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Archive 2015 · Canon 600ex-RT questions

  
 
ross attix
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Canon 600ex-RT questions


I posted this here even though it might be better in the lighting forum. It is a Canon specific question, so here goes..

I am not crazy about ETTL when using flash remotely. There seem to always be issues I run into that take forever to resolve, instead of just walking over, changing a setting manually and continuing the shot. The issues usually involve not being able to figure out why the flash (600EX) is doing or not doing something.

Today for example, I was playing around with a set up I need to use next week to shoot a group of about 40 people indoors. I plan to use the 600 as the main, and one or two other speedlights to augment and fill. All speedlights were off camera, either on Pocket Wizard Plus III (the 600EX) or optical slave for the others. Everything was in manual mode.

This is what happened. After setting up the 600 on it's own stand, custom function set not to go to sleep, Manual mode, full power, zoom at minimum setting, diffusion panel deployed, I was getting consistent f8 at 400ISO, about 10-12 feet from camera. I played around a bit over an hour or so adding additional speedlights, and after I satisfied my questions, I wanted to recheck the 600 to see how much fall off I would get from side to side from just that light.

Nothing had moved, so I turned off the other lights, reset the aperture to f/8 and took a shot-very dark. WTF? So I grabbed the meter to check, and sure enough, it shows f/4.8. I walked over to see the flash display, and it still showed Manual mode 1/1 power, which is full. I rechecked the light reading, thinking maybe I didn't let it recycle fully, still getting f/4.8.

What happened to f8? I have no idea, so I cycle though the modes again, ETTL, etc., until I get to "M", I push the +/- button to highlight the scale, rotate the wheel to be sure it really is set at 1/1 (Full), recheck the reading, now it shows f/8. I have no idea what happened, or most importantly, how I prevent it from happening when I do this photo.

Any ideas?



Apr 24, 2015 at 04:58 PM
ugdog
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Canon 600ex-RT questions


Strange. Probably user error somewhere along the line. I love those 600exrt's but find them a little complicated in the real world. My brain doesn't need any extra complications when I'm working. Prefer all my energy goes toward getting the shot. I'd use some heavier lights for a group of 40ppl indoors also.


Apr 25, 2015 at 07:36 AM
ross attix
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Canon 600ex-RT questions


User error is a strong possibility, but since I didn't (knowingly) change settings, I am not sure what that would be. The only thing I did with that flash was move the location of the stand, I think.?

I tried a Godox 360 with a shoot through umbrella, and if I recall correctly, it was giving me about 3 stops more light at that same distance. Easy enough to lower the ISO and drop the power levels a little to get to f8.

I was just hoping someone would have an idea what might have happened to drop the light output on the 600EX.



Apr 25, 2015 at 12:06 PM
diverhank
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Canon 600ex-RT questions


Strange thing that happened to you. I can only think of 2 possibilities:

1. There were other light sources (such as ambient light) that made it f/8 instead of f/4.8 (not likely or you would have noticed it)

2. You had the 600 as a slave and its output is being influenced by the master (camera or master flash). The 600 output can be controlled while in M mode as a slave. Make sure the controlling source "ratio" is off.



Apr 25, 2015 at 01:07 PM
ross attix
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Canon 600ex-RT questions


diverhank wrote:
2. You had the 600 as a slave and its output is being influenced by the master (camera or master flash). The 600 output can be controlled while in M mode as a slave. Make sure the controlling source "ratio" is off.


Thanks. I rethought this after seeing your post, but then realized since I was using PW Plus III's to trigger, and they are dumb triggers, that could not explain it. The camera is a 1Ds III, so it would need either an ST-E3 or another 600EX in its hot shoe to remotely control that 600EX(if I understand how the new Canon system works-the 1Ds predates that)

The other speed lights were Nikon.

I do think some sort of user error is most likely, I just can't figure out what.

I have wanted to like the 600EX, but whenever I think I am getting used to it and learning something more about it, they bite me in the a**. I respect and appreciate the folks who say they like how capable and sophisticated the 600EX are, I just haven't been able to master them. Much happier with a bag of manual speedlights, and triggers for same. I am getting close to going one way or the other, and right now, thinking I need to bail out on the Canon flash.



Apr 25, 2015 at 02:02 PM





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