Manual vs. ttl

[RockstarPhotography]

I pretty much shoot in ttl all the time.....until recently. I figured I had enough to worry about without manually doing the flash also. I recently switched to using full manual and I'll never go back. It may take a few test shots to dial it in, but once I do it doesn't change. I can take a series of shots, adjust one in pp, and sync those settings to the rest of the shoot and i'm done. with ttl it seemed that exposure of the flash would always very just a little. Its straight manual from here on out!

 

[o hey tyler]

Uh... Are you sure you want to do that? I personally have found while manual flash provides consistent results, it's easiest to use off camera.

I'd rather do slight exposure adjustments in post, than worry about what power my flash is on combined with my ISO and aperture every time I move from one room to another.

Don't get me wrong, using manual mode on your camera with flash use is great. I just find using the flash as a manual flash on camera as one more thing to worry about, and something that could just as easily botch an important shot by forgetting your flash was still set on 1/1. That's why TTL is great, because it adapts to the room you're in.

 

[Village Idiot]

I use TTL all the time when I'm shooting with a flash on camera. Off camera, never. Each has their own place and usefulness.

 

[Overread]

+1 generally speaking if your flash is on camera and only providing a little fill light to counter shadows caused by the dominant ambient light then auto flash mode is ideal (sometimes dialing in a little flash exposure compensation to under or over expose the flash power depending on the scene).

However as you move off camera and also move toward situations where the flash is the dominant light source and the ambient light the lesser - then you get into a situation where it becomes increasingly easier to get good results with manual flash over auto flash. This however does come with a breaking in period as you get used to the manual control over the flash and in balancing the power output needed for the given light (if you've got a studio type shoot you can even use an external flash meter to make things even easier).

 

[RockstarPhotography]

For on camera flash I will still be using ttl. I'm talking off camera flash.

 

[o hey tyler]

What are you using for triggers? Or do you have a cord that you use for off camera?

 

[Robin Usagani]

im confused LOL

 

[RockstarPhotography]

I use a set of borrowed radio poppers.

 

[Robin Usagani]

you dont use TTL with radio trigger because you CANT.

 

[Robin Usagani]

hmm.. i guess radiopopper does make some ettl trigger.

 

[RockstarPhotography]

So does pocket wizard

 

[Buckster]

you dont use TTL with radio trigger because you CANT.

Depends on the triggers. ETTL works just fine with my Radio Poppers.

 

[Robin Usagani]

buckster, so what happen if you have 3 ETTL flashes? Do the preflashes work together? Lets say if you put all the flashes at same location and pointing at the same location.

 

[Buckster]

buckster, so what happen if you have 3 ETTL flashes? Do the preflashes work together? Lets say if you put all the flashes at same location and pointing at the same location.

Yeah, they all work in harmony with each other, including if you use ratios and different channels - no worries.