Oly TTL Converter?

[reubencahn]

I'm considering purchasing one of Matthias Heinrich's Oly TTL converters http://www.heinrichsweikamp.net/blitz/oly2nikone.htm so that can use my 5050, pt-015, YS-90DX setup in TTL mode. I'm wondering if anyone has used this device and what kind of results they've gotten?

 

[f3nikon]

I have not used this adapter but I like the concept. And that is you will be firing the strobe via the camera’s hot shoe and not from the internal flash via an optical cable. Less drain on the camera’s battery because the internal flash will be left off and less over heating of the camera. Depending on the camera and the memory card, you may not need to open your camera after several dives to change camera batteries.

I am not a fan of TTL; I tried it but would rather shoot in manual mode for bracketing. An ideal setup to me is a two conductor, hotshoe directly connected to the strobe. No TTL and No Preflash. How much is the unit selling for?

Dive Safe

 

[Eya]

Hi folks
I've just bought it (more or less 200 €) and used for the first time in Maldives, connecting 2 YS90Auto strobes with a double TTL/Sync "N" Sea&Sea cable

Guys it works
I did'nt have time to test it a lot, since current was always strong, but you can find some shots I took while there in my website here ..

http://eya.altervista.org/index.php...ale South.gallery&pagename=Ari and Male South

let me know if this helps

 

[reubencahn]

Hi folks
I've just bought it (more or less 200 €) and used for the first time in Maldives, connecting 2 YS90Auto strobes with a double TTL/Sync "N" Sea&Sea cable

Guys it works
I did'nt have time to test it a lot, since current was always strong, but you can find some shots I took while there in my website here ..

http://eya.altervista.org/index.php...ale South.gallery&pagename=Ari and Male South

let me know if this helps

Thanks, I just ordered it. I've heard all the complaints about TTL but I'm just not intuitive enough with the strobe settings. I need to take one variable out of my control so that I can focus on the others. I'll be using with only one YS-90DX initially. Hope to add a second later this year if I can scare up the money. I'll report on my results later.

 

[f3nikon]

Thanks, I just ordered it. I've heard all the complaints about TTL but I'm just not intuitive enough with the strobe settings. I need to take one variable out of my control so that I can focus on the others. QUOTE]

I understand your position on simplifying your UW photography, but I almost fell out of my chair when I read that you are willing to give up control of one of the most fundamental aspects of photography....Exposure! And put all trust in the electronics?

Yes we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Our diving skills should be second nature, camera focusing is automatic (most cameras, mine is still manual), Composition.... all made up before the dive and also second nature, Exposure.... the way we control the light. All this combine is the difference between the Professional and the Amateur.

 

[reubencahn]

Thanks, I just ordered it. I've heard all the complaints about TTL but I'm just not intuitive enough with the strobe settings. I need to take one variable out of my control so that I can focus on the others. QUOTE]

I understand your position on simplifying your UW photography, but I almost fell out of my chair when I read that you are willing to give up control of one of the most fundamental aspects of photography....Exposure! And put all trust in the electronics?

Yes we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Our diving skills should be second nature, camera focusing is automatic (most cameras, mine is still manual), Composition.... all made up before the dive and also second nature, Exposure.... the way we control the light. All this combine is the difference between the Professional and the Amateur.

But I am an amateur. And right now my exposure control is too hit or miss. I imagine that someday, after a lot more shooting, I'll begin to develop a significantly greater understanding of exposure and will want to retake control. But right now worrying about shutter speed, aperture and composition is enough for me. It's not that I don't appreciate what good photographers do. It's that I understand I'm not one of them.

 

[Eya]

But right now worrying about shutter speed, aperture and composition is enough for me. It's not that I don't appreciate what good photographers do. It's that I understand I'm not one of them.

Same for me...
I've bought 5 or 6 books about photography and UW photography as well and I found them very useful. At least to understand theory. The point is managing all those settings in a matter of seconds when we're down there.
Personally speaking I've excluded aperture (that I keep fixed to f.8 to increase DoF) and ISO (80 when the subject's close and strobes illuminate it, 200/400 when using ambient light only). Speed: well ...its value affects only the background's colour.. but if you shoot the right way (that's aiming to the surface everytime and including the sun in one of the picture's corners) you can set the right speed by metering the sun itself and setting a central metering mode.
Once you've done it you will be shooting without any concerns about speed and you can focus on the strobe. Than the only factor I consider is the distance from the subject, and subject's or background colour.
It takes practice, but I guess you won't have to struggle against 25 settings every shoot you're taking.

Ciao

 

[f3nikon]

I'm considering purchasing one of Matthias Heinrich's Oly TTL converters http://www.heinrichsweikamp.net/blitz/oly2nikone.htm so that can use my 5050, pt-015, YS-90DX setup in TTL mode. I'm wondering if anyone has used this device and what kind of results they've gotten?

But you are a good photographer! You know your limitations and finding ways to improve them, that is a sign of a good photographer. I'll continue this answer below.

 

[f3nikon]

Same for me...
I've bought 5 or 6 books about photography and UW photography as well and I found them very useful. At least to understand theory. The point is managing all those settings in a matter of seconds when we're down there.
Personally speaking I've excluded aperture (that I keep fixed to f.8 to increase DoF) and ISO (80 when the subject's close and strobes illuminate it, 200/400 when using ambient light only). Speed: well ...its value affects only the background's colour.. but if you shoot the right way (that's aiming to the surface everytime and including the sun in one of the picture's corners) you can set the right speed by metering the sun itself and setting a central metering mode.
Once you've done it you will be shooting without any concerns about speed and you can focus on the strobe. Than the only factor I consider is the distance from the subject, and subject's or background colour.
It takes practice, but I guess you won't have to struggle against 25 settings every shoot you're taking.

Ciao

Now I finally get it, its information Overload! You bring up a very good point! Let us get back to the basics of exposure, are we in agreement that the correct shutter speed plus the correct aperture opening equals the correct exposure? Yes? There are, for the most part, two sources of light in UW photography, the open water (background) and the strobe (foreground).

The background light can be controlled by the shutter and aperture. The foreground light should only be controlled by the strobe and aperture openings.

So to make life simple, let the camera's metering system take care of the background, by setting the camera to "aperture priority mode" or "A" mode, meaning that the photographer will adjust the aperture openings and the camera will follow by adjusting the shutter to get the correct exposure. No more background exposure (in general) to worry about!

Step 2: lets "fix" ISO or film speed, set to the lowest setting possible (64, 80 or 100?) and leave it at that setting until you find a good reason to change.

Now for the more important part of the picture, the foreground. Strobes, fix the output of the strobes to half power, better still to use diffusers to spread the light. This will be one less item to think about.

All we have left to control for exposure is the aperature opening. Which we will calibrate until we are blue in the face. With the camera two feet from the main subject, start taking flash pictures using all the camera's aperture openings:

f1.8 f2.0 f2.3 f2.6 f2.8 f3.2 f3.6 f4.0 f4.5 f5.0 f5.6 f6.3 f7.0 f8.0

Note: have enough background light to keep the shutter speed above 1/15 sec. (min. hand holding speed) if shooting macro, without any open water background, the strobe and aperture is the main source of light control, fix your shutter to about 1/60 sec. at full manual mode.

Download the test shots to a PC or Mac and pick out the best exposure at 2 feet, note and mark down the aperture opening. Look at the same picture from the camera's LCD display, is the exposure the same? If not, find out and correct the problem, the camera's LCD is the most important because that is your main source of feedback when taking the pictures.

I started at 2 feet to stress the fact that we must shoot at closer distances. As you change the distance from your subject you should also change the aperture openings. Getting closer also helps in the auto focusing.

Use the correct aperture opening for the set distances and take more pictures that are lighter or darker than the first shot, by adjusting the aperture opening this is called bracketing.

Now all you have left are focusing and composition. All these are just guidelines, always experiment with different settings.

Note: On the depth of field issue, lets set that aside for now. Its not important until you start shooting in macro (DoF is very narrow in macro shooting), but in macro you will be shooting with smaller aperture openings, because as you get closer to your subject the amount of light increases (the strobe is getting closer). So you will be using f8.0 anyway.

Dive Safe

 

[Eya]

..camera focusing is automatic (most cameras, mine is still manual), Composition.... all made up before the dive and also second nature, Exposure.... the way we control the light. All this combine is the difference between the Professional and the Amateur.

I love the way you explained how to find the correct values for strobe and camera, even if it's pretty much different from my approach. I am printing your post to read it carefully during the weekend (it's raining here).

I start from maximising DoF then taking care of other settings consequestly because I consider shots not perfectly on focus as shots to be deleted immediately. I mean focusing is my first concern. Most of the times DoF is wide enough to keep everything on focus (using central spot focus before composing, of course) but this becomes a problem the more you get close to the subject (expecially in macro mode as you say). Since I had a 28 mm lens on land in the past (more or less 40 mm UW) I mainly took macro shots ..as many beginners do .. now I'm moving to ambient photography also and maybe I'll have to change my approach. Sure I will consider what oyu suggest in you latest post.

Anyway I'd like to understand why you're keeping shutter speed so slow.. 1/15 means having a very bright background even in dark conditions at f.8, doesn't it? When I meter aiming at the sun from below I usually find values between 1/125 or 1/250 sec that make the backgroud deep blue and the sun small and white in the corner...

Sure those values are taken in sunny days and tropical seas...so I was just wondering if your values refer to other conditions or whatever..

Thanks guys, this is a very interesting post uh!
Ciao