A7Rii + Godox 350S Problems

[Kev The Doc]

When I have my 350S flash attached to the A7Rii, the ISO on the camera never goes above 1600 despite the fact I iso is set on auto iso with a defined range of 100-6400? I’m in fill flash mode, the flash is in TTL mode, and it doesn’t matter what the shutter speed, aperture, exposure comp, flash comp settings are, iso is limited to 1600 often resulting in massively under exposed shots?

I’ve read about TTL problems between Godox flashes and Sony mirrorles cameras, some advise it works better above F4 but I don’t see any change in behaviour above F4. Others have said it seems to be connected to autofocus but I’ve also tried switching to manual focus and it makes no difference.

Is the problem the same across all Sony mirrorless bodies and is the only solution going to manual flash mode?

 

[Jacques Cornell]

When I have my 350S flash attached to the A7Rii, the ISO on the camera never goes above 1600 despite the fact I iso is set on auto iso with a defined range of 100-6400? I’m in fill flash mode, the flash is in TTL mode, and it doesn’t matter what the shutter speed, aperture, exposure comp, flash comp settings are, iso is limited to 1600 often resulting in massively under exposed shots?

I’ve read about TTL problems between Godox flashes and Sony mirrorles cameras, some advise it works better above F4 but I don’t see any change in behaviour above F4. Others have said it seems to be connected to autofocus but I’ve also tried switching to manual focus and it makes no difference.

Is the problem the same across all Sony mirrorless bodies and is the only solution going to manual flash mode?

Just spit-balling here, but is it possible that the flash simply can't produce a weak enough pop? For example, at ISO 1600 the flash is already at 1/128 (minimum) power and can't produce 1/256 or 1/512 that would be required for ISO 3200 or 6400 under your particular shooting conditions?

I've run into this problem in the past with some very different and much more basic gear.

--
"No matter where you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos

 

[Snapsh0t]

I think you've mis-read this as the OP is complaining about under-exposure, not over-exposure.

 

[Snapsh0t]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

 

[Kev The Doc]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

 

[noggin2k1]

This is just one of the many anomalies I've noticed when shooting Godox with Sony.

It's not bad by any means, but I've noticed that with previous Canon, and current Fuji - Godox works so much better on them than with Sony.

This is nothing but my own personal perception, but I do feel like flash is a bit of an afterthought with Sony mirrorless bodies.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

I think you've mis-read this as the OP is complaining about under-exposure, not over-exposure.

I interpreted that as underexposure of the ambient light (i.e. background/environment) resulting from the ISO getting pushed down.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

--
"No matter where you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos

 

[Chris Crevasse]

I just took two shots with my A7r2 and 350S in fill flash mode with auto ISO. My auto ISO range is 100-25600, and ISO AUTO Min. SS was set to "fast." The first photo was in a dim room at f/8, while the second was looking through a window in that same dim room, with the window occupying about 2/3 of the frame, at f/22. Metering just the outside light at f/8 gives me a shutter speed of 1/125 and ISO 1000. The metering mode was Multi.

ISO of the first shot turned out to be 6400 with a shutter speed of 1/125, while ISO of the second was 8000 with a shutter speed of 1/60. In both, the ambient light and flash light appear properly exposed.

So, my setup works as expected. I don't know why your ISO is capped at 1600 and your shots are underexposed.

 

[Kev The Doc]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

 

[Kev The Doc]

I just took two shots with my A7r2 and 350S in fill flash mode with auto ISO. My auto ISO range is 100-25600, and ISO AUTO Min. SS was set to "fast." The first photo was in a dim room at f/8, while the second was looking through a window in that same dim room, with the window occupying about 2/3 of the frame, at f/22. Metering just the outside light at f/8 gives me a shutter speed of 1/125 and ISO 1000. The metering mode was Multi.

ISO of the first shot turned out to be 6400 with a shutter speed of 1/125, while ISO of the second was 8000 with a shutter speed of 1/60. In both, the ambient light and flash light appear properly exposed.

So, my setup works as expected. I don't know why your ISO is capped at 1600 and your shots are underexposed.

Hmm, interesting, and thanks for sharing.

It looks like you’re in Aperture priority mode with auto iso whereas I’m in Manual mode with auto iso, this shouldn’t make a difference but I’ll replicate your setup and see if get better results and post back later today. Thats the only difference I can see in what we’re doing.

