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Archive 2014 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N

  
 
Adam73
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


I have used my lights for several shoots but I can't adjust the power to the lights. In every video I watch, they just adjust the power up or down on the Air TTL-N Remote and it supposed to change the output power of the flash by up to two stops. I can't get it to change at all. I did a really quick video showing what I'm doing. Its pretty bad but you can see what I'm doing. I sent Profoto an email and they said that I have to change the exposure in camera. I don't think that is going to work or what they are describing in their promotional videos. I can't change different groups of lights Say a main front light and a back light separately. This is driving me nuts. Anyone else shoot with the B1's with Nikon?




Dec 03, 2014 at 09:07 PM
hijazist
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Adam, I shoot the B1 with TTL-N and D800. If you're only using one B1 then flash comp is your only recourse and the remote is basically useless except for locking TTL values.

Flash comp is supposed to be for global adjustment for all B1s and the remote for ratios between them (I think Canon works the same).

Not sure if this helps though



Dec 04, 2014 at 04:27 AM
Adam73
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Yes, that makes sense. Its just not what I was expecting. I was expecting to be able to control the light power from the Air remote. Oh well a great quality light. Just a little misleading in the videos. I'm just happy that I can over power the sun on a consistent basis now.


Dec 04, 2014 at 11:01 AM
tsilva
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


if you want to control the light power from the remote use manual mode


Dec 04, 2014 at 11:50 AM
Adam73
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


tsilva wrote:
if you want to control the light power from the remote use manual mode



Yeah, I get that. I really like the TTL mode for when my subject is moving around. I shot UFC Fighter Mike Kyle and he was all over the place. Manual mode is a bit tough, unless they are in one spot.










Dec 04, 2014 at 01:44 PM
Adam73
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


This shot, you can only use flash compensation using one light. If you have two it will change both lights globally.







Dec 04, 2014 at 01:47 PM
Conner999
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Can you not expose for TTL, shift to manual to lock in and then tweak up/down?


Dec 04, 2014 at 02:10 PM
Adam73
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Conner999 wrote:
Can you not expose for TTL, shift to manual to lock in and then tweak up/down?


Yes, shooting a base shot, then changing to manual mode and changing the power up and down does work. I made a mistake and did a shoot and being under pressure and not being familiar with the lights before the shoot. I received the lights on a Friday, did the shoot on Saturday. I'm now experimenting and getting more comfortable with the lights.



Dec 04, 2014 at 02:22 PM
Conner999
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Ah, gotcha. Been there.


Dec 04, 2014 at 02:22 PM
ukphotographer
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Conner999 wrote:
Can you not expose for TTL, shift to manual to lock in and then tweak up/down?


..which is fine if you're only using one light but if you're using two or more does that then mean you cannot chose your own initial lighting ratio and then shift each up/down?



Dec 11, 2014 at 12:08 PM
hijazist
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


ukphotographer wrote:
..which is fine if you're only using one light but if you're using two or more does that then mean you cannot chose your own initial lighting ratio and then shift each up/down?


I think when you switch to manual the remote controls the B1s in terms of light stops and not ratios. Which actually makes sense since your key light is now invariable and has a known value (while in TTL it's variable hence it's dealing with ratios). I will test this and get back to you



Dec 11, 2014 at 06:14 PM
pjny
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


Can someone please explain how to you:

lock the exposure once you find a good exposure when using TTL?
What does +/- on each head do when using TTL?(I think it does nothing, only Flash exp. compensation works)
How do I dial up/down different heads when trying to tweak a TTL exposure?

Is manual the only way to really use B1/B2 without blown out/underexposed images

Any tricks or tips would be welcome. I am getting wildly inconsistent results with B2. I just got B1.



Aug 31, 2015 at 12:07 AM
boshek
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


pjny wrote:
Can someone please explain how to you:

lock the exposure once you find a good exposure when using TTL?
What does +/- on each head do when using TTL?(I think it does nothing, only Flash exp. compensation works)
How do I dial up/down different heads when trying to tweak a TTL exposure?

Is manual the only way to really use B1/B2 without blown out/underexposed images

Any tricks or tips would be welcome. I am getting wildly inconsistent results with B2. I just got B1.


this is how I do it, start off with TTL, that will normally get you close. then switch to manual and tweak from there. I only have one so I don't use ttl with different ratios



Sep 06, 2015 at 07:23 AM
pjny
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


I used Nikon SB-800 and SB-900 flashes with Pocketwizard flex ttl-5 triggers in TTL mode and got great results for many years. Nikon TTL was one of the few things that was better than Canon before the D3 came out and was spot on even when off camera.

With B1 and B2 I am getting very inconsistent results in TTL mode. Stuff that should be pretty easy exposure will be a -1 or -2 exposure comepnsation shift. Or stuff will be blown out on same photo after different frames.

Anyone having these issues?




Sep 06, 2015 at 09:34 AM
story_teller
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Trouble with my Profoto B1 and Air TTL-N


pjny wrote:
Can someone please explain how to you:

lock the exposure once you find a good exposure when using TTL?
What does +/- on each head do when using TTL?(I think it does nothing, only Flash exp. compensation works)
How do I dial up/down different heads when trying to tweak a TTL exposure?

Is manual the only way to really use B1/B2 without blown out/underexposed images

Any tricks or tips would be welcome. I am getting wildly inconsistent results with B2. I just got B1.


This is for Nikon users. I believe Canon calls it Flash Exposure Lock and it works a bit differently.

Many Nikon cameras have a feature called FV Lock (Flash Value Lock). That's how you lock ttl exposure. Some photographers don't realize that the ttl metering is separate from normal camera metering and not locked when you use a half-press of the shutter release. The ttl metering only occurs using the pre-flash. That means that if you meter and focus on the face using a half-press and then recompose, ttl metering is still waiting for the pre-flash to get it's reading. Use FV Lock to meter on the face, the pre-flash will fire and the ttl value will be locked in. Then you can recompose the scene and shoot as you wish.

Whatever is in the center of the frame when the pre-flash fires will influence the ttl meter level and thus the flash power used. Nikon ttl is center-weighted so if you have ligher or highly reflective values in the center, you'll underexpose to some degree and visa versa.



Mar 04, 2016 at 11:15 AM





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