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TomBrooklyn Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #1 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? Does Electronic-Through-the-Lens (E-TTL) flash metering or any kind of TTL flash work to any degree under any circumstances with manual focus lenses? Canon XTi Sigma DG 500EX Super Various Manual Focus Lenses on EOS adapters. Oct 14, 2008 at 02:26 PM

mpmendenhall Online Image Upload: Off p.1 #2 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? Yes, it should. The whole point of TTL flash is that the camera directly views the lighting through the lens, so it doesn't rely on knowing anything about the lens' aperture or distance to the illuminated objects. The only thing that won't work automatically is your flash's "zoom" to cover the right field of view (since the camera can't tell what focal length the adapted lens is), so you'll have to set that manually. Oct 14, 2008 at 03:16 PM

cogitech Offline Buy and Sell: On p.1 #3 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? Yes, I can confirm that it does work. I use it at weddings without issue. Well, sort of. The only issues are: 1) The flash zoom function (as Michael stated), which I do not use anyway because I use bounce flash and/or flash stands w/umbrellas exclusively. 2) Metering is off (just like it is with manual lenses without flash) but I easily overcome that with FEC. Once set, it just works (even under changing lighting conditions). For example: At a wedding I might stick my manual focus 28mm and my 550EX with a homemade "better bounce card" on my 5D. I set the camera to M, set a shutter speed of 1/60th or so, an appropriate ISO, set the lens to f5.6 or f8 and then scale focus it and leave the flash on full auto E-TTL mode. I fire a couple of shots, chimp and adjust FEC till I get a decent balance of flash and ambient (I might also tweak ISO during this process). Once I get the balance right (usually takes 3 or 4 quick shots) I then just walk around and capture the moments. This is a great setup for round-table and group shots during the reception. I use the same method with longer lenses and faster apertures (for candids, etc.), but I focus by eye rather than by scale in those situations. Another variation I use, which is very similar, is to use Av mode on the camera and then just keep an eye on the shutter speed. If it drops to low, I bump up the ISO accordingly. It is a bit easier to get a better balance of ambient and flash this way. Edited on Oct 14, 2008 at 05:20 PM · View previous versions Oct 14, 2008 at 05:11 PM

cogitech Offline Buy and Sell: On p.1 #4 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? Here are some samples: 5D + Zeiss Distagon 28/2.8 + 550EX + BBC (lens likely at f5.6 and pre-focused for the range I needed.) P&S simplicity and it is almost impossible to tell flash was used. Oct 14, 2008 at 05:14 PM

TomBrooklyn Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #5 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? mpmendenhall wrote:Yes, it should. The whole point of TTL flash is that the camera directly views the lighting through the lens, so it doesn't rely on knowing anything about the lens' aperture or distance to the illuminated objects. Hi. I was hoping that was the answer. I have a Sigma DG 500EX Super on the way to go with my Canon Xti and a variety of manual lenses. Up until now I've been using a Nikon SB-26 on manual and fiddling with the power settings. This is good news. I'll have to see how to adjust the zoom while keeping the light in ETTL mode. I've heard the Sigma manual is not very clear. I was just reading about some some focus confirmation adapters (Dandelions, I think they're called) that can now be programmed to transmit a focal length to the EOS Canon cameras. It will only be the focal length it's pre-programmed for though, so you have to use it on a lens that matches, or it will be off. They would probably make the speedlight zoom setting automatic too I suppose. Edited on Oct 15, 2008 at 05:43 PM · View previous versions Oct 15, 2008 at 04:54 PM

TomBrooklyn Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #6 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? cogitech wrote: I use the same method with longer lenses and faster apertures (for candids, etc.), but I focus by eye rather than by scale in those situations. Hi cogitech, That's interesting that you manual lenses to shoot a wedding. I've wondered about that in the event I wanted to pursue some opportunities as a wedding photogs assistant. Do you find you can work them fast enough to capture the fleeting shot moments like at the alter and the cake cutting etc., or do you use the mf lenses only in the parts where things are more slow paced and don't have to be capture at top speed? (I suppose you can probably find focus faster on a 5D than might be possible on a crop sensor, smaller viewfinder XTi like I have too.) Those table shots you show have a nice exposure. Nice skin tones, depth, and absence of hot spots. Did you gel the flash to match the tungsten ambient? Oct 15, 2008 at 05:27 PM

cogitech Offline Buy and Sell: On p.1 #7 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? Tom, I do rely on AF for some of the fast moving stuff, but this reliance is becoming less and less all the time. This is due to the fact that all my favourite glass is manual focus and I have used it so much for such a long time (on my 5D with Ee-S screen) that I have become incredibly accurate. In situations where the AF system may hunt or miss focus, I can usually do much better. Manual focus also gives me the freedom to compose the shot and then focus anywhere in the frame, which has improved my shooting style dramatically. I take less shots and the quality of the shots that I take is higher. I cannot say the same would be true if I was forced to use a crop body. I didn't (don't) gel my flash at all. Just the bare flash, bounced, with a bounce card attached. Oct 15, 2008 at 05:38 PM

TomBrooklyn Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #8 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? Hi cog, That's neat that the manual focus lenses actually have some focusing advantages over AF. It seems a lot has to do with getting the experience in with them. Oct 15, 2008 at 08:31 PM

cogitech Offline Buy and Sell: On p.1 #9 · TTL/ETTL Flash on Canon DSLR w/ Manual Focus Lenses? TomBrooklyn wrote: Hi cog, That's neat that the manual focus lenses actually have some focusing advantages over AF. It seems a lot has to do with getting the experience in with them. Yes. It is all about practice. It really pays off, though. But, as anyone will realize, there are always going to be situations when AF is really helpful (as with IS, I suppose, but I'm still undecided on IS). Oct 15, 2008 at 09:18 PM

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