce redeye and shadow issues that are more likely to occur when the flash is closer to the lens axis. There are many types of flash brackets available. Personally I just keep it simple with two that I use: an inexpensive, fairly compact generic and a bigger, more adjustable Manfrotto bracket that can position the flash higher up, which can be necessary when using longer telephoto lenses. I also use a couple brackets that attach to the tripod mounting ring on some of my longer telephoto lenses, but those are rather specialized.

This looks a lot more difficult than it really is. Today flash is highly automated and relatively simple to use... but has a lot of tweaks, enhancements and accessories you can use if wanted.[/quote]