User's Manual

14
6. Fill-in Flash in Daylight
Fig. 13: Fill-in flash in daylight (left without - right with mecablitz)
The mecablitz can also be used for fill-in flash in daylight to soften harsh shadows and lower
the contrast, thereby producing a more balanced exposure when shooting against the light.
Various possibilities are open to the user for this purpose.
6.1 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!
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