I want to use my EOS10 with 2 studio flash heads with umberella type reflectors. Do I have to use a flash meter and then set the aperture and shutter speed manually, or is there a way to get TTL automatic exposure control? What is the best way to trigger the flash? I would appreciate any advice. T.Kelly

-- Terence Kelly (tc.kelly@blueyonder.co.uk), November 22, 2000

Answers

If you used Canon Speedlites instead of the two studio flash heads you could attach them to the camera with Canon's modular TTL cord system. Or you could attach one to the camera with TTL cord and trigger the other with an Ikelite Lite-Link TTL slave. That's what I do, but you have to get the umbrellas close. If you used Canon's 480EG or Sunpak's 622 with TTL modules it would be powerful enough to give you some room, but you still wouldn't have modeling lights. This isn't cheap, but it's light & sets up fast.

I think Lumedyne has 200ws and 400ws TTL battery/studio setups as well. At least that's what the B&H catalog says. They will set you back $800-1000 for a two light set, but they can come with modeling lights.

If you're going to do this you still ought to get a flash meter to really figure out what the system is doing. I often use my TTL flash system on manual and set with the meter because it's just more reliable.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), November 23, 2000.

Correct, use manual mode. Set the shutter speed to 1/125 or so and then use a flash meter to set the aperture. Or pick an aperture, say f8, and adjust the flash output to match that. If your camera doesn't have a standard PC connector, one way to trigger the strobes is via a slave, if they're set up for that. This approach worked fine with my T90.

Paul

-- Paul Ferrara (paul@columbusoft.com), November 23, 2000.