New PocketWizard Flex TT5 and Mini TT1

<p>I just finished a couple of shoots with the new PocketWizard Flex TT5 and Mini TT1. I thought that some of you are considering these remotes might want to read my first impressions and see some images.</p> <p>boorayphotography.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-pocketwizard-flex-tt5-and-mini.html#more</p>

<p>I haven't used them at a wedding yet but the Senior Portrait session that I tested them on is a good approximation of how I might use them for wedding portraits, etc. The real question will be if I use them for room fill at a wedding or go back to my manual settings. I suspect I will stick with manual but I plan to test it.</p>

<p>Booray, as far as I know, metering of flash in ETTL isn't linked at all to the ambient light metering system. So variances in ETTL--AFAIK--are from flash metering patterns, which are limited to what you get with the camera model. In my case, evaluative or averaging using the metering pattern the camera offers. My 5D equals 7x5 grid pattern across the frame. There is no spot metering for flash, unless you consider FEL a kind of flash spot metering.</p>

<p>I appreciate your review because it's always good to know about cool new gear, particularly lighting gear, but this is why I still don't rely on ETTL. In most cases, I'd rather do the math so that when I shoot, it is what I expected and I don't waste time wondering what went wrong and how to fix it. It is nice to know the dreaded radio interference isn't as bad as has been reported, though.</p>

<p>I was under the impression that metering mode affected flash the same as exposure. I wrote about it here:<br>

boorayphotography.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-metering-mode-to-use-when.html#more</p>

<p>Am I wrong? Maybe I shouldn't have said "ambient." <br>

It's my understanding that the flash will vary according to the same information that is used to vary the aperture or shutter in an automatic mode. This is why, when shooting in manual mode and evaluative mode, I get a different amount of flash power when I focus on the dress than I do when I focus on the black tux. Am I wrong about that?</p>

<p>Booray--as I said, AFAIK, the flash metering system uses the same metering patterns available in that model camera, but does not use any information from the ambient light metering system, including modes.</p>

<p>By metering pattern I mean, for instance, the 7x5 grid used by my 5D. In a 1 series camera, the pattern is different--more center weighted. So metering pattern, yes, mode, no. For flash metering you only have two modes--evaluative and averaging. Evaluative is a mystery--it has never been fully explained by Canon. Averaging is not always center weighted. With my 5D (7x5 grid), it is averaged across the grid.</p>

<p>AFAIK--spot metering is not even possible with flash metering, unless, as I said, you consider FEL a kind of spot metering for flash.</p>

<p>I should add that this is with ETTL-2. Older ETTL and other Canon flash metering systems are different.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>metering of flash in ETTL isn't linked at all to the ambient light metering system.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Canon says this on its web site:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>E-TTL II is Canon's latest proprietary automatic flash exposure control system. By employing multiple metering zones to measure both ambient light and preflash, then comparing the two and taking metering distances into account, this sophisticated system automatically adjusts the flash level to achieve natural reproduction with ideal exposure of both the background and subject. </p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I'm not sure I've actually noticed this, but they say it does it.</p>

<p>Yes, I believe in the evaluative flash metering mode, the metering system tries to distinguish foreground from background and may take ambient light into consideration in an effort to do just this. However, I don't believe it goes much beyond that, in the way that Nikon flash metering systems do.</p>

<p>AFAIK--when using spot metering mode to meter the ambient light, flash metering will not restrict it's calculations to what was metered inside the spot.</p>

Does anyone know if the Nikon version due to be released later this year will allow manual adjustment of flash power from the camera's commander menu like CLS?

<p>Well I got curious about E-TTL II and did some online research. The following is the closest thing to actually knowing what E-TTL II does, that I found. So it seems that the ambient light measuring pattern and physical system are used in determining what the flash metering will pay attention to, or consider "the subject". Nothing is said beyond this about whether any ambient readings <em>taken by the user</em> is factored into the flash calculation, or whether the ambient light measuring mode used for the flash calculation is the same as the one the user selected (evaluative, averaging, partial, spot).</p>

<p>So I assume the ambient light measuring mode used in the flash calculation is evaluative, by default. Even if you have averaging (ambient) or spot or partial selected for the ambient light measuring mode, I assume that mode is not used for the flash calculation. For instance, if you were to use aperture priority or shutter priority or program, and select spot metering for your ambient metering pattern, the final exposure is determined by the information gotten from the spot measurement, but if you have the flash turned on, the flash exposure is still determined by E-TTL's look at the metering segments used by the evaluative metering pattern.</p>

