OP
james_bond_007
Contributor
Working on getting some pics to post for the above test...
Strobe for Olympus TG-2
- Thread starter james_bond_007
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OP
james_bond_007
Contributor
Hypothesis:
If Flash TTL is 'working', taking a photo at various apertures should result in the subject (under direct flash) being illuminated 'about the same' independently of the apertures and the background going from light to dark as the aperture goes from wide (small number) to narrow (large number).
Setup:
For all :
Flash=Fill In
Mode = Aperture Priority
Aperture set at 3.5, 5.0 and 14.0, respectively
Shutter was 'automatically' set to 1/50th by the camera.
Camera flash is obscured so it is not contributing to the lighting.
Room lights were dim-to-medium: that is, the room was not pitch black, nor did it have enough light to not need a flash.
Note: The subject, a sock, is really more than just a sock. It is a high performance, impact resistant, portable camera case that has been custom fit to my Olympus TG-2.
Observations:
1) All seem to be Sync'ed properly. That is, the external flash 'flashes' when the shutter is open.
2) Wide Aperture of 3.5 seems 'brighter' than narrow aperture of 14.0 'darker'
3) Aperture of 5.0 and 14.0 seem to be illuminated pretty much the same, so I am not 100% positive that TTL is NOT working. These two seem to indicate that it 'might' be working. I might have to take these into Photoshop and gets some histogram data.
F3.5, 1/50
F5.0, 1/50
F14.0, 1/50
Conclusion:
1) Camera and external flash can sync to each other
2) Does not appear that the flash duration is changing as a result of TTL metering, to provide consistent illumination of the subject
3) If TTL Flash is functioning, it is not functioning as well as expected (F3.5 and F14) but may be functioning as best as it can (F5.0 and F14).
Next Experiment:
I am going to try the same experiment using only the on-camera flash and compare External Flash/Aperture combinations to equivalent On-Camera Flash/Aperture settings.
This next experiment should show me how 'good' the camera TTL metering is by itself.
If the on-camera flash pictures turn out the same, then the TTL flash is probably doing the best it can with this camera.
If the on-camera flash pictures are more consistently illuminated, then I have more evidence that TTL Flash is not working with the external strobe.
Sound reasonable ?
If Flash TTL is 'working', taking a photo at various apertures should result in the subject (under direct flash) being illuminated 'about the same' independently of the apertures and the background going from light to dark as the aperture goes from wide (small number) to narrow (large number).
Setup:
For all :
Flash=Fill In
Mode = Aperture Priority
Aperture set at 3.5, 5.0 and 14.0, respectively
Shutter was 'automatically' set to 1/50th by the camera.
Camera flash is obscured so it is not contributing to the lighting.
Room lights were dim-to-medium: that is, the room was not pitch black, nor did it have enough light to not need a flash.
Note: The subject, a sock, is really more than just a sock. It is a high performance, impact resistant, portable camera case that has been custom fit to my Olympus TG-2.
Observations:
1) All seem to be Sync'ed properly. That is, the external flash 'flashes' when the shutter is open.
2) Wide Aperture of 3.5 seems 'brighter' than narrow aperture of 14.0 'darker'
3) Aperture of 5.0 and 14.0 seem to be illuminated pretty much the same, so I am not 100% positive that TTL is NOT working. These two seem to indicate that it 'might' be working. I might have to take these into Photoshop and gets some histogram data.
F3.5, 1/50
F5.0, 1/50
F14.0, 1/50
Conclusion:
1) Camera and external flash can sync to each other
2) Does not appear that the flash duration is changing as a result of TTL metering, to provide consistent illumination of the subject
3) If TTL Flash is functioning, it is not functioning as well as expected (F3.5 and F14) but may be functioning as best as it can (F5.0 and F14).
Next Experiment:
I am going to try the same experiment using only the on-camera flash and compare External Flash/Aperture combinations to equivalent On-Camera Flash/Aperture settings.
This next experiment should show me how 'good' the camera TTL metering is by itself.
If the on-camera flash pictures turn out the same, then the TTL flash is probably doing the best it can with this camera.
If the on-camera flash pictures are more consistently illuminated, then I have more evidence that TTL Flash is not working with the external strobe.
Sound reasonable ?
Last edited:
K
KeithG
Guest
This all makes sense. But there are different degrees of "not working". You seem to have reasonable TTL function as none of your pics are totally white or totally black.
