Flash differences Canon/Nikon?

PindyPindy Registered Users Posts: 1,089 Major grins
edited February 7, 2009 in Accessories
I remember reading here somewhere (search didn't find it) about the way Canon and Nikon cameras treat flash exposure comp differently with regard to ambient-vs-subject. Something about them was reversed. Anybody know what I'm talking about?

EDIT: Need to search more. It was something about the way one of the cameras altered the ambient exposure inversely to the flash compensation or something like that. Eeek.

Comments

  • PindyPindy Registered Users Posts: 1,089 Major grins
    edited January 26, 2009
    Found it. I thought I read it here on the dgrin but in fact it was HERE. Very handy.

    The interesting bit:
    Exposure Compensation & TTL
    Nikon: If you set up your Nikon camera in either A or P mode and dial in -2 stops of exposure compensation to darken the background of an image you need to dial in +2 stops of flash compensation in order to correctly expose the foreground. This logic uses the assumption that if you select compensation you want it to effect all aspects of the exposure.

    Canon: If you set up your Canon camera in either Av or P mode and dial in -2 stops of exposure compensation to darken the background of an image you can leave the flash compensation alone in order to correctly expose the foreground. This logic uses the assumption that if you select compensation you want it to only effect the ambient exposure.
  • PindyPindy Registered Users Posts: 1,089 Major grins
    edited January 30, 2009
    I'm starting to think that guy's smoking crack or has his cameras set up strangely. I have an SB-800 in TTL BL mode and can move EC through the ± 5 stops and the foreground flash exposure stays the same. It acts like a Canon flash system in that the EC on the camera only changes the ambient exposure and not the flash as well as he suggests.

    Hmmmm.
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited January 30, 2009
    I can't speak for Nikon, but for Canon the statement seems correct. Changing Exposure Comp only changes the ambient exposure when shooting in Av or Tv mode. There is no such thing as Exposure Comp in Manual Mode of course.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • PindyPindy Registered Users Posts: 1,089 Major grins
    edited January 30, 2009
    Yes, and that's how I understand Canon's E-TTL. There are two TTL modes in Nikon's i-TTL lexicon, TTL and TTL BL that behave differently and possibly one of these modes does the EC thing he's talking about. So far, I can't get it to do what he's saying.
  • PindyPindy Registered Users Posts: 1,089 Major grins
    edited January 31, 2009
    It's confirmed HERE. I have lots to understand about i-TTL.
  • PindyPindy Registered Users Posts: 1,089 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2009
    http://nikonclspracticalguide.blogspot.com/

    A good resource, should anybody care.
  • dancorderdancorder Registered Users Posts: 197 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2009
    Pindy wrote:
    http://nikonclspracticalguide.blogspot.com/

    A good resource, should anybody care.

    Bookmarked, thanks thumb.gif
    dancorder.smugmug.com
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