Just got 285HV Don't know how to read it

[Derek Zoolander]

Anyone feel like helping me by explaining how the dial works?

 

[Derrel]

The calculator dial on the side shows color-coded red,yellow,blue,and purple Auto f/stops. On the front of the flash is a small,circular control that is the Vari-Power control. It has manual power levels, as well as the Auto f/stops and their color-codes.

Set the Power to FULL, and set the ISO you want to use. Look at the color-coded f/stop patches, and below each one you will see a specific f/stop that sits directly across from each color.

Select an the Yellow one; see what f/stop Yellow is at your intended ISO. Set the Vari-Power control to the Yellow color. Set the lens to the appropriate f/stop/ Set the camera to Manual mode, and select a synchable shutter speed like 1/125 second. Shoot a flash picture.The flash will deliver the right flash output,automatically.

Notice that there are distances with little colored lines--those lines show the range of the flash in each of its Auto f/stop modes.

EDIT: Here is the strobist 285HV calculator picture http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/378835111_0a7f0d97db_b.jpg

As you can see, the ISO is set to 200, at the white arrow. The power is set to Full, where the balck arrow at 5 o'clock is aimed. The large,white dial itself moves to set the ISO in line with the whitr arrow, and the inner part of the dial moves to set the power output level at 1/16, 1/4, 1/2, and 1 FULL.

Notice that the Yellow f/stop is opposite f/2.8, the Red is f/5.6, and the Blue if f/11, and the purple Auto f/stop is f/16--this is at ISO 200, Full Power. If you boost the ISO up to 400, this will shift the yellow to f/4, and so on.

A good example of how the distance ranges for Auto f/stop operation are shown is the Red line, which runs from just under 9 meters/30 feet, and down to just a bit over 1 meter/3 feet; that tells you that the Red Auto f/stop mode, which is f/5.6 at ISO 200, Full Power, Wide-angle flash head will shoot flash shots from about 9 meters, to about 3 feet; closer, and it might overexpose, farther and it might well be under-exposed.

 

[Derek Zoolander]

Wow, thanks for that walk through. I'll have to see if I can make sense of it all. I'll have to figure out how all that relates to the settings on my camera.