karn@allegra.UUCP (Phil Karn) (02/17/84)
I recently bought a Pentax Super Program and dedicated TTL flash. It would seem (mainly from experimentation, the manual is very vague on this point) that the only way you can do fill-in flash is by putting the camera into "Metered Manual" (essentially match-needle) mode. If you put the camera into any of the automatic modes, it sets a fixed aperture and shutter speed which of course makes it difficult to expose the existing light properly. It seems a shame that fill-in flash could not be more automatic; do other normally automatic cameras have the same problem? Phil Karn
michaelk@azure.UUCP (Michael Kersenbrock) (02/18/84)
I have the Pentax Super-Program and the Pentax '280 dedicated flash. When you use it in the through-the-lens (TTL) metering mode (which is the way I normally use it), you can set the lens opening to whatever you want it, from wide open to fully stopped down. It is only in the flash's automatic mode (it is using the flash's light sensor) that the lens opening is fixed. This also means that you can put the flash on an extension (or swivel the head up/down/left/right) to use as fill because it's light sensor is not being used in TTL mode. I don't understand the advantage of using anything other than TTL mode, the pentax manual doesn't seem to be too clear on this. Mike Kersenbrock Tektronix Microcomputer Development Products Aloha, Oregon
hal@pur-phy.UUCP (Hal Chambers) (02/22/84)
The Minolta X700 handles its dedicated flash this way... M mode: (manual) Flash is operated by the Guide Number method. A mode: (aperture priority) You select aperture, camera meters the flash off the file plane and shuts it down when the correct amount of light has been received. P mode: (program) Camera selects the aperture based on the ambient light, then meters the flash off the file plane during exposure. In the A and P modes the camera automatically selects its fastest (1/60) sync speed. For fill in flash outdoors this can be a bit slow and it would be nice to have a faster sync speed (some cameras sync at 1/125 and even 1/250). Hal Chambers Purdue University ...!pur-ee!Physics:hal