Camera settings for TTL triggers

[scottduffy]

Hi Folks,

Just a question regarding using the YN622C triggers for off camera flash. Are there any particular settings i should be using when using these triggers with my 50d and YN568 flash for off camera flash? The reason i'm asking is that i was trying to view some sort of off caera flash tutorials on youtube and most of them are not ttl triggers. These guys were saying that the camera should always be in Manual Mode as the camera doesn't have much time to meter etc when shooting. My thought was that since using these is effectively the same as using the flash on the camera i should be able to use Program mode etc as the camera will know that there's a flash about to be fired and expose the setting. Am i correct? Does anyone know of any decent tutorials online which focus on these triggers? I'll be using the flash in a softbox if that makes any difference at all.

Regards

Scott

 

[Phil V]

My general rule for using flash is that:
If flash is only 'fill' or a secondary light source, then stick em on ETTL and you can use whatever camera mode you like (you might be caught out sometimes).

If flash is your primary light source, then set your camera on manual. That's true whether you're using ETTL flash wandering around a party, or using a static setup as in a studio, where Manually setting the flash is the norm.

Is your flash in a softbox a static or moving setup?

 

[scottduffy]

It would be static Phil. I was going to take my wee boy up the woods and sit the softbox close to him on a stand with my wife holding it steady. It will be the only light I'll be using except of course daylight.

 

[Phil V]

It would be static Phil. I was going to take my wee boy up the woods and sit the softbox close to him on a stand with my wife holding it steady. It will be the only light I'll be using except of course daylight.

Then I'd shoot it Manual and control the flash manually. That's where the 622tx comes in handy, it's easy to set the flash power from the camera position.

Set the camera on manual with a shutter speed around sync speed, set to underexpose your background by about a stop. If it's not too sunny, you should be able to get a flash exposure brighter than the ambient. Though the 568 isn't massively powerful. You'll be aided by going on an overcast day / in the evening.

If you use ETTL, your exposures will be be less consistent, but it's possible to do, just not worth the gamble IMHO.

 

[scottduffy]

Thanks Phil. Plenty of food for thought. I'll let you know how I get on.