Question about using Canon 20D with studio stobes

Hi,

I have my Canon 20D on a tri-pod connected to a studio strobe by using the
camera's PC terminal. The strobe is GN92 w/100ASA and have 3 stop variable
power control.

The strobe flashes first and then I hear the camera shutter click, which
sounds delayed.

The images are over exposed and my human subject is slightly blurred (She
moved a tiny bit at time of exposures).

Here is the camera's data:

Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1.6
Av( Aperture Value )
5.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
17.0 - 85.0 mm
Focal Length
35.0 mm
Image Size
3504x2336
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance Mode
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Parameters Settings
Contrast Standard
Sharpness Standard
Color saturation Standard
Color tone 0
Color Space
sRGB
Noise Reduction
Off
File Size
3297 KB
Single-frame shooting

I understand the camera can't auto meter for my strobe, but is there a way
to get the camera do this otherwise?

Thanks for any and all help,
Dave

Hi Dave,

You need to shoot in manual mode.

By selecting anything with automatic exposure, the camera is metering for
the ambient light - and hence goes for a very low shutter speed (which also
explains the blur).

Try starting at 1/250 @ F5.6 and go down from there - ignore the light
meter - just go on how the image looks.

Don't go above 1/250 - at faster speeds the shutter isn't completely open
all at the same time - and you'll cut off part of your image.

Cheers,

Colin

"Dave" wrote in message
. net...
Hi,

I have my Canon 20D on a tri-pod connected to a studio strobe by using the
camera's PC terminal. The strobe is GN92 w/100ASA and have 3 stop variable
power control.

The strobe flashes first and then I hear the camera shutter click, which
sounds delayed.

The images are over exposed and my human subject is slightly blurred (She
moved a tiny bit at time of exposures).

Here is the camera's data:

Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1.6
Av( Aperture Value )
5.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
snip of nonpertinent information

I understand the camera can't auto meter for my strobe, but is there a way
to get the camera do this otherwise?

Thanks for any and all help,
Dave



Put your camera in manual. Program is not appropriate for working with
strobes, since the camera meters for ambient light. So you are getting a
setting of 1.6 seconds for the room light, and adding the strobe's light
over that. Get a flash meter, meter the light from the strobe, and set the
camera, manually.
The only other option is to dink with it, checking your LCD after every
shot, until you get the exposure right.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

1.6 sec is way too slow, you are getting too much ambient light in the
exposure, causing blurring at such a slow shutter speed.



Whenever you are using studio strobes, shoot with the camera set to M,
which is the manual mode. Always shoot in manual mode for studio shooting.
In a studio, the camera's meter is of no use. You need a flash meter, or
just eyeball the histogram on you camera's LCD.


manually adjust the aperture until the image looks good. Set ISO to 100.
I would set the shutter to 1/125, or whatever X sync is, on a 20D , I
think it is 1/250, but in a studio, I usually use 1/125. Shutterspeed
won't matter too much, unless the shutter speed is so slow it lets in too
much ambient light. I would adjust the strobe output so that the aperture
is at f/5.6 or F/8, but any apeture above f/5.6 would be okay, unless you
really want a narrow depth of field which will happen at wider than F/5.6.
You can move the strobe back, to nuance the f/stop, if needed, but having
the the umbrella close as possible to the subject is more desirable

Patrick




"Dave" wrote in message
. net...
Hi,

I have my Canon 20D on a tri-pod connected to a studio strobe by using the
camera's PC terminal. The strobe is GN92 w/100ASA and have 3 stop variable
power control.

The strobe flashes first and then I hear the camera shutter click, which
sounds delayed.

The images are over exposed and my human subject is slightly blurred (She
moved a tiny bit at time of exposures).

Here is the camera's data:

Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1.6
Av( Aperture Value )
5.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
17.0 - 85.0 mm
Focal Length
35.0 mm
Image Size
3504x2336
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
Off
White Balance Mode
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Parameters Settings
Contrast Standard
Sharpness Standard
Color saturation Standard
Color tone 0
Color Space
sRGB
Noise Reduction
Off
File Size
3297 KB
Single-frame shooting

I understand the camera can't auto meter for my strobe, but is there a way
to get the camera do this otherwise?

Thanks for any and all help,
Dave