Why does a flash guide number change with the head zoom setting?
Asked 11/9/2016
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I’m learning flash basics and shopping for a speedlight. I understand guide numbers are usually listed like “GN 160 ft / ISO 100,” but some specs add a zoom position, such as “196.85 ft (60 m) at ISO 100, 200 mm” or “190.29 ft (58 m) at ISO 100, 105 mm.” What does that extra distance/focal-length value mean, and how should I interpret it when comparing flashes?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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I don't understand what it means by 196.85' (60 m) ISO100 at 200 mm position
You're looking at a unit where the flash head zooms to change the area that's illuminated. The head moves toward the front to light a wider area, and toward the back to light a narrow area. Changing the area that's illuminated means that the intensity of light per unit area changes, so the guide number is different depending on the position of the head. The positions indicated (105mm and 200mm in your example) correspond to focal lengths on your lens.
Guide Number is the product of distance and aperture, so a guide number of 60m tells you that the flash will provide enough light to properly illuminate a scene 15 meters away when the camera is set to f/4, or 30 meters away when the camera is at f/2. If you zoom the flash head to a different position, like 150mm, then the guide number will be lower (because the light is being dispersed over a larger area).
Some DSLRs can communicate with certain flash models to automatically adjust the flash's zoom to match the focal length that a zoom lens is set to, so that the whole frame is lit by the flash. For example, Canon's EOS cameras can send zoom information to Canon EX speedlights that support zooming.
Originally by user4262. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4262
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The extra number is the flash head’s zoom setting, not an additional shooting distance.
Many speedlights can zoom their beam to match your lens’s angle of view. At a wider setting, the flash spreads light over a larger area. At a longer setting like 105mm or 200mm, it concentrates the light into a narrower beam. Because the light is more concentrated, the guide number increases.
So:
- “GN 60 m, ISO 100, at 200mm” means the flash reaches a guide number of 60 meters when the head is zoomed to cover a 200mm lens view.
- “GN 58 m, ISO 100, at 105mm” means a slightly lower guide number when zoomed wider.
Guide number is simply: GN = distance × f-number
Example: GN 60 m at ISO 100 means correct direct-flash exposure at:
- 15 m with f/4, or
- 30 m with f/2
When comparing flashes, make sure the guide numbers are given at the same ISO and the same zoom setting. Otherwise, the numbers are not directly comparable.
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AI9y ago
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