Like most digital SLR cameras, the Canon Rebel T6 or Eos 1300D has a built-in flash and also a hot shoe for an off-camera flash. The built-in flash is great for casual photos, perhaps of family or friends. It has a GN (guide number) of 90, which means that it is effective at a distance of approximately 2-3 meters in normal settings (ISO 100, f4). The advantage of the built-in flash is that, being built into the camera, you always carry it with you and automatically dedicate itself to producing the best exposure, using the camera’s ETTL (Evaluative Through The Lens) system, which means that the camera shares your exposure settings with the flash so that the image looks good. This is particularly useful if you are using the flash to fill. The other advantage is that if you are using the basic modes (auto to night portrait), the camera will decide if flash is required, so you don’t have to think about it.

There is also an option to make the flash fire, even if the camera doesn’t think you need it. The options you can change are limited compared to external flash, but front curtain or rear curtain is a useful option as this will affect the way action shots are taken. if the flash is in the 1st curtain, the flash will fire when the shutter is released. If the flash is set to the rear curtain, the flash will fire just before the shutter closes. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you are photographing fast-moving subjects, firing the flash first will make the subject appear to be moving backwards (because the subject is frozen by the flash and then there is ghostly movement when the subject is moving). moves forward). If the flash fires at the end of the shot, the ghostly movement occurs first and the subject is frozen by the flash, making the subject appear to be going forward.

You can also change the ETTL and exposure compensation settings by choosing evaluative or average. In this case, Evaluative will set the flash according to the light of the subject, while Average will set the flash according to an average of all the light in the frame. Because the flash uses ETTL, it knows the lens setting, so it will either focus the light from the flash if the lens is zoomed (50-100mm) or scatter the light if the lens is at a wide focal length (24 mm, for example).

There are more creative options for external flash, although that depends to some extent on the flash gun you have.

With both, you have the option of changing the flash timing, either the front curtain (first) or the rear curtain (second). The front curtain fires the flash when the shutter opens and the rear curtain fires the flash just as the shutter closes. If the subject is still, this won’t matter much, but if the subject is moving, the timing of the flash fires will affect the impression of movement in the image. Off-camera flash options can also offer high-speed sync, allowing you to take photos in bright light with a shallow depth of field. With both flash options, you get Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB), which allows you to group your shots – take the same image with different flash intensity, and then choose the one you prefer.

If the external flash has ETTL settings, it will also respond to the zoom setting of the lens. This is very useful as if the lens is at a wide angle setting, the flash will try to spread its light over a wide area, whereas if the lens is at a long setting then the flash will narrow the beam of light to deal with. to get more distance. In many cases, the external flash will also function as a slave flash, which means that you can position the flash away from the camera and it can be triggered by the camera’s built-in flash.

The Canon 1300D, or Rebel T6, is an excellent camera for learning how to use the flash in your photos. Watch this video here or visit my website for more information.