ISO when using flash...

[netronelson]

Howdy, so i'm a beginner to flash photography (technically i don't get my sigma super until xmas, but hey, don't tell the missus I know where she hid it )

Simple question really - when using flash, particularly off camera, what ISO setting should I be on? how important is it?

I have a shot in mind, taking some water drop shots in the garden at night using a macro lens... (i'll explain more if you really want to know!)

But in general, should the ISO be high/low?

Cheers in advance...

Nelson.

[TarMoo]

ISO 100 or as low as your camera goes (some only go as low as ISO 200).

[RobDickinson]

It depends.

If you want to expose purely the area hit by the flash close in then as above, ISO 100, stoped down lens.

If you though want some of the rest of the scene it may be worth ISO 400 and opening the lens up some.

(edit he says with a sketchy understanding of flahs in general).

[netronelson]

cheers guys...

i want to 'trap' some leaves inside some water drops... planning to put the hose on spray to create a shower effect, set up the camera in front of the 'rain drops' and have a bunch of leaves behind. So i want the leaves out of focus, but the drops in focus (some of the drops will not be sharp, but that's fine)...

At first i'll put the flash on the camera, hence what settings to use... and then i'll try a few off camera flash from various angles, again, do the settings need to change because of this?

i figure i need a high shutter speed, to catch the drops in flight... just trying to head off a bunch of trial and error for when I set it up...

n.