 

[Sakisf]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you sure you do not have any PP enabled? Here's a test shot with TT350s then i40s, same settings: HSS, 1/2500, Auto ISO 100-12800 (camera picked 3200 for both), f4.5 on A7ii




godox




i40s

Generally both flashes do tend to underexpose a bit, from 1/3 to 1 stop. But they do not affect the max ISO of your cam or general exposure settings either. This seems more like an issue with a wrong picture profile picked by the camera.

 

[Kev The Doc]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you sure you do not have any PP enabled? Here's a test shot with TT350s then i40s, same settings: HSS, 1/2500, Auto ISO 100-12800 (camera picked 3200 for both), f4.5 on A7ii


godox


i40s

Generally both flashes do tend to underexpose a bit, from 1/3 to 1 stop. But they do not affect the max ISO of your cam or general exposure settings either. This seems more like an issue with a wrong picture profile picked by the camera.

I shoot RAW only.

 

[Kev The Doc]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Ok, here's a series of example pictures, but firstly let me summarize settings:

• For this first portion of shots the camera is in Manual mode with iso set to auto throughout the below series (range set to 100-6400). I advise below when this changes.
• Fill flash selected on camera
• For these examples I used multi metering mode. Exposure comp was set at zero throughout.
• Flash is in TTL mode
• All shots taken in RAW and processed without any exposure adjustment.

Benchmark shot with no flash. 1/200s, f1.8, ISO 6400




Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600




Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600




Flash comp =-2, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 800 (why is it setting my iso lower with less flash comp?)




Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 400

I then changed f stop to f8.


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600




Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000




Flash comp = -2, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000




Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600

I then switched to Aperture Priority mode as another poster just advised his setup was working and i think they were in Aperture priority mode, so all pictures from here onwards are in Aperture Priority mode.


Flash comp = 0, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000




Flash comp = -1, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000




Flash comp =-2, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000




Flash comp = -3, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000




E front curtain off, Flash comp = -3, f8, 1/60s, iso 2000

ISO did actually go above 1600 this time, seemed to stall out at 2000, but clearly needed to be much higher to correctly expose. Is this making sense to anybody?

FYI: I'm new to on camera TTL shooting so don't assume anything regarding my settings being correct, this could be a rookie mistake in settings?

 

[chrisheathcote]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Ok, here's a series of example pictures, but firstly let me summarize settings:

• For this first portion of shots the camera is in Manual mode with iso set to auto throughout the below series (range set to 100-6400). I advise below when this changes.
• Fill flash selected on camera
• For these examples I used multi metering mode. Exposure comp was set at zero throughout.
• Flash is in TTL mode
• All shots taken in RAW and processed without any exposure adjustment.

Benchmark shot with no flash. 1/200s, f1.8, ISO 6400


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp =-2, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 800 (why is it setting my iso lower with less flash comp?)


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 400

I then changed f stop to f8.


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -2, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600

I then switched to Aperture Priority mode as another poster just advised his setup was working and i think they were in Aperture priority mode, so all pictures from here onwards are in Aperture Priority mode.


Flash comp = 0, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -1, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp =-2, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


E front curtain off, Flash comp = -3, f8, 1/60s, iso 2000

ISO did actually go above 1600 this time, seemed to stall out at 2000, but clearly needed to be much higher to correctly expose. Is this making sense to anybody?

FYI: I'm new to on camera TTL shooting so don't assume anything regarding my settings being correct, this could be a rookie mistake in settings?

Just a thought, but in the menu on Gear/Cog page 6 there is an option for Exposure Compensation which can be set to Ambient or Ambient and Flash. What setting is it on?

 

[Sakisf]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Ok, here's a series of example pictures, but firstly let me summarize settings:

• For this first portion of shots the camera is in Manual mode with iso set to auto throughout the below series (range set to 100-6400). I advise below when this changes.
• Fill flash selected on camera
• For these examples I used multi metering mode. Exposure comp was set at zero throughout.
• Flash is in TTL mode
• All shots taken in RAW and processed without any exposure adjustment.

Benchmark shot with no flash. 1/200s, f1.8, ISO 6400


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp =-2, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 800 (why is it setting my iso lower with less flash comp?)


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 400

I then changed f stop to f8.


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -2, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600

I then switched to Aperture Priority mode as another poster just advised his setup was working and i think they were in Aperture priority mode, so all pictures from here onwards are in Aperture Priority mode.


