60D manual settings for studio flash units

[SMartindale]

Hi Forum - Anyone familiar with using a 60D with studio flash units - I am in manual mode shooting at F11 with a sync speed at 60 - using 2 studio flashes set at 1/4 - and getting very bright exposures  -  any internal settings I should be using for this type of shooting - I have come from an older Rebel Digital and the settings I used were different - any help is appreciated - Thanks - Scott  

[Skirball · Accepted solution]

I'm not sure what you're asking, but the 60D shouldn't perform any different with studio lights than your old camera.

If you're photos are over-exposing because of the flash then simply turn down the power.  1/4 is actually quite a lot, I'm never up that far indoors unless I'm coloring a background.

I assume by sync speed you mean the shutter speed?  Shutter speed doesn't affect flash so you can move your shutter speed up or down (max sync speed of 60D is 1/250?)  to balance balance ambient light with the flash.

If you're having trouble getting your lighting right then I would choose your aperture (f/11 is fine), then set the shutter speed to max sync speed, and ISO 100.  Turn on one light at very low power and take a test shot.  Then bump it up until you get the light you want.  Then turn that one off and repeat with the other until you get your lights balanced.  Then balance in the ambient (if you want) by lowering shutter speed.  Basic lighting process.

[TCampbell]

The ISO setting on the camera and the physical distance from the subject will factor in.

Flash exposure is based on ISO, f-stop, power output of the flash, and physical distance of the flash from the subject.  Shutter speed is irrelevant as long as it's at or below the flash-sync speed (you could leave the shutter open much longer but since the flash is only lit for a fraction of a second the camera does not continue to collect light from it -- but will collect light from any continuous/available light in the room.)

Studio flash is typically rated in watt/seconds rather than "guide number" because the reflectors and light modifiers will determine how far the flash can carry (whereas in a speedlight, the reflector is built into the flash and not something you would normally change out.)  

I don't suppose you happen to own an incident light meter that can provide you with flash readings?  If you do, you can basically establish a guide-number based on the light modifiers you are currently using and this would completely de-mystify the lighting because at that point you can apply rules of aperture changes and the inverse-square law to predict exactly how far a flash should be and at what power level given any camera ISO or f-stop combination.  

[SMartindale]

Thanks for the reply -