Metz 60 CT-1 instruction manual Fill-in Flash in Daylight, Illumination and Wide-Angle Diffuser

7. Fill-in Flash in Daylight

The mecablitz can also be used for fill-in flash in daylight to soften harsh sha- dows and lower the contrast, thereby producing a more balanced exposure when shooting against the light.

7.1 Fill-in flash in automatic mode

Use the camera, or a hand-held exposure meter, to establish the required aperture and shutter speed for a normal exposure. Ensure that the shutter speed either equals, or is slower than, the fastest flash synch speed (varies with the given camera model).

Example:

Established aperture = f/8; established shutter speed = 1/60 sec. Flash synch speed of the camera, e.g. 1/100 sec. (see operating instructions for the given camera).

The two established values for aperture and shutter speed can be set on the camera because the camera’s shutter speed is slower than the camera’s flash synch speed.

￿To maintain a balanced range of highlights, for instance in order to retain the character of the shadows, it is advisable to select the automatic aperture on the flashgun one setting lower than the aperture adjusted on the camera. In the above example the camera was adjusted to f/8. Consequently, we advise you to set an aperture of f/5.6 on the flashgun.

☞When shooting into the light, ensure that the backlight does not shine directly onto the sensor as this will confuse the flashgun’s electronics!

8. Illumination and Wide-Angle Diffuser

The wide-angle diffuser widens the horizontal lighting angle from 62° to 65°, and the vertical lighting angle from 42° to 60°.

The wide-angle diffuser is intended for use with focal lengths of less than 28 . . 35 mm (for 24 x 36 mm), and less than 50 . .75 mm (for 6 x 6 cm).

If the wide-angle diffuser is not required, it should always be set in its park position under the reflector.

In the auto flash mode, the flash coverage widened by the wide-angle diffu- ser reduces the maximum flash ranges of the working apertures to approx. 70% of their original value. The new maximum flash ranges are indicated at the bottom edge of the setting slide.

When the wide-angle diffuser is being used in manual mode it will be neces- sary to set the next smaller f-number than the one indicated on the program- ming centre.

9. Exposure Corrections

The automatic exposure systems are based on a subject reflection factor of 25%, this being the average reflection factor for subjects shot with flash.

Dark backgrounds absorb a lot of light, while bright backgrounds reflect a great deal of light (e.g. backlit scenes), thereby resulting in subject overexpo- sure or underexposure, respectively.

9.1 Exposure correction in automatic flash mode

To compensate the above mentioned effect, the exposure can be corrected by opening or stopping down the camera’s aperture. With a bright background the sensor of the flashgun cuts out the flash too soon with the result that the actual subject is too dark. With a dark background the flash is cut out too late so that the actual subject is too bright.

☞Bright background:

Open the camera aperture by 1/2 to 1 f-stop (e.g. from f/5.6 to f/4).

☞Dark background:

Close the aperture by 1/2 to 1 f-stop (e.g. from f/8 to f/11).

32