Hope you Nikon folks don’t mind a Canon person visiting!
I know cameras are just tools and that the craftsman is the most important part of the equation, but I am a hardware jock so I am interested in this stuff.
This is an honest question, which I hope to learn something from. I know Nikon and Canon each have their areas of strengths and weaknesses. I have read sufficient comments about the superiority of the Nikon flash system over the Canon that I believe this to be true and am not questioning it. For my enquiring mind I would like some additional information regarding this (the Nikon e-TTL II system compared to the Nikon i-TTL system).
Your experiences or links to others information would be welcomed.
If anyone happens to have both systems and has personal experiences or can post examples that would be great!
I'm curious as well, especially in the area of multi-flashes. This is something I do a lot, and the Canon system seems to do pretty well most of the time. However, I would be interested in reading what usability advantages exist in the Nikon system (Flash exposure is not really an issue with my Canon flashes, but appropriate triggering can be a real headache.)
I am using 5 SB-800 for all my commercial work. I juggle between i-TTL (in Manual) and using PW.
As a whole, i-TTL works pretty well, but can present some problems, as even when the units are set to "M", they can sometimes misfire, or do their own thing. This usually happens when using more than 3 SB-800. The interface to control the flashes on the SB-800 is much easier than on the 580EX, allowing for quicker adjustments.
If I need absolute control, and can't have a misfire, then I use the Pocket Wizards. (one thing of note, the SB-800 plug directly into the PW, whereas the 580EX you need to buy adapters for triggering.
By themselves, I think Nikon still has the best flash system. I have used both, and prefer the balance provided by the i-TTL system. Canon E-TTL II, seems to be where Nikon flash system was in 1996 with the F5, and SB-28.
On another side note, although I have no scientific evidence to back up this statement, it seemed like the 580EX were much more power hungry than their Nikon counterparts, going through batteries much more quickly.
Is it still possible to have a pocketwizzard transmitter installed into the Nikon bodies. I remember that someone was making it and it could install straight into the D2h .... I wonder if that holds true for the D2x?
