Hi,

I about to use my 550EX gun off camera with the aid of the remote transmitter (STE2 i think)..my question is:

does it matter how far the camera is from the subject?..and will the ETTL metering work accurately if I bounce the flash into an umbrella .

Thanks

Simon

-- Simon Arnold (sarnold@tech-res.co.uk), May 02, 2002

Answers

does it matter how far the camera is from the subject?

Yes and no. Remember that wireless E-TTL signalling is optical, and has a limited range. The slave must be within the range of the master and pointed so that it can see the master (or see a reflection of the master, but just as bouncing a flash reduces its range, so does bouncing the optical signalling). As long as your slave is within range, you're OK.

..and will the ETTL metering work accurately if I bounce the flash into an umbrella

It should be fine. E-TTL metering is done using a preflash. The flash unit emits the preflash at a known intensity; the camera body measures how much light reflects back from the subject. If you do something that (for example) cuts the flash intensity by one stop, it will also cut the preflash intensity by one stop, meaning that E-TTL will know it needs a higher flash output. It doesn't know why it needs that intensity - it doesn't know whether the subject is far away or whether you're bouncing the light or what you're doing; it just knows how much light to tell the flash to emit in order to get a "correct" exposure.

-- Steve Dunn (steved@ussinc.com), May 02, 2002.

hello i would recommend not to use that combination. i did for a couple of time and iīm going to buy a radio transmitter. move your camera for 2 inches and the flash doesnīt fire (with wide angle lens and flash on the far right or left). you always need someone who tells you. no 1 fired, same with flash no 2.. annoying + you canīt put the flash behind you. also my ettl metering was more than 2 stops wrong (too dark). invest the money in radio transmitters+ recievers and a light meter.

oliver

-- oliver (moengi@zip6020.com), May 06, 2002.