p.1 #1 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
I can't find information on using a TTL flash on a Sony A7RII with a manual lens. Maybe it isn't possible to use it in TTL mode but I thought someone with more experience can give me some information or at least direct me to a place to find the information. I am using a Good TT350 flash.
Thanks.
p.1 #2 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
spinosaurus wrote:
I can't find information on using a TTL flash on a Sony A7RII with a manual lens. Maybe it isn't possible to use it in TTL mode but I thought someone with more experience can give me some information or at least direct me to a place to find the information. I am using a Good TT350 flash.
Thanks.
The flash output is controlled by the aperture used in TTL flash mode. What is your understanding of a manual lens? The aperture has to be set manually or it is a manual focus lens? It doesn’t matter much, if any, you select the aperture on the lens and use the aperture priority mode on the camera and you are set. Maybe I am missing something here...
p.1 #3 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
You are basically correct of course, but for some of my manual lenses, when I use TTL flash mode and set the aperture to match the camera setting in A mode, the shutter exposure is long and of course you get a long exposure with a flash at the end of the exposure. It seems to work reasonably well in M mode, TTL flash, and setting the matching aperture but manually setting a SS like 1/100 or 1/200 etc. You actually put your finger on the exact problem I am having that on A and P mode, the shutter speed is too slow to not get basically a fill flash type of exposure, i.e. the camera doesn't seem to detect you are using a flash. I'm clearly missing something but don't know what.
p.1 #4 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
I don't have an A7RII, but most cameras have a maximum flash sync speed. On most of the cameras I've had in the past, it's ~1/200ish. Your Sony made be different. Put it in manual mode, select the shutter speed (i.e. 1/200th) and then set your aperture. If your flash is in TTL mode, it should compensate to provide the appropriate exposure, up to it's limits. Adjust aperture as needed to bring the flash back to within it's limitations.....
If your lens can't communicate with the camera, then I would recommend a light meter....
p.1 #5 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
spinosaurus wrote:
You are basically correct of course, but for some of my manual lenses, when I use TTL flash mode and set the aperture to match the camera setting in A mode, the shutter exposure is long and of course you get a long exposure with a flash at the end of the exposure. It seems to work reasonably well in M mode, TTL flash, and setting the matching aperture but manually setting a SS like 1/100 or 1/200 etc. You actually put your finger on the exact problem I am having that on A and P mode, the shutter speed is too slow to not get basically a fill flash type of exposure, i.e. the camera doesn't seem to detect you are using a flash. I'm clearly missing something but don't know what....Show more →
I'm not sure I understand you. Camera shutter speed controls how much ambient light you let in, not the flash. Aperture determines flash fill. By saying that the camera doesn't seem to detect a flash being used, you meant your flash didn't get triggered or it got triggered but you see no effect.
p.1 #6 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
hiepphotog wrote:
I'm not sure I understand you. Camera shutter speed controls how much ambient light you let in, not the flash. Aperture determines flash fill. By saying that the camera doesn't seem to detect a flash being used, you meant your flash didn't get triggered or it got triggered but you see no effect.
What I mean is that in A mode, aperture priority mode, you can set the aperture to the same as you set on the manual lens, but the camera chooses a shutter speed that doesn't reflect you are using a flash. Thus, in a dark situation when you want to use the flash, the shutter speed will be very long (many seconds) as it is metering ambient light rather than a reasonable sync shutter speed to allow the flash to expose properly and the flash does go off at the end of the shutter speed and thus you get blurred overexposed pictures. I guess maybe this camera must be used in M mode for a TTL flash to be used with a manual lens. The flash of course works fine with FE lenses but I have a plethora of classic lenses I like to use that of course are all manual and on adapters.
p.1 #7 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
spinosaurus wrote:
What I mean is that in A mode, aperture priority mode, you can set the aperture to the same as you set on the manual lens, but the camera chooses a shutter speed that doesn't reflect you are using a flash. Thus, in a dark situation when you want to use the flash, the shutter speed will be very long (many seconds) as it is metering ambient light rather than a reasonable sync shutter speed to allow the flash to expose properly and the flash does go off at the end of the shutter speed and thus you get blurred overexposed pictures. I guess maybe this camera must be used in M mode for a TTL flash to be used with a manual lens. The flash of course works fine with FE lenses but I have a plethora of classic lenses I like to use that of course are all manual and on adapters. ...Show more →
It works fine on my A9 for manual vintage lenses. Have you checked it again with other lenses? How do you set the aperture to match camera setting in A mode? I find this also peculiar. On mine, I just set the aperture on the lens in A mode, with the flash on, and shoot away. I don't have to set anything else for TTL.
p.1 #8 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
I thought ttl was used when camera was set in manual mode. Set the shutter speed and apeture and the ttl will figure out flash power.
Even with a native lens, I don't know how one would use apeture priority unless your flash supported high speed sync as it's not difficult to go past a traditional sync speed of 1/200 in apeture priority mode.
I'm not aware that one can limit shutter speed ranges in apeture priority mode. Additionally, I don't know what the point of using flash is of using apeture priority mode as typically one meters and uses settings to have the ambient look a certain way and then adjust their flash and apeture to get desired exposure of the subject.
p.1 #9 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
hiepphotog wrote:
It works fine on my A9 for manual vintage lenses. Have you checked it again with other lenses? How do you set the aperture to match camera setting in A mode? I find this also peculiar. On mine, I just set the aperture on the lens in A mode, with the flash on, and shoot away. I don't have to set anything else for TTL.
