EOS 5 and 540ez Mystery

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I'm so confused about this whole combo. I searched the EOS list archives and been through about 100 + messages...here's what I read.

EOS 5QD body and 540ez- A-TTL mode is only available in Programmed AE mode, DEP mode, the full auto "Green Zone" and all of the automatic PIC modes. In all other modes the A-TTL mode is not available and TTL exposure mode is used.

MY question: Then if this is correct, I can bounce flash in Portrait (PIC) mode and have a-ttl? If not, what would be the best combination of settings to take portraits with this body/flash. Or would it be better to bounce in AV mode with the lowest possible aperture using TTL? I'm assuming the off camera shoe 2 supports a-ttl.

Another mystery I read: Neither TTL-measuring nor spot measuring are coupled to the selected AF-sensor when the sensor is chosen by ECF! This is one of the major drawbacks of the ECF system in it's EOS 5 form. So if you want off-center subjects to be correctly exposed you have either to set the AF-sensor selection to automatic (no ECF) or select the AF-sensor you want to use manually (by pressing the "ooooo" button and turning the main dial).

MY Question: Is this true? If so then what's the purpose of having EFC in Flash mode? Seems to me that the AF focus sensor with the Multipoint metering system should work in conjunction with the a-ttl within the 540ez regardless if you are at -7, straight on, or bounce. Am I all wet?

Then there is this: The eos 5 truly neglects to switch the 540EZ's auto-focus assist light on - using the camera's instead and thereby disabling the ability the flash has, of relating auto-focus illumination to the selected focus point?

MY question: So, should I turn off the assist light on the body (CF7) to allow the use of the sensor on the flash?

Gee, by the time I turn all this on and off the subjects will have left town, the dog will need another worming and I'll have even more gray hair! BTW where'd I store that P&S? :-). There's got to be a better way. Like I said, I'm so confused. My final question is this: Should I sell the 540ez and go for the Metz 40MZ-3i & 40MZ-1i or the 380ex? Will I actually gain any intelligence? The flash I mean :-).

Joseph jmlacy@flash.net http://www.flash.net/~jmlacy/photo

-- Joseph Lacy (jmlacy@flash.net), June 13, 2000

Answers

Its basically all correct. Buying any other flash will not fix the EOS 5 deficiency; it will not trigger the AF assist lamp under any circumstances.

-- Dave (dherzstein@juno.com), June 13, 2000.

Joseph,

Get over it. It's not a perfect camera, none of them are. A-TTL is a joke, but the Off Camera Shoe Cord 2 does support it. E-TTL is better, too bad the EOS 5 can't make use of it, but it's too mysterious to figure out what it really is going to do, so sometimes you want to turn it off anyway.

The on camera AF assist light is usually sufficient, so who really needs the one in the Speedlite. (I know, it saves the battery on the camera.) The only real deficiency is the lack of biasing the exposure to the side when using ECF. That would have been nice.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), June 13, 2000.


Joseph: First, relax. You've chosen an excellent camera and flash, but right now you're perhaps getting too caught up in "analysis paralysis" thinking. I used the A2 with the 540EZ for several years, and can attest to the excellent quality and performance of each, as well as when working together. I've now had experience with the EOS Elan, A2, 1n, and even the 1V, and even with the more advanced EOS "1" series cameras I just mentioned, I find that *P mode* plus a 540EZ or 550EX flash work extremely well together in most practical situations. Place your camera in P mode, turn on your hot-shoe mounted 540EZ, and start taking pictures. I shoot slide film exclusively, and for my tastes, especially when shooting dimly lit interiors with people, I will use BOUNCE flash whenever possible, and whether using bounced or direct flash, I often prefer setting some degree of negative (about -1/2 to -1) FLASH exposure compensation (set on the flash rather than through the camera), simply because I often prefer to tone down the "lit" look that strong electronic flash can otherwise impart. As a result, my slides of people indoors are usually very nicely, "warmly" exposed, and often look as though only ambient light was used, i.e., it can be hard to detect the signature of electronic flash, which is precisely what I'm after! Start out in P mode, shoot slide film if possible, bounce the flash whenever possible, experiment with some (-) flash exposure compensation, and go from there. (In A-TTL mode, the camera chooses aperture and shutter speed for you; in TTL mode, which is operative with Av, Tv, and manual shooting modes, you have more control, but also more potential confusion, and I urge you to first learn what the camera and flash can do in P mode [A-TTL], before venturing into the initially more confusing territory of Av, Tv, or manual shooting modes with TTL rather than A-TTl flash mode. After becoming familiar with P mode and A-TTL flash, try selecting the A2's custom fxn that clamps its synch speed at 1/200, regardless of the aperture, and then shoot some more flash photos. You'll likely notice indoor photos that may have a well exposed foreground subject, but a very dark background. Why?

-- kurt heintzelman (heintzelman.1@osu.edu), June 15, 2000.

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