Two Flash Questions

[RObert Budding]

Hello all, I'd like to ask a couple of questions (I know you're all thinking "I bet he asks more questions in this thread later", and well, I probably will ), anyway:

1) Can anyone recommend a good Book about using Flashguns that was written in the 1980's/early 90's? Mainly 'cos my cameras are all manual focus analogues and books later than that may be mostly about using Flashguns with digital or film cameras with 3d metering and all that stuff. I've read the Focal Guide to Flash, but too much was about flashbulbs and it didn't give much info that I could use.

2) When using one of the coloured Automatic settings of a flash, there is usually a line of the same colour starting at a near distance and going out to a distance further away and at the far end of this line there is indicated an f No. Is that the only number I should be using at that auto setting no matter where along the distance scale the thing being photographed is? eg. The distances along the coloured line goes from 5 feet to 42 feet, with f4 at 42 feet, but the subject is at 15 feet with an f No. of f16 that is either directly above or below it or is very close to the distance. Do I use f4 or f16?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

David Hobby's 'Strobist' site is an excellent free resource.

https://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

 

[seany65]

@DavidHughes, sorry about not mentioning the make/model, it didn't occur to me that it would make a difference as all the flashes I've seen (apart from the modern ones that have digital readouts), all have coloured auto settings with corresponding coloured lines on the distance scales. From info in this thread I've come to understand that only the f number at the end of the correct coloured line should be used in auto mode.

@fairlymac, I've just done a quick google and I'm not hopeful of there being a specific book about my flashes.

@RObertBudding, thanks for the link.

I'll just have to keep my eyes open for suitable flash books.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.