Fine Tweaking The HVL-F56AM in Manual Mode

[Ivan Watkins]

I've been experiencing frustration with my 56. I use it in manual mode almost 100% of the time because TTL only results in giving me headaches with Sony A100 and A700. When I'm at the higher ISO 3200 (A-700) sometimes the power setting of 1/32 just isn't low enough.

Here is the situation.. the room light dictates ISO3200 at 1/30 of a second at F2.8.

I want to shoot 1 stop over ambient so I manually place my camera at ISO3200, 1/60 f2.8.
I could change any of the exposure variables to get under by one stop but I choose shutter speed.

Here is the problem.. my 56 am lots of time will be too hot at 1/32 power when I'm at this high of an ISO.. How can I lower the intensity of the flash:
1. Without having to back up further from my subject
2. When in a situation when I can't bounce and diffuse from a ceiling or wall.

I've noticed that in TTL mode with the compensation the flash is able to make fine grain power changes that seem to be the equivalent of 1/3 stop changes in light and TTL can shoot at a setting with less power than 1/32. How can I do this manually? I really don't like having to stop down because then that changes my ambient light. I want to keep my ambient 1 stop under and ONLY change the flash power.

Do you know of a flash that will allow me this type of really fine grained ability? And yes I know that I could put some kind of diffuser over my flash head to help control the lowest light intensity.

[David Kilpatrick]

Easy, just flip the wide angle diffuser over the flash head and you have cut it by about 1 stop. Stick a neutral density filter (or a folded sheet of tissue paper) under the diffuser and you can cut the light down to any small amount you might want.

David

[Ivan Watkins]

I'm sitting here laughing because your response is so concise, simple and affective. I use ND sheets on my strobes all the time for this very reason.. it never dawned on me to use one along with my built in wide angle diffuser... duhhhhh (on my part lol). Thanks Dave... I appreciate your reply.