Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

When you use a flash trigger e.g. Cowboy, Yongnuo, PocketWizardX, how do you manage the fact that you have no communication between the camera and the flash (a la CLS on Nikon)?

Rader Loc: Northwest Missouri

right now I don't have a light meter. So I take a photo use the flash on 1/2 power. Set the flash about 10-15 feet away from the subject. Take a shot and look to see how over exposed or under exposed it is and then adjust accordingly. If you move the flash from 5 feet to 10 feet from subject you cut your light to 1/4 what it was a 5 feet.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

manual...trial and error...past experience...but mostly a pure guess :-)

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

Thanks. I understand the mechanics with the CLS system. I use flash fill on just about any outdoor shot that includes a foreground object, shooting both camera and flash in manual mode.I first shoot the ambient light with the flash OFF to get the background to where I want it. I then add the flash and adjust its power in 1/3 stops to get the balance I want.

That's an awful lot of scrambling back and forth and gimping when the camera cannot control the mode, zoom, or power of the flash and the flash can't act on the TTL info from the camera.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I shoot manually when using off camera flash. (No TTL)

I have an incident meter so I set the flash up, set it for 1/4 power (my starting point) and then pop it and adjust the flahs power and/or the camera settings based on the reading just once and then I'm good to go.

I've set my flashes up so much that I can "ballpark" the settings pretty well with no messing around.

Since the light and subject won't change distance to each other rapidly during shooting (otherwise I'd use TTL on camera bounced flash) then that's about it...nothing else to do.


I think that shooting flash manually has it's advantages (as does TTL in certain circumstances)

Here is a VERY interesting video called "TTL VS Manual Flash" by Joe Brady and Rick Sammon. It's a fun "shoot out" between the two systems, TTL or manual by these guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEZmC3yRVA

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

The Nikons (except D3) I have and have had have TTL with a "Commander" mode. The built-in-flash then fires the external flash, that is not attached to the camera and is set to Remote

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

Then you need a trigger with TTL, such as Pocket Wizard Flex 5 and Mini's.

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

When you say no communication between your trigger and flash, I assume you are talking TTL? Since that is what the trigger does is communicate between the camera and flash. However unless you bought a trigger that can do TTL, you will have to set flash exposure manually.

pego99

The pocket wizard flex units do communicate with the camera as if the flash unit was sitting right on the camera. For Nikon and Canon the Flex TT1 and Flex TT5.

mrtobin Loc: North East Ohio

The Yongnuo YN-622 will do TTL if you have a flash that is capable of TTL. YN-622C, the "C" is for Canon, YN-622N, the "N" is for Nikon. They are "transceivers", they will both transmit and receive. They cost about forty dollars each, of course you will need at least two.

You can also use the Yongnuo trigger to fire the flash in manual mode. You can change the zoom and flash power from the camera, this comes in handy when the flash is buried in side a soft box or is otherwise hard to reach.

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

No, I'm not asking about <triggering> the remote flash. I'm talking about controlling the flash mode, zoom and power from the camera, which is what the Nikon CLS system does with cameras that include CLS.

The D5300 is my first Nikon that does not does not include CLS (nor does the D3000 series). I've recently been forced to go with the D5300 for its fully articulated monitor. On my D610 I can't manage anything below waist level. (Age 85).

So, no matter how else you do it, you're going to end up gimping to get just what you want. That means running back and forth between the camera and flash.

My question was, essentially, how do the big boys minimize the amount of gimping? An incident light meter that can pop the flash would seem to promise the fewest iterations of gimping.

I was hoping something like the SU-800 would mimic the CLS functions on a non-CLS camera but Nikon says, "No". Previous responders have reported that both PocketWizard and Yongnuo do offer accessories that can do what I want so I'm off now to check them out.

And, yes, I do shoot both camera and flash in manual mode for flash fill.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.

Patw28 Loc: PORT JERVIS, NY

No, I'm not asking about <triggering> the remote flash. I'm talking about controlling the flash mode, zoom and power from the camera, which is what the Nikon CLS system does with cameras that include CLS.

The D5300 is my first Nikon that does not does not include CLS (nor does the D3000 series). I've recently been forced to go with the D5300 for its fully articulated monitor. On my D610 I can't manage anything below waist level. (Age 85).

So, no matter how else you do it, you're going to end up gimping to get just what you want. That means running back and forth between the camera and flash.

My question was, essentially, how do the big boys minimize the amount of gimping? An incident light meter that can pop the flash would seem to promise the fewest iterations of gimping.

I was hoping something like the SU-800 would mimic the CLS functions on a non-CLS camera but Nikon says, "No". Previous responders have reported that both PocketWizard and Yongnuo do offer accessories that can do what I want so I'm off now to check them out.

And, yes, I do shoot both camera and flash in manual mode for flash fill.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.

pego99

Check this video out.
http://www.pocketwizard.com/videos/education/webinar20
With the Pocket Wizard Flex stuff I can have up to 3 zones of flashes all TTL and have full control of the power of each zone with a AC3 controller on the camera. i.e. With the flex TT1/AC3 on the camera and say 3 speedlights on 3 flex TT5's on lightstands you have total control of everything from the camera. You can control each flash individually adjust the power or shut off all in TTL mode or manual mode if you want. There is nothing as sophisticated as this stuff and it's all radio controlled up to hundreds of feet.

OonlyBonly

Some triggers allow ETTL communication. They cost a little more but imo are worth it.