problems with fill-in flash

[Naashon Zalk]

I am having trouble correctly balancing my fill flash. I'm using a Nikon
F100 and SB28 with a Stofen diffuser. All flash is in TTL mode.
My starting point is that I assume that the flash is calibrated for
caucasian skin tones so I would just shoot straight flash without any any
exposure compensation. When photographing darker skinned people I decrease
the flash exposure by between 1/3 and 1 stop.

When shooting close pictures with a wide angle zoom (20-35) I often get
overflashed pics even though I dim the flash down by up to 1 stop. Any
idea's/tips?

Also, when shooting off camera flash (with flash connected to SC17 cord) I
get really unpredicatable results. Again, any tips/ideas?

[Richard Knight]

I have never used the F100 but I use the SB28 on both my 8008s and F2 (in manual mode naturally). The TTL metering should not require any exposure adjustment if the flash is set for Fill Flash mode. If you are not using the flash in this mode try it (w/o compensation). The metering system in the Nikon is excellent and the flash will automatically adjust for fill instead of full TTL in this mode.
I have never had to adjust for caucasion/darker skin tones unless I'm using spot/center weighted metering or any other mode if used very close to the subject's face. In these circumstances the meter will adjust for 18% gray and for caucasion skin I generally open up 1/2 to a full stop, depending on the tone of the face.
The close up problems with this flash are there. When I'm within 5' of a subject, I usually go to a full manual mode in both camera and flash after metering.
As far as the results with the TTL cord, what type of problems are you experiencing? These cords are notorious for suddenly giving out (Ibelieve it's a problem with the connections in the wire/connector areas but I have never heard of intermittent results. Could there be problems with the light box or a finger covering the eye of the flash when used in this manner?

[Bob Franklin]

In your note you mention that when you shoot close-ups with a wide angle lens your getting overflashed pics. Not sure what is going on there but a very simple solution would be to move farther away from your subject and use a slightly longer lens. The perspective is still going to be the same but you will eliminate the overflash.