E-TTL and Manual flash modes

[JerryPH]

Hey guys... RadioPopper.com are accepting pre-orders for the P1, so they are darn close to coming out!

Pre-orders are ONLY for US based clients, but that means the rest of us outside the US will be able to hopefully order soon afterwards.

 

[Big Mike]

Pre-orders are ONLY for US based clients, but that means the rest of us outside the US will be able to hopefully order soon afterwards.

Don't hold your breath. As a radio device, it has to conform to certain rules and has to be approved by a governing body...which probably involves an application process. This is one reason why it's taken so long for them to be released in the US. For them to be allowed into Canada, they will probably have to go through that application process with the Canadian governing body. I assume that they will do that, but who knows how long it will take.

 

[JerryPH]

Don't hold your breath. As a radio device, it has to conform to certain rules and has to be approved by a governing body...which probably involves an application process. This is one reason why it's taken so long for them to be released in the US. For them to be allowed into Canada, they will probably have to go through that application process with the Canadian governing body. I assume that they will do that, but who knows how long it will take.

You are right about the approvals. Apparently they are already approved in the US and the final delays are just to receive final written confirmation before shipping.

As for us Canadians... I can cheat, becuase I live 30 minutes from the border and have a shipping address on the other side thanks to a US friend I made many years ago.

I am in no rush, though. I plan to give them a few months on the market and hear the full reports from several sources before plunking my money down... but if they do as advertised, they are definately something that I want to add to my kit.

 

[Lyncca]

I'm kinda in a similar boat. I just got my Nikon SB600 speedlight. I can tell what the different modes are, but I can't figure out how to judge what my camera settings should be with the flash. I never used my onboard flash, so I never figured that part out.

The lightmeter doesn't take the flash into account right? Currently I am just guessing and shooting until I see something acceptable, but this is surely hurting the quality of my pictures.

Hopefully I don't have to carry an external lightmeter around with me everywhere?

I'm also interested in some recommended books on lighting setups, but right now I just want to be able to use my one flash properly

 

[Big Mike]

I just got my Nikon SB600 speedlight. I can tell what the different modes are, but I can't figure out how to judge what my camera settings should be with the flash. I never used my onboard flash, so I never figured that part out.

If you are using the flash mounted onto the camera, I think the easiest way to use it and still have control, is to use the flash in E-TTL mode and the camera in Manual mode.

With the flash in E-TTL (auto), your exposure will probably be pretty good...or you can tweak it with FEC. You have a lot of freedom with the on-camera settings. Choose an aperture that will give you the DOF that you want, but remember that a larger aperture will mean the flash is working less and you will have more flash range. The flash will adjust itself to the aperture you use (that's the auto part). You can then set a shutter speed to control the ambient exposure (ISO will help with that as well). Just be careful about the max sync speed. If you go over that, you will have to use 'high speed sync' mode on the flash, which reduces the range.

It can be hard to wrap your head around it, but once you 'get it'...it's pretty easy.

 

[ognistik]

If you are using the flash mounted onto the camera, I think the easiest way to use it and still have control, is to use the flash in E-TTL mode and the camera in Manual mode.

With the flash in E-TTL (auto), your exposure will probably be pretty good...or you can tweak it with FEC. You have a lot of freedom with the on-camera settings. Choose an aperture that will give you the DOF that you want, but remember that a larger aperture will mean the flash is working less and you will have more flash range. The flash will adjust itself to the aperture you use (that's the auto part). You can then set a shutter speed to control the ambient exposure (ISO will help with that as well). Just be careful about the max sync speed. If you go over that, you will have to use 'high speed sync' mode on the flash, which reduces the range.

It can be hard to wrap your head around it, but once you 'get it'...it's pretty easy.

oh, that's so helpful. I just got an SB600 and I was wondering the same thing... one more question. So, in other words, we just ignore the light meter, we choose the aperture and speed we want and the flash will do the rest?

 

[Lyncca]

If you are using the flash mounted onto the camera, I think the easiest way to use it and still have control, is to use the flash in E-TTL mode and the camera in Manual mode.

With the flash in E-TTL (auto), your exposure will probably be pretty good...or you can tweak it with FEC. You have a lot of freedom with the on-camera settings. Choose an aperture that will give you the DOF that you want, but remember that a larger aperture will mean the flash is working less and you will have more flash range. The flash will adjust itself to the aperture you use (that's the auto part). You can then set a shutter speed to control the ambient exposure (ISO will help with that as well). Just be careful about the max sync speed. If you go over that, you will have to use 'high speed sync' mode on the flash, which reduces the range.

It can be hard to wrap your head around it, but once you 'get it'...it's pretty easy.

That's very helpful to me too. I wondered when I switched from Manual to the Aperture priority that none of my settings seemed to make a difference. I will experiment more with that in mind and see if it makes more sense to me.