photos ©Gary Walts 1996
The default mode of flash operation with the 9xi is such that, with the flash mounted on the hot shoe, the camera eilluminates and exposes your subject with the flash so that the background is one stop underexposed. This creates a distinct seperation of the subject from the foreground. However, maybe you would rather have some ambient light in the background. All you do is press and hold the AE lock button on the 9xi with your thumb as you take the picture. The camera automatically switches to a slower shutter speed to properly expose the background with the ambient light, while your main subject is properly exposed by the flash. I use this all the time. Let's say you
are at a wedding. You can take two quick pictures with very different results as shown here in the two shots of the couple at a wedding. Both photos were shot with the 9xi a 28mm f2.8 Minolta Maxxum lens, and the 5400xi flash. Camera was set in P mode. The first shot was straight on, point and shoot. Notice the dark background. Where are these people? You cannot tell. For the next shot I simply pressed and held the AE button while I took the photo. The camera set itself to a slower shutter speed to bring out the background.
Now I think that is pretty handy. I regularly shoot photos at weddings both ways. Bang, bang. Very fast. One, two. One dark, one light at the touch of a button. It's nice to have a choice.
The Minolta manual will tell you to put the camera on a tripod when using the slow shutter synch because the speed may be too slow to hand hold, blurring the background. I tend to like to handhold it, especially in nightclubs with people dancing. You never know what effect you will get. Swirling, streaking light patterns and ghosting images.
With the 700si you press and hold the Spot meter button while taking a flash photo to automatically go to the slow synch.
NOTE: If the background is allready very bright, or if you are shooting with a large aperture, the shutter speed may not be reduced. When I am outdoors and want to make sure I properly balance the background with the foreground lit by flash I shoot manually. See the next page for details.
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