Low Shutter Speed & Grainy Pics With Sony A7IV and Godox V1?

[William Baroo]

I got a Godox V1-S for my Sony A7IV, and I am having a difficult time with it.

I figured an external flash would allow me to get, to name an example, photos of people in restaurants. Say a couple of people are in a restaurant at a corner table, and I shoot from a few feet away.

I gathered info and set this flash up for TTL, and I set the camera to aperture priority. I used an ISO range from 100 to something like 12800. I took a photo of a work table in my house in lighting about like a restaurant. I used a Sigma 24-70mm lens. The top ISO value was at some nutty level like 12800.

The pictures were very grainy and coarse. When I moved the top ISO down to 2500, the shutter speed dropped to 1/60 at f/5.0. The pictures are still pretty grainy.

I assumed that with a flash, I would get faster shutter speeds and better photos in dim lighting, since the flash would compensate. I thought that was the whole point. Am I asking too much?

 

[cgw]

Tons of online tutorials/classes on flash photography basics. Try a few?

 

[William Baroo]

I'm doing whatever I can. Surely it's not normal to get grainy photos in restaurants with ordinary lenses and full-frame cameras.

 

[CherylL]

Different cameras have noticeable noise depending on the ISO. Some cameras can go fairly high and others noise is noticed at ISO 800. Google your camera and see what other's have noticed noise at what ISO. A good denoiser in post can help. I heard the AI denoiser in light room does a good job. I use Nik's Define.

May want to experiment using Manual instead of Aperture Priority to see what settings work best.

 

[snowbear]

Pretend it's film and try setting the ISO to manual/constant and something like 800 (not automatic range). I'm not familiar with that camera but it sounds ike it's pushing ISO before it pushed speed and flash.

 

[f64_or_bust]

It sounds more like the flash isn’t communicating with the camera properly. I couldn’t find details on camera settings or flash specs quickly, but the idea is that most cameras sync with flash below 1/200, and more typically at 1/60. If you set your ISO for 100, with the flash present the camera should automatically pick the correct flash sync speed, and at 10’ that flash should get a well exposed image even at f11. If not, something isn’t talking.

I’ve had more than a few issues getting 3rd party flashes to work well with cameras, Sony included. But when it works, unless you are a extreme distances or very small apertures, you should not have much to think about. The camera and flash should decide together what works. Your task would get down to deciding how much you want ambient light to contribute to the exposure, vs flash being dominant. You swing that mix around with the f-stop and shutter, as long as you don’t try a shutter speed that won’t actually synch with the flash.

Since the flash is meant to work with different cameras, you might verify you got the right version, Sony specific.

 

[William Baroo]

I'm going to keep working on it. The weird thing is that my phone takes bright, clear photos in pretty bad light, with no flash. I am going to continue to study the camera and flash to figure out what's happening. I'm sure the camera should be able to outperform a phone.

 

[f64_or_bust]

. I'm sure the camera should be able to outperform a phone.

Sure, but a phone is a fixed set off components that never change, and the surrounding programming includes extensive computational photography software with that work with that specific set of components. A DSLR or Mirrorless has interchangeable lenses and external accessories and interface protocols with a far wider range of user adjustments, and frankly, much less computational automation. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Again, your main issue here is two devices that need communication to work well together automatically. That communication is probably not happening. You may want to exchange the flash for another copy, or different unit.

 

[RAZKY]

I got a Godox V1-S for my Sony A7IV, and I am having a difficult time with it.

I figured an external flash would allow me to get, to name an example, photos of people in restaurants. Say a couple of people are in a restaurant at a corner table, and I shoot from a few feet away.

I gathered info and set this flash up for TTL, and I set the camera to aperture priority. I used an ISO range from 100 to something like 12800. I took a photo of a work table in my house in lighting about like a restaurant. I used a Sigma 24-70mm lens. The top ISO value was at some nutty level like 12800.

The pictures were very grainy and coarse. When I moved the top ISO down to 2500, the shutter speed dropped to 1/60 at f/5.0. The pictures are still pretty grainy.

I assumed that with a flash, I would get faster shutter speeds and better photos in dim lighting, since the flash would compensate. I thought that was the whole point. Am I asking too much?

Looks like the V1-S is Sony compatible. For your restaurant scenario here's what I would try - set the camera to manual, highest flash sync speed (nowadays that's typically at least 1/200), base ISO, and the aperture range around f/5.6-11 ought to do it. And please let us know how it works out.

 

[f64_or_bust]

Looks like the V1-S is Sony compatible. For your restaurant scenario here's what I would try - set the camera to manual, highest flash sync speed (nowadays that's typically at least 1/200), base ISO, and the aperture range around f/5.6-11 ought to do it. And please let us know how it works out.

Not a bad suggestion, but that will only test the trigger function. The flash is supposed to communicate with the camera to the extent that it can do full TTL, and automation. That’s a lot more than just one trigger pin, which should fire any low voltage trigger strobe. If you got the VS-1S, it should behave like a “dedicated “
Sony strobe. There is a separate firmware download for each version of the VS-1. You might check which you have and if it’s current for the Sony version. Most manufacturers troubleshoot first by asking the user to update firmware.

 

[wobe]

I agree with f64 - Sounds like bad communication between flash and camera.
As well as firmware updates I understand there have also been issues with the foot of some flashes not fitting correctly on the Sony cameras, had to be constantly re-seated etc. Godox even supplied a new foot that could be swapped out (4x screws). Problems reported were similar to yours, plus flash firing out of sync etc as well. Though not sure if this applies speciically to your model.

 

[RAZKY]

Not a bad suggestion, but that will only test the trigger function.

It would ensure that the ISO stays where it's wanted, which appears to me to be the main problem. If the flash wasn't triggering, I'm sure the OP would have said so.

 

[RAZKY]

I agree with f64 - Sounds like bad communication between flash and camera.
As well as firmware updates I understand there have also been issues with the foot of some flashes not fitting correctly on the Sony cameras, had to be constantly re-seated etc. Godox even supplied a new foot that could be swapped out (4x screws). Problems reported were similar to yours, plus flash firing out of sync etc as well. Though not sure if this applies speciically to your model.

Wow, the Godox sounds like a piece of trash to be avoided! I personally have bought only Ultrablitz and Metz flashes - never a problem.

 

[f64_or_bust]

It would ensure that the ISO stays where it's wanted, which appears to me to be the main problem. If the flash wasn't triggering, I'm sure the OP would have said so.

But it also defeats the main purpose: TTL metering. Without that, it's basically an auto-strobe from the 1970s.

 

[f64_or_bust]

Wow, the Godox sounds like a piece of trash to be avoided! I personally have bought only Ultrablitz and Metz flashes - never a problem.

I don't have a great impression of the Godox product either. I have one, it's only a "sorta works" solution, which means I don't use it. Compared to something like a several years old Canon 580 EXII on a Canon DSLR, it's pretty much a non-starter. I do understand the need to economize. I wish there were a good solution. Some have made Godox products work, though. It seems a bit random.