That's exactly what I was thinking as I am sure that's what I did with the A7 I previously used but this camera chooses a shutter speed for the ambient light in A mode and then of course the flash is redundant so I thought I was missing something in the camera settings that someone could point me to. As the other response says, yes it works reasonably well in M mode by just matching the aperture and choosing your own sync shutter speed. I am just used to shooting mainly in A mode and was wondering why I can't do that with the flash, which I don't use that often anyway.
p.1 #10 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
Sayn3ver wrote:
I thought ttl was used when camera was set in manual mode. Set the shutter speed and apeture and the ttl will figure out flash power.
Even with a native lens, I don't know how one would use apeture priority unless your flash supported high speed sync as it's not difficult to go past a traditional sync speed of 1/200 in apeture priority mode.
I'm not aware that one can limit shutter speed ranges in apeture priority mode. Additionally, I don't know what the point of using flash is of using apeture priority mode as typically one meters and uses settings to have the ambient look a certain way and then adjust their flash and apeture to get desired exposure of the subject.
In A mode, if the shutter speed goes above the flash sync while you're not on HSS mode, the shutter speed will max out at 1/250s and blink. The picture will come out over-exposed. Remember HSS only works with direct flash (at least for my Sony flash heads) and not in bounce mode (always stay below flash sync speed).
p.1 #11 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
spinosaurus wrote:
That's exactly what I was thinking as I am sure that's what I did with the A7 I previously used but this camera chooses a shutter speed for the ambient light in A mode and then of course the flash is redundant so I thought I was missing something in the camera settings that someone could point me to. As the other response says, yes it works reasonably well in M mode by just matching the aperture and choosing your own sync shutter speed. I am just used to shooting mainly in A mode and was wondering why I can't do that with the flash, which I don't use that often anyway....Show more →
Have you checked that your flash is set to fill instead of rear/slow sync?
p.1 #12 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
hiepphotog wrote:
Have you checked that your flash is set to fill instead of rear/slow sync?
Yes, I've tried both rear sync and slow sync, no change. Maybe the A7RII can't be used in A mode for TTL flash but if the A9 works fine in A mode it seems something is not correct. It's no major problem as obviously I can use M mode, but was wondering why I couldn't use A mode as I had previously with the A7.
p.1 #13 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
spinosaurus wrote:
Yes, I've tried both rear sync and slow sync, no change. Maybe the A7RII can't be used in A mode for TTL flash but if the A9 works fine in A mode it seems something is not correct. It's no major problem as obviously I can use M mode, but was wondering why I couldn't use A mode as I had previously with the A7.
I meant you have to set it to Fill Flash to avoid the slow shutter speed. Both slow and rear sync are for dragging the shutter.
p.1 #14 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
??
On any camera I have used (Fuji X, Canon 1D and 5 Series, and now the Alpha Sonys) when in A mode the shutter will be automatically set for ambient light for the aperture selected. If I want a higher shutter speed, then I switch to M, set the shutter and aperture, and let the flash TTL figure the exposure.
Is it possible that on your older Sony, when a flash is detected in the shoe, the camera shutter defaults to a certain speed for flash use, no matter what aperture is selected?
p.1 #15 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
PhotoTeacher wrote:
??
On any camera I have used (Fuji X, Canon 1D and 5 Series, and now the Alpha Sonys) when in A mode the shutter will be automatically set for ambient light for the aperture selected. If I want a higher shutter speed, then I switch to M, set the shutter and aperture, and let the flash TTL figure the exposure.
Is it possible that on your older Sony, when a flash is detected in the shoe, the camera shutter defaults to a certain speed for flash use, no matter what aperture is selected?
Not with Fill Flash Mode on my A9.... Shutter speed will be set at 1/60s min. in A mode and the camera will use the flash to expose the scene as properly as possible. In Slow Sync mode, it will allow the shutter to dip accordingly you chose then use the flash to fill the foreground.
p.1 #16 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
spinosaurus wrote:
What I mean is that in A mode, aperture priority mode, you can set the aperture to the same as you set on the manual lens
This is confusing... the ONLY place you can set the aperture is on the lens, so what do you mean when you say "you can set the aperture to the same as you set on the manual lens"
p.1 #17 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
molson wrote:
This is confusing... the ONLY place you can set the aperture is on the lens, so what do you mean when you say "you can set the aperture to the same as you set on the manual lens"
Sorry about that, you are absolutely correct, you obviously can't set the aperture on the camera in A mode because the aperture can't be changed on the camera with a manual only lens. I was just testing the camera with the Techart Contax G adapter and of course that is in theory automated, but I always have to focus it manually, nevertheless, when I set the aperture in the camera to match the one I set on the Contax G lens, in A mode, the shutter always goes to ambient speed with the flash set to TTL. It does the same with all manual lenses.
p.1 #19 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
I guess the conclusion of this whole thing is that you can't use the A mode for TTL flash using manual lenses on an A7RII. This may be because you cannot set an aperture in the camera or perhaps that this particular flash, Godox TT350, does not set the shutter speed at 1/60 when it is on and in TTL mode and the camera is in A mode. Apparently the A9 can be used in A mode.
Thank you for everyones input.
p.1 #20 · How to use A7RII with flash and Manual lens
This is unfortunately ridiculous perhaps on my part. I finally figured it out but am wondering if this is the way it is or if my Sony A7RII is malfunctioning. When the mode is on anything except AUTO, the camera says you can't select Auto flash mode for this mode setting. When I put it into Auto flash in AUTO mode however, it seems to stay there no matter what mode I pick and the TTL works great with any lens including manual lenses in A mode as well as M, P and S.
Can anyone tell me if it is the case then that you can't put flash in Auto flash mode when the Mode setting is on M, A, S, or P or if maybe my A7RII is malfunctioning?
Thank you.
