On Mon, 24 Aug 1998 14:03:15 +0200, Steven wrote:
>Neuman-Ruether wrote:
>> On Sun, 23 Aug 1998 23:08:46 +0200, Steven
>> wrote:

>> >Has this SB28 overcome the laws of physics? Can it illuminate a subject
>> >that's close to it with the same intensity as a subject that's far away in the
>> >background? Or are you just a victim of Nikon's advertizing?
>>
>> Dunno 'bout th' SB-28, but the SB-24 has a soft-edged illumination
>> roll-off pattern that does allow one to evenly light from foreground
>> to background by raising the head sufficiently to light near subjects
>> near the bottom of the frame about the same as more distant subjects
>> near the top (like people at tables in a dining room...). It can also
>> be used to even out the lighting of left and right side subjects at
>> different distances, or even to illuminate a distant subject between
>> two closer ones (by using the zoom feature manually).

>Sorry to burs your bubble, but the basic problem of flash has not been solved
>by Nikon. I see Nikon's salespitch really got to you.

Sorry if you do not wish to try out a VERY useful characteristic
of the SB-24, but I use it often in my commercial work...! ;-)
You are right that an *even* light source illuminating objects at
different distances from the light will produce different exposures.
My point is that off the edge of coverage with this flash, the
illumination rolls off smoothly, so it is possible to use the
*UNeven* illumination near and beyond the edge of coverage to
illuminate objects at different distances to produce roughly equal
exposures. Besides tilting/turning to direct the area of unevenness,
you can also use the zoom to control the area of even illumination
vs. uneven, allowing remarkably good control over the evenness of
exposure of objects at different distances under many conditions.
Can I evenly illuminate 5 people in the foreground with 4 in the
background alternately showing between the foreground people?
No - but if I am shooting five people placed progressively further
back in the frame as they are positioned progressively from, say,
left to right in the frame, I can even out the flash illumination
of them rather well... I can also do it, front to back, with
a deep room from a bit above, or I can do it shooting distant
people in the center framed between nearby people at the frame
edges. This is not rocket science...! ;-)