Can someone explain it to me like I'm a 3rd grader? I'm looking for radio triggers for my soon-to-be-bought 430exII but I'm scared of losing Canon's ETTL feature and I can't spend ~$450 on the new PocketWizards that allow me to keep this feature while synced wirelessly. I've looked for cheaper alternatives that allow TTL metering but I'm coming up dry. So I'm assuming that using the flash on manual with cheap Cactus triggers is the only option left. Problem is that I'm afraid this is going to be extremely annoying. Problem is that I don't understand how to do this. I've read how to do it but it just won't process in my brain.
you set the power according to the distance between your flash and your subject... and the look you want to achieve. i'm probably not doing it correctly (the studio way, with a lightmeter and all) but honestly... through trial and error, i've come to know what approximately what power i need to set my flash if i'm putting it _____m/feet away. basically... just play around. i find TTL flash more confusing than manual so i've been using this thing on manual almost 90% of the time.
you should check out the strobist blog. http://strobist.blogspot.com Basically it is trial and error though, like Parick said. You set up your shot and then fiddle with the aperature, ISO, and flash power and look at your image on your camera until you have things looking the way you want
Guide numbers explained in the top link and a calculator on the bottom. Flash Photography 101, Chapter 4 - Guide Numbers and High Speed Sync - Canon Digital Photography Forums OCPA's Flash Calculator Set you flash power, set your iso, set your shutter speed to the max sync if you want to kill as much ambient as possible, and then setting your aperture control how much light hits the sensor from the flash, which in turn controls the over all exposure based off the flash. If you have a camera that doesn't use a hybrid electronic shutter like a D70 or D40, then you can't go over your max sync without getting banding. Play around with it. Once you do, you'll get the hang of it. If not, you'll come back here with a question or five that's a little more specific than, "Can you teach me how to use a flash manually?"
You could get an ST-E2. It's goes on the camera and acts as a master to slaved 430 or 580 flash units. It's not all that cheap though. As mentioned, using manual flash isn't that hard. You can calculate it using the GN but with digital, it's just a matter of test-check-adjust-shoot.
Strobist: Lighting 101 Strobist: Lighting 102 I started out doing the trial-and-error thing until a few friends suggested I get a flash light meter to help take the guess work out of my settings. I picked up a Sekonic L-358 and now spend more time shooting instead of messing around with the exposure settings.
Tells us where you plagarized that from. :lmao: Using External Flashes in the Manual (M) Mode You could have at least changed the font to TPF's default. The post has been reported as spam..........
