TTL Pass through triggers.

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Jango

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I am new to off camera flash. I notice the Yongnuo RF603 and the Phottix stratto are TTL pass through, what does this mean?
 
It means that if you put a TTL flash on top of the trigger the TTL info will reach that flash . The transmitter it self doesn't send any TTL info though .
 
Jango - as John has said, you can use off-camera manual flashes with a TTL on-camera flash (at least that's the case with my Strato triggers). It's a useful feature if you want to quickly switch between on/off-camera flash, or if you have a lighting set-up that you want to add fill light into using the camera as the judge as to what amount of fill is required. Of course, you can also use the camera-mounted flash in manual mode so it's on axis and within a lighting set-up with ratios fixed :)
 
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I believe the pass-though on the RF-603 is manual only - just a firing signal, but allowing you to fire an extra gun on-camera without needing another trigger.

The pass-though on the Phottix Stratos is E-TTL, which I think presents an interesting option - a kind of poor man's Pocket Wizard. For example, when using multiple guns the remote units are static on stands and often lighting static areas of the background. You don't need auto exposure control for them as once they're set up, nothing moves and therefore the exposure doesn't need to change.

However, the on-camera gun is often mobile, or the subject is moving or both, and therefore the ability to track the exposure in E-TTL can be extremely useful.

Situation: a wedding reception in a big room. You put a couple of guns around the room bouncing off the ceiling to fill the background - common technique. Then you have an on-camera gun in E-TTL and as you move about shooting couples close up and larger groups from further away, the foregound exposure is automatically varied according to distance. Very handy in fast moving sistuations like that when you just don't have time to adjust the flash manually for every shot :thumbs:
 
Hoppy - that's a bloody good point, effectively creating your own ambient in a room with static, manual units, and having auto flash on-camera to do the hard work as you change subject-to-camera distance..... :thumbs:
 
Hoppy is exactly correct, and I have used this technique, mind you not in a wedding :p. I actually have some for sale in the classified section.
 
Thanks for all your answers. Helped me out a lot. I have the 602s but i only use them with the help of my pro tog friend, I see you have the Stratto's tee, and i quite fancy some. I like the fact they have an on/off switch, that way they don't run down the batteries when in the bag.
 
Jango said:
Thanks for all your answers. Helped me out a lot. I have the 602s but i only use them with the help of my pro tog friend, I see you have the Stratto's tee, and i quite fancy some. I like the fact they have an on/off switch, that way they don't run down the batteries when in the bag.
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The new 5-in-1 versions have an on/off switch on both the receiver and the trigger; the originals (which i use) only have an off switch on the receivers so the transmitter batteries have to be removed when not being used to avoid power drain. :)

They're the best triggers I've used of the 'dumb' kind - good build and excellent range. More expensive than the 602/603 but reliability and build was my key concern and these fit the bill perfectly :)
 
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Jango said:
Thanks for all your answers. Helped me out a lot. I have the 602s but i only use them with the help of my pro tog friend, I see you have the Stratto's tee, and i quite fancy some. I like the fact they have an on/off switch, that way they don't run down the batteries when in the bag.
Click to expand...

As pat said, the recievers have the on/off and the transmitter does not. But I have left batteries in the reciever since I got them this May and it still fires.

The best thing about them that they take AAA type batteries and not the CR type, and ive been using some eneloops in them.
 
tee_tee said:
As pat said, the recievers have the on/off and the transmitter does not. But I have left batteries in the reciever since I got them this May and it still fires.

The best thing about them that they take AAA type batteries and not the CR type, and ive been using some eneloops in them.
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Yep, a massive bonus and another reason my Skyports don't get used anymore. I use IKEA batteries - a quid for tend and they last ages :
 
tee_tee said:
Hoppy is exactly correct, and I have used this technique, mind you not in a wedding :p. I actually have some for sale in the classified section.
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:thumbs:

There's a workaround to do the same trick with triggers without E-TTL pass-through like the RF-602/3.

That is, plug the trigger into the PC socket (if your camera has one) via cord, then fit the gun into the hot shoe (or dedicated cord) and you retain E-TTL on that.

It's a faff though, and you have the transmitter dangling off the camera.
 
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