On Fri, 15 Mar 2002 09:35:06 -0800, Ken Sarno wrote: > >> The only control over the 420EX that's available >> is through FEC, and of course, flash placement, filters, diffusers, >> etc. But the only switched on the back are on-off, and normal/high >> speed sync. > >Except for the Off/Slave switch, the Group A-B-C button, and the Channel >1-2-3-4 button, which together allow the 420EX to fully participate as a >slave in a ratio'd muti-flash multi-group wireless flash system--as long >as there's an appropriate master hooked up to the camera (550EX or >ST-E2). > >While nobody can argue with the value of a flash meter if it's needed >and regularly used, they do represent an additional cost and an extra >piece of gear to tote around. For a lot of nonprofessional users, IMHO >an ST-E2, a couple of Canon flashes and a little experimentation and >bracketing can do an awful lot at a reasonable price. There's nothing >wrong with E-TTL. The individual has to decide whether to use 420EX's or >550EX's...I personally would (and did) put the extra cost into 550EX's >rather than a flash meter, but that's just me. > >It's difficult to make general recommendations without knowing an >individual's specific circumstances and style.
Ken - Right you are. I was going from memory and forgot about those, not having used my 420 EX as a slave. I imagine it's clear I meant no manual override controls. Now you bring up flash metering, and I just bought a meter that has flash metering - a Sekonic L-508. I had been told that there are problems with the E-TTL or wireless slave set-ups becuase of the pre-flash triggering the meter. I was mostly planning to use the flash metering function with my FD and medium format shooting. But for an experiment, and not really thinking about it, I tried using the flash meter at rehearsal I was shooting the other night, and got some results that got me wondering. I had my Elan 7 and 420EX on a tripod 20-30 feet from the stage. I was using Supra 400, and either the 28-135 IS or the 75-300. Out of curiosity I took a flash meter reading from stage using the test button on the 420EX. I got 1/60 @ f/5.6. The camera's meter showed 1/60 @ f/4. Not having any experience with flash metering, and being unsure about the pre-flash, I decided to go with the camera's reading. Then when i got the prints back, many of them were over-exposed, probably by about a stop. It made me wonder if I should have shot at the meter's recommended EV, although I realize there are other possible explanations ofr ther over-exposure. So one question is does the 420EX fire a pre-flash when using the test-button? Also what is the relationship between the camera's settings and the intensity/duration of the test shot? I'm trying to understand the difference between the flash-meter's reading and the camera's. And generally, what can anyone say about using a flash meter with E-TTL flash? Ken Durling Visit my new easier-to-browse PhotoSIG portfolio: http://www.photosig.com/browse.php?id=photographer:203 * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