Flash comp = 0, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -1, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp =-2, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


E front curtain off, Flash comp = -3, f8, 1/60s, iso 2000

ISO did actually go above 1600 this time, seemed to stall out at 2000, but clearly needed to be much higher to correctly expose. Is this making sense to anybody?

FYI: I'm new to on camera TTL shooting so don't assume anything regarding my settings being correct, this could be a rookie mistake in settings?

You are asking your camera to intentionally produce less light with the flash, why would it increase the ISO to compensate the whole exposure and go against your will? When shooting with flash anyway try to keep ISO at 100 or 640.

 

[Kev The Doc]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Ok, here's a series of example pictures, but firstly let me summarize settings:

• For this first portion of shots the camera is in Manual mode with iso set to auto throughout the below series (range set to 100-6400). I advise below when this changes.
• Fill flash selected on camera
• For these examples I used multi metering mode. Exposure comp was set at zero throughout.
• Flash is in TTL mode
• All shots taken in RAW and processed without any exposure adjustment.

Benchmark shot with no flash. 1/200s, f1.8, ISO 6400


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp =-2, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 800 (why is it setting my iso lower with less flash comp?)


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 400

I then changed f stop to f8.


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -2, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600

I then switched to Aperture Priority mode as another poster just advised his setup was working and i think they were in Aperture priority mode, so all pictures from here onwards are in Aperture Priority mode.


Flash comp = 0, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -1, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp =-2, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


E front curtain off, Flash comp = -3, f8, 1/60s, iso 2000

ISO did actually go above 1600 this time, seemed to stall out at 2000, but clearly needed to be much higher to correctly expose. Is this making sense to anybody?

FYI: I'm new to on camera TTL shooting so don't assume anything regarding my settings being correct, this could be a rookie mistake in settings?

Just a thought, but in the menu on Gear/Cog page 6 there is an option for Exposure Compensation which can be set to Ambient or Ambient and Flash. What setting is it on?

When digging through the menu's I did see that, it was set to Ambient and Flash, so I tried just Ambient but unfortunatly it didn't make any difference.

 

[Kev The Doc]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Ok, here's a series of example pictures, but firstly let me summarize settings:

• For this first portion of shots the camera is in Manual mode with iso set to auto throughout the below series (range set to 100-6400). I advise below when this changes.
• Fill flash selected on camera
• For these examples I used multi metering mode. Exposure comp was set at zero throughout.
• Flash is in TTL mode
• All shots taken in RAW and processed without any exposure adjustment.

Benchmark shot with no flash. 1/200s, f1.8, ISO 6400


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp =-2, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 800 (why is it setting my iso lower with less flash comp?)


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 400

I then changed f stop to f8.


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -2, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600

I then switched to Aperture Priority mode as another poster just advised his setup was working and i think they were in Aperture priority mode, so all pictures from here onwards are in Aperture Priority mode.


Flash comp = 0, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -1, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp =-2, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


E front curtain off, Flash comp = -3, f8, 1/60s, iso 2000

ISO did actually go above 1600 this time, seemed to stall out at 2000, but clearly needed to be much higher to correctly expose. Is this making sense to anybody?

FYI: I'm new to on camera TTL shooting so don't assume anything regarding my settings being correct, this could be a rookie mistake in settings?

You are asking your camera to intentionally produce less light with the flash, why would it increase the ISO to compensate the whole exposure and go against your will? When shooting with flash anyway try to keep ISO at 100 or 640.

In terms of flash comp specifically, when reducing flash comp, as you stated the camera should be telling the flash to reduce light output, however my understanding is that the overall effect of doing this should be reducing the flash to ambient light ratio and not reducing the overall exposure which is done via exposure comp? Is my understanding of this incorrect?

The other point that doesn't make sense is why are the shots with Flash Comp = 0 dramatically different exposures when I changed from f1.8 to f8? Surely at F8 the camera should have increased iso by the same several stops to yield the correct / same exposure? In my case it kept iso the same at 1600 which doesn't make sense to me?

This is what I'd expect with Flash Comp adjustments, the amount of fill light filling the shadows should vary but not dramatic exposure differences across the entire frame?

 

[Sakisf]

Is there a reason that you're blaming the flash rather than the camera? Have you observed different behaviour with a Sony flash?

All I know is the combo isn’t working well, I can’t conclude which component is truly to blame and I don’t have access to a Sony flash. If somebody has an A7Rii and has tried both Sony (or any other brand for that matter) and Godox for on camera TTL shooting I’d like to hear their feedback. I’d be willing to buy another brand of flash for on camera shooting (the Sony’s are too expensive for me), but I do like the Godox system for non TTL off camera work.

