Comments on: common wisdom – Canon’s TTL flash vs Nikon’s TTL flash

By: Neil vN

Neil vN — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:04:04 +0000

Here is how I use the histogram for exposure metering. Neil vN

By: Guru Saini

Guru Saini — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:26:16 +0000

Hi Neil, thnx for this article.. just a question, have you explained in any article on how to judge and get right exposure and settings (approx) by looking at histogram, and if yes where can I find??

Regards

Guru Saini

By: Neil vN

Neil vN — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:21:47 +0000

Nathan .. you can definitely do that with the Nikon’s flash system.
Nikon’s CLS works with absolute settings of levels, whether TTL and / or manual.
Canon works with ratios, which is less intuitive to control specifically.

Neil vN

By: nathan welton

nathan welton — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:15:26 +0000

Hi Neil
I’m a little late to the party here, but I’m about to switch to NIkon and have been doing a lot of reading about Nikon and the CLS system. I have one question, and it seems from reading the d3 instruction manual online that the answer is “yes” but I’d like to have it confirmed my a Nikon user. I often light receptions with two lights on opposite corners of the dance floor and one more on camera dialed down a lot providing a little bit of fill light bouncing off the ceiling and also throwing a little light forward off the bounce card. I would love to be able to set my off camera lights on M and control them on the camera, and then have my on-camera light set in iTTL set at whatever FEC value I choose, probably -3 or -5. Is that possible with the CLS system?

You can’t quite do that with Canon (mixing and matching eTTL and M between the strobes in the groups). At best you have to put everything in manual, but that’s not ideal.

Thanks
Nathan

By: Tad

Tad — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:11:44 +0000

I’d like to come back to the article on Nikon CLS practical guide http://nikonclspracticalguide.blogspot.com/2008/03/ttl-and-ttl-bl-study.html There is about coupling TTL-BL metering system to focal distance raporting by the lens. Turning flash head other direction than on model makes lens raport useless. We can only guess what flash will do in this circumstances. Accordind to Russ theory flash should keep small account of light as the distance between model and camera is short. Propably focal distance isn’t the only aspect taken to account by flash, because your tests proves that is moore light, and you had to put -5 FEC to proper results. What is your experience, does focal distance afect flash light?
Regards, Tad.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:26:20 +0000

Hi Neil,

Stumbled across your website a few months ago and has changed my photo knowledge for the better. Anyway reading your article on TTL vs TTL/BL has been helpful with understanding what the BL shown in my flashes users(actually useless)manual actually means.
Right now I’m using an SB600 with a Nikon N80 SLR, but I’m planning on getting DSLR in a few months. I’ll have to stick with what I have until I have the $$$$ to spring for it. So as regard to the difference between TTL vs TTL/BL. Does this apply the same way to film cameras. Which setting should I be using? or does it make a difference. My old flash was TTL/TTL MATRIX. Which I used the TTL MATRIX pretty much all the time.

Also with going digital, which DSLR could you recommend. I the like pics done with the D90, D80, D200. It’s been said shooting with these cameras they are not sensitive enough for shooting in low light being they have DX sized sensors. What lenses would you recommend for shooting in low light on a budget.

Thanks

Dan

By: dirk

dirk — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 23:43:07 +0000

Hi Neil, thank you for this information and tips. I work with Nikon D3, Nikon D700, Canon 5DII and the two SB900 and two 580EX. I can’t say, why – but I found, the Nikon flash looks/feels better. The sharpness with the SB900 is better. The Flash is faster than the 580EX and so I work with Canon 5DII and Nikon SB900, with beauty dish and softbox. Regards from Cologne, Dirk

By: Desmond

Desmond — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:47:11 +0000

“Amy, thanks!
I usually just keep my camera to matrix / evaluative metering. Since I shoot in manual exposure mode, the actual metering mode has no effect on the exposure itself.
Neil vN ”

With regard to this reply I must mention that though metering mode has no effect on ambient when in manual my tests have shown that it does have an effect on TTL/BL output . I did a video on it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfONFdXhO8o and learning this helped me understand that TTL/BL ‘watches your meter” to determine where the ambient exposure is and how much flash to add so it can back off as the ambient is increased . using CW metering in this case may have caused TTL/BL to back off further .

By: Cham_001

Cham_001 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:09:50 +0000

Hi Neil,

Superbly demonstrated comparison between the 2 systems.

You ‘nailed’ the argument in your opening paragraphs:
“As simple a point as this … get used to how your particular camera and flash respond, and adjust your technique accordingly.”

So, understanding your own kit is key, experimenting with the different modes and finding that ‘happy medium’ where you can predict great results for yourself.

I have seen amazing photos taken on Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Olympus and now Sony equipment. Some specialist kit will give you specific capabilities to achieve outstanding results, but there are other ways to achieving the same.
1.> So, be proud of what you have invested in
2.> experiment, play and test your camera kit
3.> have fun, enjoy and aspire to improving upon your expertise.

Neil – thanks for this, I will now crack-on and learn more about how to get the best out of my Canon gear.

By: Neil

Neil — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 08:38:54 +0000

Matte .. I bounced the flash into the open room to my right, with the flash bouncing slightly over my shoulder.

No white wall. I bounced into the room towards the direction I wanted my light to come from.

Neil vN