sttl - does it work?

[hlfritz]

does sttl really work? how does it compare to real ttl?

yes, i know i can learn manual, but i do not dive that much and really do not get to practice very much. so i want to be able to use aperture and shutter priority as my main modes, easing into manual later.

i also want to start as cheaply as possible with an oem housing/point and shoot (already have) and step up to a dslr later - so would like to get a flash that i can take from starting to my later goal of dslr/ttl (if i can resist the temptation for new technology).

so how well do the sttl strobes really work? what about heinrich's (is that correct - this the right guy) stuff - is that a good way to go - seems pretty flexible.

i know this has probably been beat to death, but maybe not asked in this comparative manner? thx!

 

[alcina]

OK, yes, it works just fine. As far as I am aware there is little difference in performance between the two - and finding a lot of people who can compare directly will be tough as most systems don't have different options in their ttl.

I have a friend who is beginning to use ttl more lately and he really likes it - he used to be a totally manual shooter.

You will need to look at the strobe finder - in the sticky - to find out which strobes will work with your set up and/or if the Heinrich's is a viable alternative.

The ttl systems are very good, but I'd still learn how to set your strobes manually as a) it isn't that hard and b) there are situations that even the best ttl won't cope with.

I don't really understand why you are willing to play with Av and Tv but not M. M is just as easy Get in, take a test shot, set your shutter or your aperture and leave it alone - only adjusting ONE of the two controls during your dive. Now you've done virtually the same thing as Tv or Av but your camera can't be tricked and you have control even without doing anything

I'll often do a whole dive with my shutter on 1/200 or 1/250 (or 1/125 on a compact) and only ever change the aperture. I control my background colour this way but don't have to mess with multiple settings. Easy

 

[Gudge]

I have a friend who is beginning to use ttl more lately and he really likes it - he used to be a totally manual shooter.

I think that's me. I used to be a strictly manual shooter but got the ability to use sTTL recently and have been using it quite a bit since then. Any form of TTL does not work very well when shooting wide angle and I still use manual control for that type of shot. When shooting macro now I have the camera in manual and shoot sTTL most of the time and it works really well. However, I still play with strobe exposure when using sTTL (it doesn't always get it 100% right) but in different ways to when I shoot manual. When shooting manual I adjust the strobe exposure by varying strobe output or adjusting the aperture on the camera. When shooting sTTL I fine tune the strobe exposure on the strobe or by varying the metering pattern used by the camera to suit the type of subject I'm shooting better.

 

[Peter Guy]

Alcina, I must be missing something here -- please help.

IF I use Tv mode -- I set my shutter speed, I set the ISO and the camera picks the ap depending on the available light.

IF I use Av mode -- I set the Ap, I set the ISO and the camera picks the shutter speed.

Correct so far?

IF that's correct, how does that differ from your:

I'll often do a whole dive with my shutter on 1/200 or 1/250 (or 1/125 on a compact) and only ever change the aperture. I control my background colour this way but don't have to mess with multiple settings.

Hmmm -- maybe I'm rethinking this -- so your point is with M, you pick your Shutter speed and then YOU control your Ap setting which will (likely) black out or provide color to the background (that part NOT highlighted by the strobe) depending on how wide an Ap you've selected. Am I getting that right?

And having been forced to think about this (and get my S80 out to play with), would it be a reasonable starting point to start with Tv at say 1/125, take a test shot and use the programmed Ap as your set point when you switch to M?

 

[Ryan]

Here is a link that has a pretty extensive exposure test of S-TTL:

SeaToolND300

Scroll down to the bottom of the page.