However, although I can’t conclude which component is causing the problem, the camera itself is simply not exposing the scene properly when using on camera ttl Godox flash, for instance I can shoot at 1/100s f1.8 and iso 1600 and the shot is reasonable well exposed, but then if I go to 1/250s f6.3 the auto iso remains at 1600 and the shot is massively underexposed irrespective of flash comp or exposure comp as if there’s a software bug not allowing iso to go above 1600?

Are you saying that the entire image is underexposed, or is it just the areas not lit by the flash that are underexposed? Can you post some examples?

Also, have you tried setting the camera's exposure manually? Are you unable to select an ISO above 1600 when a flash is mounted and on?

I’ll post some pictures when I get back to the house, as they say a picture paints a thousand words.

Ok, here's a series of example pictures, but firstly let me summarize settings:

• For this first portion of shots the camera is in Manual mode with iso set to auto throughout the below series (range set to 100-6400). I advise below when this changes.
• Fill flash selected on camera
• For these examples I used multi metering mode. Exposure comp was set at zero throughout.
• Flash is in TTL mode
• All shots taken in RAW and processed without any exposure adjustment.

Benchmark shot with no flash. 1/200s, f1.8, ISO 6400


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 1600


Flash comp =-2, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 800 (why is it setting my iso lower with less flash comp?)


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f1.8, iso 400

I then changed f stop to f8.


Flash comp = 0, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600


Flash comp = -1, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -2, 1/200s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/200s, f8, iso 1600

I then switched to Aperture Priority mode as another poster just advised his setup was working and i think they were in Aperture priority mode, so all pictures from here onwards are in Aperture Priority mode.


Flash comp = 0, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -1, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp =-2, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


Flash comp = -3, 1/60s, f8, iso 2000


E front curtain off, Flash comp = -3, f8, 1/60s, iso 2000

ISO did actually go above 1600 this time, seemed to stall out at 2000, but clearly needed to be much higher to correctly expose. Is this making sense to anybody?

FYI: I'm new to on camera TTL shooting so don't assume anything regarding my settings being correct, this could be a rookie mistake in settings?

You are asking your camera to intentionally produce less light with the flash, why would it increase the ISO to compensate the whole exposure and go against your will? When shooting with flash anyway try to keep ISO at 100 or 640.

In terms of flash comp specifically, when reducing flash comp, as you stated the camera should be telling the flash to reduce light output, however my understanding is that the overall effect of doing this should be reducing the flash to ambient light ratio and not reducing the overall exposure which is done via exposure comp? Is my understanding of this incorrect?

Yes, it would only reduce the output of the flash power, it shouldn't affect metered exposure.

The other point that doesn't make sense is why are the shots with Flash Comp = 0 dramatically different exposures when I changed from f1.8 to f8? Surely at F8 the camera should have increased iso by the same several stops to yield the correct / same exposure? In my case it kept iso the same at 1600 which doesn't make sense to me?

This is what I'd expect with Flash Comp adjustments, the amount of fill light filling the shadows should vary but not dramatic exposure differences across the entire frame?

This is probably due to user error, the flash automatically puts out more power (while in TTL mode) when F is increased. See the pictures below, same exposure irrespective of F number, only depth of field should be affected. When flash compensation is used (-1 in below examples), only flash power is reduced. You probably took photos under strong ambient light and from distance, that's why you have such a difference between f1.8 and f8, essentially with flash photography (and not under the sun or strong ambient light) they should be the same. Here probably you have some strong indoor lighting + distance and an approx. 5 stop distance, probably your flash was not enough to saturate the whole scene.


F2.8 0 comp


F8 0 comp


F16 0 comp


F2.8 -1 comp


F8 -1 comp


F16 -1 comp

Actually it's F2.8 which is slightly darker due to light falloff.

For the 2.8 at -1 comp, I did it on flash and not on camera so it is a bit brighter than it should, further test with in-camera with -1 produced identical result as the below 2.

 

[Kev The Doc]

Your pictures are another good example of what I'd expect from shooting with an on camera flash with TTL so thanks for sharing.

Regarding my shooting conditions, the room was relatively dark bedroom with no artificial lighting, without flash 1/200s, f1.8, iso 6400 was the correct exposure so this gives an idea of the ambient light level. The subject I was shooting was ~ 4ft away and the bed headrest in the background a further 8 ft away.