Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Learning
Flashes
TTL or Manual?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="WayneF" data-source="post: 206057" data-attributes="member: 12496"><p>Well, I am sure it is all opinion, but my opinion is that we really need to adjust multiple flashes not just for overall image brightness, but also accurately with respect to each other. It's why we use multiple lights, for their ratio. Suppose you want the fill flash to be -1.3 stops down from the Main light. Sure, you can guess at it and set it any way you want to see it, your choice. But ... if the plan includes repeating that same setup next time, and every few days, you really need to meter them so you have some clue what you are doing, and specifically, can repeat it. You don't want to be doing that guessing every time, not for multiple lights. We are not that good at guessing. Do you really want to do that every time with four lights? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Metering manual lights works great, because we use a handheld incident meter, which is independent of the subjects color and reflectivity. Pretty much zero error, every time. Simply set each one exactly like you want them (speaking of a fixed studio situation). Say main light f/8, fill f/5.6, background say f/f8, and hair depends on hair color, maybe a stop more than main for dark hair, and a stop less than main for light hair. You just set then, then you know what will happen. After this perhaps more tedious setup, (but it is certainly not the horror of guessing), then your first picture will be good when the subject arrives. You know exactly what you have.</p><p></p><p>If it is going to involve following action, kids running around, etc, TTL is about your only chance.</p><p></p><p>Manual flash and guessing works much better with only one flash. Fewer choices to be concerned with. But, you will need opportunity for retries (near a fixed situation again).</p><p></p><p>One TTL flash is easy, the system uses reflective metering, but often gets it mostly right, and we may tweak it only a little, if at all. Possibly about the same way every time. SB-700 does TTL BL, and indoors, I would start with +1 EV Flash Compensation, and tweak from there. And we know when our background is white or black, and we quickly come to know what to expect before we press the shutter.</p><p></p><p>Two TTL flashes are easy with the Commander, it will meter them to equal at the subject (regardless of their distances or their modifiers, etc), and then will apply the compensation you set in the Commander menu, to reduce fill light to the specified -1.3 EV. More flashes become a Commander problem though, groups for one, but in part because hair and background are not really meterable at the camera.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, the skill to be polished with TTL flash is Flash Compensation.</p><p>And the skill to be polished with one manual flash is adjusting its power level.</p><p></p><p>(or adjusting aperture works to adjust Manual flash too, but note that aperture or ISO does NOT work with TTL, because TTL automation simply responds to the change, to keep doing exactly what it did before, in spite of your change). Flash Compensation is the tool for TTL.</p><p></p><p>But both of these two skills are about watching the result (image on rear LCD, possibly with zoomed in magnification so you can see it), and watching the three RGB histograms for that image.</p><p></p><p>Same thing, same skill, just a different starting point. TTL probably involves fewer tries.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WayneF, post: 206057, member: 12496"] Well, I am sure it is all opinion, but my opinion is that we really need to adjust multiple flashes not just for overall image brightness, but also accurately with respect to each other. It's why we use multiple lights, for their ratio. Suppose you want the fill flash to be -1.3 stops down from the Main light. Sure, you can guess at it and set it any way you want to see it, your choice. But ... if the plan includes repeating that same setup next time, and every few days, you really need to meter them so you have some clue what you are doing, and specifically, can repeat it. You don't want to be doing that guessing every time, not for multiple lights. We are not that good at guessing. Do you really want to do that every time with four lights? :) Metering manual lights works great, because we use a handheld incident meter, which is independent of the subjects color and reflectivity. Pretty much zero error, every time. Simply set each one exactly like you want them (speaking of a fixed studio situation). Say main light f/8, fill f/5.6, background say f/f8, and hair depends on hair color, maybe a stop more than main for dark hair, and a stop less than main for light hair. You just set then, then you know what will happen. After this perhaps more tedious setup, (but it is certainly not the horror of guessing), then your first picture will be good when the subject arrives. You know exactly what you have. If it is going to involve following action, kids running around, etc, TTL is about your only chance. Manual flash and guessing works much better with only one flash. Fewer choices to be concerned with. But, you will need opportunity for retries (near a fixed situation again). One TTL flash is easy, the system uses reflective metering, but often gets it mostly right, and we may tweak it only a little, if at all. Possibly about the same way every time. SB-700 does TTL BL, and indoors, I would start with +1 EV Flash Compensation, and tweak from there. And we know when our background is white or black, and we quickly come to know what to expect before we press the shutter. Two TTL flashes are easy with the Commander, it will meter them to equal at the subject (regardless of their distances or their modifiers, etc), and then will apply the compensation you set in the Commander menu, to reduce fill light to the specified -1.3 EV. More flashes become a Commander problem though, groups for one, but in part because hair and background are not really meterable at the camera. Anyway, the skill to be polished with TTL flash is Flash Compensation. And the skill to be polished with one manual flash is adjusting its power level. (or adjusting aperture works to adjust Manual flash too, but note that aperture or ISO does NOT work with TTL, because TTL automation simply responds to the change, to keep doing exactly what it did before, in spite of your change). Flash Compensation is the tool for TTL. But both of these two skills are about watching the result (image on rear LCD, possibly with zoomed in magnification so you can see it), and watching the three RGB histograms for that image. Same thing, same skill, just a different starting point. TTL probably involves fewer tries. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Learning
Flashes
TTL or Manual?
Top