You should not expect perfect TTL performance when using a non-manufacturer flash. The power discharge curve of your strobe is highly unlikely to perfectly match an Olympus strobe. The best you can do is try to discover the sweet spot where they mostly match is. You may find it works best when low power is required OR maybe it works best when high power is required.
The key is to experiment and learn under which settings (and conditions) the TTL works the best.
You should not expect perfect TTL performance when using a non-manufacturer flash. The power discharge curve of your strobe is highly unlikely to perfectly match an Olympus strobe. The best you can do is try to discover the sweet spot where they mostly match is. You may find it works best when low power is required OR maybe it works best when high power is required.
The key is to experiment and learn under which settings (and conditions) the TTL works the best.
OP
james_bond_007
Contributor
I may be having better than average luck since the Olympus UFL series is also made by Sea & Sea and appears to be a variant of their YS line.
It would not surprise me if the YS-01 firmware upgrade that has been talked about to make the TG series cameras more compatible with the YS series of strobes is not much more than downloading the firmware for the UFL into the YS.
Last edited:
K
KeithG
Guest
The Olympus UFL-x housings are made by Sea & Sea. The guts are all Olympus. Check the manuals, they have different features and different control settings. Well at least for the UFL-3, my feeble brain has already flushed the ufl1 & 2...
If you google a bit you will find that Nikon also sells a strobe that physically looks like a Sea & Sea strobe.I am unsure on these. They may simply be white label strobes identical to the Sea & Sea or they may follow the Olympus model?
OP
james_bond_007
Contributor
OP
james_bond_007
Contributor
Hypothesis:
TTL Flash using On-Camera flash should produce more consistent lighting across a range of F-Stops than the External Flash.
Setup:
For all :
Flash=Fill In
Mode = Aperture Priority
Aperture set at 3.5, 5.0 and 14.0, respectively
Shutter was 'automatically' set to 1/60th by the camera (Note: It change from 1/50 EXT Flash, to 1/60 On Camera Flash).
Camera flash is obscured so it is not contributing to the lighting.
Room lights were dim-to-medium: that is, the room was not pitch black, nor did it have enough light to not need a flash.
Note: The subject, a sock, is really more than just a sock. It is a high performance, impact resistant, portable camera case that has been custom fit to my Olympus TG-2.
Observations:
1) All seem to be Sync'ed properly. That is, the external flash 'flashes' when the shutter is open.
2) All Apertures settings seem to be consistently lit.
F3.5, 1/60
F5.0, 1/60
F14.0, 1/60
Conclusion:
1) Appears that the flash duration is changed as a result of On-Camera TTL metering, to provide consistent illumination of the subject
2) EXT Flash TTL is not as consistent as On-Camera Flash
TTL Flash using On-Camera flash should produce more consistent lighting across a range of F-Stops than the External Flash.
Setup:
For all :
Flash=Fill In
Mode = Aperture Priority
Aperture set at 3.5, 5.0 and 14.0, respectively
Shutter was 'automatically' set to 1/60th by the camera (Note: It change from 1/50 EXT Flash, to 1/60 On Camera Flash).
Camera flash is obscured so it is not contributing to the lighting.
Room lights were dim-to-medium: that is, the room was not pitch black, nor did it have enough light to not need a flash.
Note: The subject, a sock, is really more than just a sock. It is a high performance, impact resistant, portable camera case that has been custom fit to my Olympus TG-2.
Observations:
1) All seem to be Sync'ed properly. That is, the external flash 'flashes' when the shutter is open.
2) All Apertures settings seem to be consistently lit.
F3.5, 1/60
F5.0, 1/60
Conclusion:
1) Appears that the flash duration is changed as a result of On-Camera TTL metering, to provide consistent illumination of the subject
2) EXT Flash TTL is not as consistent as On-Camera Flash
Last edited:
K
KeithG
Guest
different specs and features.
different GN and recycle time indicate different flash tube circuit technology. existence of Olympus custom RC support means different control programming. this indicates a huge investment for sea & sea.
Olympus already makes (or has someone make for them) flashes that use a propriety Olympus RC ttl control protocol. So olympus already has access to proprietary flash circuitry. all that is needed for a strobe is to stuff the flash guts into a waterproof housing. the controller would be dumbed down at lot since it does not need to control a lcd display or support a complex control panel. this becomes a fairly simple repackaging project with a custom version of a current oylmpus flash controller.
maybe sea and sea had no involvement at all? maybe the company that manufactures the sea & sea housings did a direct deal with olympus? and nikon?
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