<p>When I made my statement above, I guess I should have been clearer about what I meant by ambient metering system.</p>

<p>Keep in mind the excerpt is from the White Paper for the Canon EOS 1DMkII (when E-TTL II came out), so the talk about 45 focus points and 17 metering segments is specifically applicable to that model. My 5D has the 7x5 grid, and I can find nothing about whether the central segments are used or whether the whole grid is used. I believe the latter, actually, since I have noticed that anything on the edge of the frame changes the flash metering more than just slightly.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>ADVANCED E-TTL II <br />New algorithm gives greater flash exposure control <br /><br />For improved flash control using Canon EX series Speedlites, a new algorithm has been developed which enables superior E-TTL flash accuracy and reliability. In previous cameras, evaluative flash metering was based on the assumption that an autofocus point would cover the subject. When this is not the case, inaccurate flash exposures result. The EOS-1D Mark II's evaluative flash metering is not dependent on the active AF point. <br /><br />In the new algorithm, ambient light is measured when the shutter button is pressed. Next, a pre-flash is fired and the metering sensor takes readings at the central 17 metering zones. The ambient and pre-flash readings are compared. The metering areas having a small difference are selected as the flash exposure metering areas. (Areas with very big differences between ambient and pre-flash readings are excluded or down weighted because they are assumed to contain a highly reflective object or that the subject is not in that part of the frame. The algorithm avoids chronic underexposure problems in such situations.) These readings are weighted, averaged and compared with the ambient light reading, and the main flash output is then set and stored in memory. E-TTL II weights and averages the flash metering for the subject and all other objects at the same distance as the subject. Even if the subject's position, reflectance or size changes, the flash output will not change radically. The flash exposure will be highly accurate and stable. <br /><br />Most EF lenses provide distance information, and this data is also considered in determining if there is a highly reflective object, once again lessening the chance of underexposure. <br /><br />Additional info on E-TTL II: <br /><br />In essence, distance information is not required for E-TTL II. But when it is available and the flash is direct, then it can be used as a reference to modify the flash exposure if necessary. <br /><br />Additionally, the EOS-1D Mark II is provided with a new Custom Function (C.Fn 14-1) that allows photographers to select between evaluative and averaged flash metering in E-TTL II. Averaged flash metering may be preferable when using direct flash with lenses that don't have a built-in distance encoder, but we encourage Mark II owners to try both settings on C.Fn 14 to see which metering method they prefer. <br /><br />E-TTL II is functional with all EF lenses, not just the ones with distance data. If you use a lens without distance data, the only thing you lose is the Mark II's ability to modify the flash exposure based on distance data. Everything else works the same. The Mark II *never* falls back to E-TTL. <br /><br />There's never any "full-frame" flash metering in E-TTL or E-TTL II. In both cases, with EOS cameras that use a 45-point focusing system/21-zone metering sensor, all flash metering is carried out by the 17 metering segments within the Area AF ellipse shown in the viewfinder. Subject matter outside the ellipse is completely ignored in terms of flash exposure control. <br /><br />C.Fn 14-0 on a Mark II allows E-TTL II flash metering to be subject-based, so it can use anywhere from 1 to 17 metering segments depending on the camera's analysis of the pre-flash information. This is not a spot meter reading, unless the camera determines that the subject is so small that it occupies only one of the 17 metering segments. Most subjects will cover a larger area than that. The big improvement here over the original E-TTL algorithm is that the size and location of the primary flash metering area can change dynamically according to the size and location of the subject. In the original E-TTL algorithm, the size, location and weighting of the primary flash metering area was linked to the active focusing point. <br /><br />C.Fn 14-1 on a Mark II applies the E-TTL II flash metering algorithm equally to all 17 metering segments within the Area AF ellipse, so in comparison to 14-0, 14-1 is not subject-based. <br /><br />As I've mentioned in previous posts, the setting of the focus mode switch on the lens has no bearing on E-TTL II flash metering, so C.Fn 14-0 and 14-1 are effective whether the lens is set for AF or manual focus. <br /><br />There are two differences between original E-TTL and E-TTL II in this particular comparison: <br /><br />1. E-TTL II will factor in distance information when it is available during direct flash operation, regardless of the C.Fn 14 or C.Fn 4 setting. Standard E-TTL does not use distance info. <br /><br />2. When C.Fn 14-1 is active on the Mark II, E-TTL II flashmetering is averaged for all 17 metering segments regardless of the C.Fn 4 setting or the focus mode set on the lens. This gives the photographer more flexibility in setting up the camera according to their personal preferences. Original E-TTL can't average its flashmetering unless specific camera settings are used.<br /><br />Chuck Westfall <br />Director/Technical Marketing Dept. <br />Camera Division/Canon U.S.A., Inc.</p>

