--- Pawel Nabe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Gary Fisher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > - --- Pawel Nabe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > > I keep reading that you loose A-TTL with bounce
> > > flash.
> > > Is this true for all bodies (that support
> > > A-TTL)?.
<snip>
>
http://www.listquest.com/lq/view.cgi?ln=canoneos&mid=79223&sp=&q=gary+fisher+430ez+540ez&b=1&s=1&a=1&o=0&x=17&y=7
<snip>
> > 430EZ (or maybe a 420EZ) as it gives the A-ttl
> > pre-flash in bounce mode - a feature disabled with
> > the 540EZ.
>
> > Does that post describe your situation?
>
> It does describe the situation. Ich have experience
> only with 420EZ and 430EZ speedlites. I once tried
> a 540EZ (with EOS600) but it made the (genuine
> Canon) lens always stop down to f22, so that I
> thought it to be incompatible.
>
> From the above mentioned thread I deduct that it
> seems to depend on the flash and the camera used.
> Why is this so?
> Esp. what good is A-TTL if it is switched off with
> some flashes?
>
Hi Pawel,
I think it has nmore to do with the flash than the
body (at least a-ttl compatible bodies). The
420/430EZ used an infra-red pre-flash in normal (i.e.
non-bounce) mode. This was not particularly
noticeable by most people subjects. When bouncing
flash the IR pre-flash was of no use, so the flash
emited a white pre-flash from the main head instead.
A good idea - except unlike the e-ttl pre-flash which
is emitted after the shutter button is pressed but
before the mirror flips up (in other words VERY close
to the actual exposure) - the a-ttl pre-flash is
emitted every time you press the shutter button (to
meter for example). People would see the pre-flash,
assume the photo had been taken and wander off! It
was something I found very frustrating. The 420/430EZ
even emitted the pre-flash in Av & Tv modes, not just
program, although I belive it wasn't used in any way
in those two modes.
With the 540EZ, the white bounce mode pre-flash
quietly disappeared, and people no longer assumed that
photos had ben taken when metering. Maybe this is
why???
Regardless of the flash/body used I've always found
the best modes for flash are the Av and Tv modes,
where the camera meters ambient light and the flash
provides what is essentially fill flash. Even with my
current set up which provides e-ttl I still prefer the
"fill flash" modes of Av and Tv unless the ambient
light is so low that shutter times are unrealistic.
Even then I usually prefer Manual mode to Program - at
least I can set the camera to record as much ambient
light as feasible (assuming that's what I want).
<wandering a bit here>
Canon has copped a lot of flak from Nikon users over
the years about its flash system. I own and use both.
In program mode, yes, Nikon generally gives more
natural results (certainly compared to a-ttl, e-ttl is
closer). In any other mode - the difference in
practical terms is virtually nil - both can give great
results when used properly.
In one respect Canon wins hands down - to get the fill
flash mode that the canon defaults to in Av mode you
have to have to set the Nikon body to "slow Synch"
mode - which means basically it operates the way that
Canons operate. Fine, except if you change batteries
or fiddle with flash settings, it goes back to default
mode (you select the aperture the camera sets a
shutter speed of 1/60 to 1/125 (or 1/250 if the
x-synch allows). Canon has a CF to allow this if you
wish, but the default is (IMO) much more useful.
I'll stop raving now.
Regards
Gary Fisher
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