Do you TTL or Manually Set your Strobes?

[RonFrank]

Especially if they are on sand or other white background, or are highly reflective. I've blown out so many Lemon Dorids I can't count them all.

Actually white reflective objects should have the opposite problem, IOW's getting under exposed. The reflective and white nature of an object will result in the meter assuming there is more light on the subject than there is, and underexposure.

If you are getting white/reflective subjects blown out in Flash TTL mode, than there could be a few things going on. One maybe that the flash is just too close to the subject. Another maybe that the TTL mode can only control the flash over X number of stops, where manual mode may in fact include more.

Without knowing exactly what you are shooting, this is speculation on my part as to why white objects would be getting blown out in TTL. However the explaination of how the metering works is generally accurate.

 

[RonFrank]

Thats one way to control ones destiny, total light control and not relying on the subject being too light or too small or too far or too close. TTL was a bigger help when using film cameras, where there was no instant feedback via the LCD screen, as with digital cameras. TTL is not the magic bullet.

Have you SEEN the work that Dennis put out using Ikelite Flash TTL? Seems to work extremely well especially for macro work.

I think you should own and use a DSLR before making comments like this...

 

[f3nikon]

Have you SEEN the work that Dennis put out using Ikelite Flash TTL? Seems to work extremely well especially for macro work.

I think you should own and use a DSLR before making comments like this...

Yes I have, Dennis does good work but the Gobi on the coral is over exposed and the clownfish is underexposed:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=154347&page=2

They would have been saved if the shots were backed up or bracketed in manual mode a half stop under and half over, any more bright ideas?

 

[RonFrank]

Yes I have, Dennis does good work but the Gobi on the coral is over exposed and the clownfish is underexposed:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=154347&page=2

They would have been saved if the shots were backed up or bracketed in manual mode a half stop under and half over, any more bright ideas?

First you did not include a URL that shows which images you are discussing, rather some lame thread about Oly TTL.

Having just spent about 20 dives with a Manual strobe, I found it somewhat frustrating to constanstly adjust the darn thing due to subject distance, and lighting that was constantly changing as the days were cloudy with the sun changing the lighting conditions from minute to minute. For this shot

I had been shooting maybe 5' away from the subject prior, and I spent at least 3 minutes screwing around with my aperture and flash setting before comming up with the correct exposure. We were at 100', so that was a bit more time than I would have liked to capture this shot. With TTL, I could have had it nailed in two shots instead of about 10.

Why not post some examples of your images NikonF3. Some of us grow tired of your advice backed by nothing but a superior attitude.

 

[Mike Veitch]

i don't use TTL.. well, cuz i can't... haha

I wouldn't on WA anyway but it would def come in handy with macro.

Then when i want to do some interesting lighting with different powers etc... turn the TTL off..

However, all this talk about different flash powers for SLR... i really find when shooting macro that i the only time i have ever changed strobe power is on a sandy bottom. Other than that, i control my flashes by leaving them on 1/2 power and controlling strobe light via fstops..ie 95% of the time they are on 1/2 power for macro..

With PnS style cameras, the different strobe settings are great as they typically only go to f8 or f11...

As for TTL.. better to have it and understand where and when to use as well as understanding completely the relation between your strobes and your f stops so you can also shoot in manual rather than not have TTL and want it...

But... TTL should not be a replacement for knowledge of the basics of lighting ie strobe to subject distance....

 

[RonFrank]

As for TTL.. better to have it and understand where and when to use as well as understanding completely the relation between your strobes and your f stops so you can also shoot in manual rather than not have TTL and want it...

But... TTL should not be a replacement for knowledge of the basics of lighting ie strobe to subject distance....

I completely agree with this. But I have found Flash TTL invaluable in shooting topside, and it is not much different UW. Similar lighting conditons exist, and simialy shooting applies.

Flash is only good to light one focal plane, and everything else will be either somewhat under or over exposed. However with the advanced flash TTL of today, it recognizes based on the focus distance what one is attempting to light, and with matrix balanced fill flash, the camera TTL attempts to balance the flash with the overall exposure.

Flash TTL is a tool, and if you have it, it can make things easier. I spoke with a photographer at the CUPS meeting tonight who said: "I use to shoot manual flash, now I shoot TTL, and spend no time thinking about manual strobe settings". His quote would have been better if he indicated that he spent less time shooting his subjects, but don't kid yourself, Flash TTL is powerful, and in the hands of one who understands what it is doing (or even those that do not) it is a serious time saver. UW that is important.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I find that TTL gives me a good starting point and I can bracket using the controls on the back of the housing if I need to but I rarely have to. Although I guess some of my pic are overexposed or underexposed. Personally I like my photos to be a little different from others I've seen and try to use light to do that. I'm just learning so I can use all the help I can get.

 

[ssra30]

I never used TTL for the same reason as Mike V but I don't think I really miss it either. When I go with macro lens like 60mm or 105mm then I am looking generally for pretty specific things, or at least things of specific size which pretty much dictate the working distance that I will use most of the time that dive anyhow. So once I do a couple of test shots at the said working distance, I hardly ever needed to change the strobe power again unless I dramatically change my other setting.
Wide angle is really no different since working distance of the strobe is not going to change much since the strobe can only reach so far. I change the aparture/shutterspeed a lot more frequently depending on if there is any sunball, if I am shooting up toward the surface etc etc so strobe power hardly changed.
I don't do any bracketing either. Some people may consider it cheating but shooting digital in raw format, exposure compensation of about +/- 1 stop is not really a big deal in Nikon Capture so I do my bracketing in the computer at home rather than in the field

 

[Mike Veitch]

cheater.... :mooner:

 

[ssra30]

cheater.... :mooner:

I dunno, press a bracket button on the camera or using a button on a computer to do the same thing, what's the difference
However, I am sure the little fishy appreciate me cheating in software rather than blinding it 3x with my strobes for bracketing! See, I am cheating for environmental reason!