New Flash Help

[The Tea Boy]

Evening all,
Sorry if this sounds a bit of a dumb question........

I have just brought a new flash for my Sony A200 as the on board flash is quite rubbish and very short.
Ok the question might be being asked in a slightly long winded fashion but just want to try and be understood, I don't under stand how to get the flash to work with the camera in aperture priority mode, in my current set up using the on board flash the shutter speed will auto adjust if the flash is set to come one, whereas the when i attach the new flash the camera almost doesn't seem to know its there, well it does as it activates the flash of light when i press the shutter, but if i was taking a picture in my living room currently without a flash there would be a shutter speed of about 13seconds, if i used the on board flash it would be say 1/60sec, but if i attach the new flash and take a pic the flash activates but the shutter speed is still 13secs and completely blown due to the flash.

Hope that makes some kind of sense and some one can help me.

Regards
Matt

[Simpo Two]

I don't know Sony gear but it sounds as if it's set to Manual and working at full (1/1) blast regardless of what the camera is doing. Get the manual out and see if you can find something about Fill Flash/Balanced Flash/TTL Flash Metering or whatever Sony call it.

[RobDickinson]

On canon the flash works in fill mode on Tv / Av (aperture) modes.

Which means the camera calculates the exposure as per normal ignoring the flahs, then you control the flash using flash exp comp to add some light to the foreground.

If you really want to use flahs you should be in manual mode mostly anyhow.

[LongQ]

RobDickinson said:

On canon the flash works in fill mode on Tv / Av (aperture) modes.

Which means the camera calculates the exposure as per normal ignoring the flahs, then you control the flash using flash exp comp to add some light to the foreground.

If you really want to use flahs you should be in manual mode mostly anyhow.

Yup, this is likely the same for your flash (is it a Sony flash or one that claims equivalent functions?)

Basically the concept (on a Canon) is that if you use an 'Auto' mode - Program AE of full Auto - the camera will sort everything out for you withion it's operational limits.

If you are using Av, Tv or Manual the assumption is that you are being 'creative' and the flash is an addon to that creativity.

If you can find an on-line version of the manual you may find the electronicness of index and searches especially useful compared to a printed version.