indoor, low light

[kklpj]

Ok, i'm struggling. Inside, low light and everyone's dancing! How can i get those shots sharp and well lit. I have a Canon 10D with a 420 speedlite. I use a Tamron 2.8 28-105 lens attached. I also have the 50mm 1.8 lens, i haven't even used yet. What next?

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

What settings are you using and what do your results look like?

When I shoot dancing people in a dark room (like a wedding reception), I put the camera in manual and match the aperture to the setting on the flash. I then adjust the shutter speed to suit what I want for background exposure.

If you use the max sync speed of your camera (1/200 for 10D) you should have no trouble freezing the movement of the dancers but you won't get much background.

You can use a slower shutter speed and still get crisp images because the flash only fires for a very short time. The image created by the flash will be sharp, although depending on the ambient light, you will also get an image that is blurred from motion. It the ambient light is low, the blurred image will not be exposed enough to be a factor.

 

[kklpj]

I usually keep it in Program mode and bump my ISO to 800. The last time i tried manual, either my Shutter speed was flashing or my aperature was flashing. I couldn't get them to coincide with each other. I need to play with manual settings more and figure this out!

 

[Big Mike]

I'm not quite clear on what the camera is trying to do when in P mode. It's blinking obviously because there is not enough ambient light but with a flash attached, I think it should set the shutter to the max sync speed.

Have a look at this link, it's the on-line bible of Canon flash. It may be confusing but it should help shed some light on flash photography (pun intended )

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

 

[kklpj]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll take a look at the website. I've been thinking i should get stronger flash (need a back-up anyway) and have been trying to decide on whether to get the 550 or the 580. Bit of a $ difference... Any thoughts on these?

Also do you always set your white balance to flash when working in low light. I don't think i'm taking advantage of all the features that are available to me on the 10D!

 

[Big Mike]

I would think that if your main light source is going to be the flash, then flash or sunlight WB setting would be give you the most normal looking colors. Auto WB should be adequate, I would think. Of course if you shoot in RAW, you don't have to worry about that.

I don't recall if the 10D has E-TTL II or just E-TTL I. The 580 is more powerful but I think it may have newer technology than your 10D can use. If so, the 550 might be a good choice. Also, I've been hearing good things about the Sigma 500 Super. Supposed to be fully compatible with all digital EOS cameras and is half the price of a 580 ex.

 

[kklpj]

Thanks for the info. I checked out the sigma flash and found the price 150.00 much more appealing. Anyone else have any input on the sigma vs canon? I'm shooting a party in a ballroom this weekend. I'll try my hand in the manual mode and see what i get. Any advice from anyone is greatly appreciated!!

:hail:

 

[hobbes28]

We've got the Sigma and it does take some getting used to but is a really good flash. Above all else if you were to pick it up or for any flash all together, get a really good set of rechargeable batteries for it. They make all the difference in the world.

 

[kklpj]

What would you consider really good rechargables?? I have some but they don't last long...

 

[hobbes28]

What would you consider really good rechargables?? I have some but they don't last long...

You want some that have at least 2100mAh. I have some Energizer Rechargeables with 2500 and they work great. The higher the mAh, the longer they last and with that, the faster your flash will recycle because of the amount of juice left over.

 

[kklpj]

Thanks, that's the information i needed.