Question on fill flash

[Rich Gibson]

I've read both manualsfor my D2X and SB800 flash and suspect I may be missing something. Without flash when I focus on a subject the camera indicates the distance; changing the aperture of course, doesn't change the distance.

This weekend I wanted to try some fill flash at the MD rennaisance festival which is in a wooded area. Lighting is a nightmare because the sunlight streaking down can blow out parts of the image. When I try to set the flash the only way I can set the flash to the correct distance is by changing the camera's aperture. This is frustrating because I often want to use a different aperture setting for a particular situation.

What's the secret to setting the flash distance without using the aperture. I apologize in advance for this primitive question but I rarely use the flash.

Thanks, Rich

epressed

 

[JeffKohn]

The distance shown on the flash is just the range of distance that the flash is capable of covering at the current aperture. As long as your shooting distance is less than the max distance displayed on the flash you should be OK. If it's not, the flash doesn't have enough power and you'll need to inrease ISO or open up the aperture some.

 

[Rich Gibson]

The distance shown on the flash is just the range of distance that the flash is capable of covering at the current aperture. As long as your shooting distance is less than the max distance displayed on the flash you should be OK. If it's not, the flash doesn't have enough power and you'll need to inrease ISO or open up the aperture some.

Aha! Thanks, so I was accidentally doing the right thing. Woo hoo.

:biggrin: