HELP with specific lighting problem.

Thanks for any and all help.

I shoot with a 30D + 90mm macro and 28-75 Tam + 580EX + 2 strobes (one in box and other behind a shoot through white umbrella. My issue is with the eTTL and continuiously getting different exposures.

When I shoot with the 580ex on the camera as a Master and the 2 studio lights as slaves I get continuiously different exposured based on distance / cam position (Landscape/Portrait) etc etc. This is due to the TTL function of the cam/580, I'm guessing (Non ttl equip trying to work with ttl) YUK!

I've tried taking the 580 out of the picture all together and cable my camera to the strobes and of course works consistantly but when working in the studio I'm moving around all the time and being stuck to the cable really does not work for me and also without the 580 throwing grids for focus/awb the lens can't focus very well in the dark modeling light that I like to use.

I have found that I can BLACK OUT my flash and still use it on the camera for focusing/etc and get consistant lighting as long as I'm cabled of course.

Now.. here's the $1,000,000 question: What are my options from LOW COST to HIGH COST?

...I need to have full control of my light as well as be free to move around without killing myself or a model; tripping over cables.

immortal1 said:

Thanks for any and all help.

I shoot with a 30D + 90mm macro and 28-75 Tam + 580EX + 2 strobes
(one in box and other behind a shoot through white umbrella. My
issue is with the eTTL and continuiously getting different
exposures.

Click to expand...

It's not clear from your descripton how the 580ex is triggering the studio flashes with your current set-up since in E-TTL mode the preflash from the 580ex would fire the studio flashes before the shutter of the camera opens.

immortal1 said:

When I shoot with the 580ex on the camera as a Master and the 2
studio lights as slaves I get continuiously different exposured
based on distance / cam position (Landscape/Portrait) etc etc. This
is due to the TTL function of the cam/580, I'm guessing (Non ttl
equip trying to work with ttl) YUK!

Click to expand...

You can't use E-TTL mode on the 580ex with the other manual strobes. Switch the 580ex to M mode and just dial in the needed power level and you should be OK. Then the single flash of the 580ex should trigger the optical slaves on the studio lights. If your studio lights don't have optical slaves just get a couple of inexpensive Wien peanuts (non-digital variety).

CG

Thanks a bunch for your thoughts.. As for the trigger, I due set the 580 to (M) and dial in heat but as indicated, the exposure is always different based on the direction of the flash; portrait; angled; close to the roof (on ladder); landscape; from floor; on and on. No consistant results until I take the 580 out of the picture all together and cable the setup.

I'm trying to get good focus lock which I get via the 580ex (low light) and be able to stay mobile during the entire shoot. I'm guessing IR or wireless transmitter will be the way to go but if there is a CHEAPER way, I would love to expore it.

The only way I have been able to get good LOCK and also consistant lighting is to Black-out my 580ex so no light it thrown during the shot and cabling the camera (master/slave) on my 2 studio lights.

Thanks again my friend.

is there some compelling reason you don't want them hot enough to aid focussing?
What Shutter Speed/Aperture are you striving for?

I dare say that if you are making such dramatic changes in the camera position then even if you take the 580 out of the equation you'll still get crazy shadow position, etc if you don't adjust the placement of your other lights as you move around
-Kent

Lately I've been shooting a handful of women boudoir type of work for their someone special/spouse. I have notice that most really would rather work in a "Darker" less "Sterile" environment found with proper low lighting; aromas and music. It's all about make the client comfortable in your studio, IMHO.

Does the red laser matrix bother them at all?

I've toyed with the idea of using one of those laser pointers that displays a design to aid in low light landscape focussing. It would be nice to have one that sits on the hotshoe and just fires when you are focussing.
-Kent

Studio style flash equipment have nothing at all to do with E-TTL exposure automation.

Buy yourself a light meter for flash and a book about flash and set the camera to manual and the Canon flash to manual. The studio lights are laready set to manual.

BAK

I am shooting (M) Cam (M) 580EX and of course the studio lights are manual / sync through cable or sensor.

Last night I had a shoot and it went much better but I ;lost count as to how many times the CABLE fell out of the camera. It's no fun being on a string while a client is moving around a superbike.

?? Rubberband / IR wireless / Wireless Transmitter / etc ??

I'm shooting (1) SoftBox (1) Passthrough (1) Flash/tripod with hotshoe photosensor for key and (1) 580ex. Currently Sync'n to the closest strobe (M) and photosensor slaving the rest.

The cable between me and the Master Strobe is kill'n me!

Any suggestions as to the best vs cheapest way to get off the cable?

bump

Ladies and Gentlemen,
from the 60's-70's Italian olden days of Photography,
an outstanding innovative flash-mode:

A U T O M A T I C !

Once all the Flashers were Manual at all:

based on the asa sensitivity, Photographer had to extimate the Flasher-to-Subject Distance and to select the proper Aperture according to the Unit's Guide Number; whether the Flasher had a Vari-Power control too, its output-level also could be adjusted, so changing the GNumber and getting more range of Apertures to chose among. Like with Studio Flashers, indeed.

If the Photographer is walking around, the (on Camera)Flash-to-Subject Distance may change and either the Aperture on the Lens, or the Output Level on the Flasher, should get consequentially adjusted.

If You move from say, mt.2 (ft 6) to mt.2,8 (ft 8.4), Aperture requires to turn to full a larger f/step; like moving from f/8 to f/5.6 .And take care, in reality Your feet moved to just one step back only! (80 centimeters).

Building an Automatic Flasher, an electronic eye like those ones of Light-Meters, appears on the Flasher body itself.

An Auto-Flasher does not care of the Camera's built-in exposure metering System. It has own embeded light-meter, through its electronic-eye reading the light reflected back from the scene; as a result, an AUTOMATIC Flasher automatically adjusts its Light Output Level.

In other words, the A-Flasher starts as firing at full-power; then, as soon as its built-in metering System feels the reflected Light is enough, the circuit stops the lightning from firing.

An Auto-Flasher sends out NO pre-flash !

Unfortunately, such a functions has desappeared on the last E-TTL / i-TTL worked out for Digital Cameras.

I think Metz only makes a Flasher, among those rather big ones with handle, still giving the old AUTO-mode option, available with MANUAL-mode TTL-mode and E-TTL mode.

Thanks for your reply!!!

The early models had not; quickly after, AF assistance (Infra Red beam) came out and went on many Auto-Flashers.

As far as the lighting, any Auto-Flasher is compatible with any Camera of any brand, as its starting is still based on the two contacts going closed by the Camera like on a Manual-Flasher; just take care of which TRIGGERING VOLTAGE Your Digital Camera can take.

For the AF assist beam instead, You have to restrict the research among those ones for Canon.

Yes.. Right now I'm blacking out my 580ex completely; using a self made cover which goes completely of the flash; two strobes and a secondary manual flash for key. 580ex for AF Assist (no flash comes from it) sync cable to my MAIN strobe and the secondary fires as does the key off the MAIN's strobe via sensor. I'm trying to get the cable out of the picture (so to speak) by grabbing a wireless trigger for both studio flashers and leaving the key to fire off them as needed or manually preset for the shoot. The 580ex IR AF ASSIST BEAM is a must for the low light that I like to work in.