Nikon flash -balanced mode (lens, camera, shot, ISO)

[mathjak107]

i thought id clear up one of the least understood modes on nikon flashes.

its called ttl-bl or balanced mode..

nikon uses 2 distinctly different flash modes. ttl and ttl-bl.

in ttl there are 2 seperate exposure systems going on . the camera settings will expose for how dark or light you choose to make the background.the flash has its own exposure system built in and it controls the amount of light on the subject. the 2 systems dont communicate and its very easy to over expose if ambiant light is high. this is the mode typically used in dimmly lite areas or dark areas. its like to seperate camera exposure systems. this is your normal flash mode.

in ttl-bl the camera and flash communicate and the flash takes all kinds of ambiant light and distance to the subject info into a calculation and will then elevate a subject up to the brightness of the background , this is great for shooting objects against a bright sky or backlite subjects. it will not make a dimmly lite area any brighter like ttl will , it only balances to the level of light the background is at good or bad.


when using ttl i like to do the following. i turn auto iso off ,i use iso 200 and i put the camera in P or program mode.

why programmed mode?

because every camera has a maximum speed after which flash output is greatly diminished.its usually between 1/200-1/320 on nikons depending on model.... its listed as sync speed on your camera spec.

when shooting in daylight if your in A or aperture priority the camera can and will pick a speed faster than your sync speed if you open the lens to much. programmed mode is smart and knows not to go faster then your sync speed even if your not smart enough to notice,..... most people call the P mode the idiot mode, i call it the professional mode. most nikon pros use it when shooting in balanced mode so they dont have to keep track of hitting their sync speeds when shooting events..


try balanced for faces when shooting into bright backgrounds. i like to light up foreground objects that would normally be rendered black or dark because they are against light backgrounds.

these are shot in balanced mode


to get the bench this bright with no flash would have blown out the skies,balanced mode brought the bench up to the level of the background. i added a little more flash exposure to bring it up even more.

http://mm-photography.smugmug.com/Other/LONG-ISLAND-GOLD-COAST/MCJ4002/892115711_DnGpm-L.jpg (broken link)
balanced flash intensified the green rocks


with no balanced flash the trees were black silouettes

http://mm-photography.smugmug.com/Other/GLENN-COVE-SHORE/MCJ7244/954373090_jEfWf-L.jpg (broken link)
the rock frame was just dark and featureless with out balanced flash


you can see where the range of the flash fell off creating a misty look on the water in the foreground as the background and foreground come together...