Dont know what I'm doing with my flash meter?

Question

I just bought a used wein WP-500B flash meter and I just dont get it. I have a page of instructions that tell me, basically, that I place the meter right in front of the subject, fire the strobe and viola I have an f-stop number. It works as it came from a reputable local camera shop and it gives me a f/number when I fire the flash.

My real question here is how do I figure out the speed of the shutter from this meter? Or can I? I searched photo.net and only found people who already know the basics of metering this way asking fine tuning questions.

Please help.

This is one thread I found and it shows a pic of the meter and how it works. Again I would like to know how to match shutter speed to all of this.
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009RaY

Thanks

Thank you Rocky and Gene, this makes alot more sense to me now but I am still a little confused.

I have in order of oldest to newest:
Pentax K1000 from about 30 years ago with a Pentax AF-160 flash
Canon Rebel Xs (film) camera
and a Canon XTi with a 430EZ flash

The Pentax syncs at 1/60th of a second and the XTi syncs at 1/200th of a second. With such a variance I would need to know what the meter is thinking that my shutter speed is synced at to be able to adjust accordingly. Or do I still have it all wrong?

Also the specs on the meter state that it will only meter flashes slower than 1/3000 of a second. I dont think any of my flashes are faster than that.

So if I have it correct from Seemles I should just set my camera to the sync speed, fire the flash and adjust the aperture to that. Is it that simple?

Answer 1

Like rocky says, it's a matter of synchronization so that the shutter is open when the flash is at it's peak.
Most shutters sync at (no faster than) 1/60 or 1/125 and there should be some kind of a symbol on the shutter at one of those speeds indicating sync with an electronic flash.
You could have your shutter speed even slower, say even 1/2 sec but, you then have the chance of picking up other lighting in the picture, which could affect the color balance (for instance, a lamp with a Kelvin temp of 3200 (the picture would be orange) as opposed to an electronic flash wih a Kelvin temp of around 6400, similar to the blue of daylight).

Can you post which camera you'll be using and we could probably tell you the shutter speed to use and whether there's another switch or place to plug in your sync cord on the camera that you might need to enable when using electronic flash (some older cameras have an "M" for flashbulbs and an "X" for electronic flash.)

M synchronization means a linking arrangement between a camera lens and the flashbulb unit to allow a 15-millisecond delay of the shutter so that the bulb burns to its brightest point before the shutter opens.

X sync causes the flash to burst in synchronization with the peak opening of the shutter. For some manual cameras, the X sync speed refers to the maximum speed that the camera can synchronize with the flash.

Using an electronic flash with a camera having a Focal Plane Shutter (e.g. a Speed Graphic) requires sync at a certain speed, like 1/125, otherwise you'll find that part of the negative or picture is cutoff (usually about 1/3) because the shutter opened and closed out of sync with the flash.

ADD:
"So if I have it correct from Seemles I should just set my camera to the sync speed, fire the flash and adjust the aperture to that. Is it that simple?"

Yep, that should do it.

Again, make sure you plug your sync cord into the "X" plug on the camera (if you also have "M" or anything else).
Set the shutter speed to the "X" or electronic flash speed.
Take your meter reading and set the aperture.
You should get good exposures.

Of course, I know you know that as you move your flash closer or farther away from your subject that this is what will determine your f/stop.

btw...your flash should also have a Guide Number...you could always simply look for the film speed using the Guide and then divide the distance (e.g. 10 feet) into the Guide Number...this will give you your working f/stop.

This might help also...
http://64.78.42.182/sweethaven/MiscTech/Photog01/default.asp?unNum=5&lesNum=8

Answer 2

Under the assumptions of the flash meter, the flash is the only light lighting the subject. Since electronic flash is usually in the range of 1/800 sec and shorter the shutter speed is irrelevant. The total control you have is the aperture setting. You can think of it this way, the flash acts like a light source with a built in shutter speed. In fact, if you could measure it, you would find that a shutter speed equal to the duration of the flash at the indicated f stop would give you exactly the same exposure as a continous light source providing the same level of light and a shutter speed equal to the duration of the flash.

This is strictly true only for conditions where the ambient light (everything that isn't the flash) is so low that it doesn't record on film or sensor at whatever shutter speed you decide to use.

That's it in a nutshell.

Vance

Answer 3

Usually the shutter is sync. with the flash contact at 1/60 sec. The actual shutter speed is not important, only the shutter being open when the flash occurs.

Answer 4

When it comes to flash the shutter speed has nothing to do with proper exposure (just have it in the right sync speed) only the flash to subject distance, flash output, and aperture.
Note the above is for indoor flash when it comes to outdoor flash that is a another story to complicated for me to explain.

Answer 5

Your Sekonic is an Incident Flash Meter? in basic terms element it on the digicam from the region place and hearth the flashes to get a examining. that is that straightforward. If the two flashes are the two powered then there is not any desire even for the meter. in basic terms set aperture for the closer flash, overlook approximately that greater away by way of fact it is going to in basic terms be quite including to the entire in those areas it impacts or filling interior the bits unlit by utilising the main important flash. in the event that they are equivalent powered and equidistant then set aperture one end down.