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<p>Booray, in your article about exposure, it is unclear to me whether you are talking about ambient metering or flash metering or both, and assuming that they work the same way. On your review, the only thing that I would question would be your statement that switching to averaging or spot, etc., would make any difference in flash metering variances. I still don't think they apply and the variances are purely from the fact that E-TTL is an automated kind of flash metering.</p>

<p>I find E-TTL (original and II) extremely frustrating actually, because it is hard to predict. When I use ETTL, it is in averaging mode. Last weekend, my 580EX II stopped working, so I switched to my Metz 54MZ4-i, for which I have a module capable of both ETTL and auto thyristor. I rediscovered why I love Metz auto thyristor, a metering system I can understand and predict, and which doesn't suddenly underexpose at the wrong moment. I've also played with the Canon wireless system, and don't use it on the job because, as I said above, I don't like the kind of surprises the metering gives me.</p>

<p>Hope this helps a bit. I wish Canon would be clearer about how things work.</p>

<p>Thanks for the review although i still dont think these are worth the money , it means having to think but i am growing to love manual flash, especially if I can map out the room in advance into zones. <br>

Ref><br>

2. Although PW's will fire any other PW receiver, they won't fire my Cybersyncs. That means if I want to fire two strobes remotely I must go back to the Cybersyncs or buy another PW receiver. Or, if I really want to get tricky I guess I could use both at the same time since the PW is hotshoe mount and the Cybersync is sync cord.</p>

<p>You could put the second and subsequent units on optical slave mode. The only time these gadgets would be worth the price imho is where you were prepared to use FEL and ride the compensation.</p>

<p>Interesting review Booray. Thanks for posting that.</p>

<p>Curious about these versus the RadioPoppers. Have you tried/used the RP's for the same task?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I haven't tried the Radio Poppers. I have read some comparison reviews and don't recall seeing anything that made me favor the RP's over the PW's.</p>

<p>I haven't tried the PW's in a reception setting and don't know that I will anytime soon (well, I'll use them in manual). </p>

<p>Where I think the PW's Mini TT1 really shines is off-camera flash in a changing enviroment. Yesterday I did an engagement session in Ybor City (the Cuban section of Tampa). With my strobe on a stand I was able to move around from setup to setup and shoot very fast with minimal adjustments to the flash FEL. Usually, when trying to move quickly, I aim to keep my flash an equal distance from the subjects and maintain the same aperture, adjusting the shutter to control the ambient. With the Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 I was able to move the stand closer or farther or change the aperture at will without having to adjust the flash settings.</p>

<p>The thing that I like is that, while I consider myself to be a fast off-camera flash shooter, I'm a <em>faster</em> on-camera flash shooter. With these remotes, shooting off-camera is the same as on-camera. When using off-camera flash, my thought process is the same as it is for on-camera bounce.</p>

<p>Here's an example of what I like: Yesterday I was shooting my couple against a wall, one close to me and the other in the background. I shot the closest at f2.8 so the back one was blurry. Then I focused on the back and shot it again with the front one blurry. So far so good, no big deal. Then, I changed my aperture to 8.0 and got the shot with both in focus and <em>never touched my off-camera flash</em>. Another time I changed my aperture by two stops and my ISO by three stops and never adjusted the off-camera flash.</p>

<p>There are times when you have to ride the FEL (like when your subjects are at the edge of the frame and the camera is metering an area with a 2-stop difference!). But it's no different than what I would do if I had the flash on-camera and was bouncing onto my subjects. I found it refreshing to be able to think and operate in "bounce-flash" mode when outdoors. </p>