580EX II - I am sure a dumb question

[Michael_Lambert]

I have had the 580EXII for some time now and being really bad at reading manuals i just opened the box and went with it. And personally liked my results but found alot of the time i had either over or under exposed shots so i never really used the TTL mode on the camera and set it to manual and found the power level i liked for where i was and went with it.

While browsing the interent i found this website (http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=946)and relised that the flash can be setup to meter instead of the camera. Well i set it and ran around the house shooting crap in all different lightning and was really impressed.

Am i the only moron who buys his toys with out really knowing what they do or how to work it!

So my next question here is does anyone prefer using the flash meter over the camera meter?

[Curtis N]

Am i the only moron who buys his toys with out really knowing what they do or how to work it!No. Sometimes you need hands on experience which you can't get until you own it.does anyone prefer using the flash meter over the camera meter?No doubt it has advantages in some situations, which is why Canon included that capability on that unit.

Learning more about how E-TTL works will help you determine the best metering mode for a given situation. The EOS Flash Bible is a good place to start.

[Michael_Lambert]

I guess my big issue here is that i have jumped both feet in and really did not take the time to learn all there is before moving forward - and i am sure i am not the only one.

[jra]

I knew the flash had that option but I really haven't tried it yet myself...I'll have to give it a shot. Anyone here know how well it works in bright outdoor fill flash applications?

[Curtis N]

Anyone here know how well it works in bright outdoor fill flash applications?I have not used the 580EX II specifically in that environment, but experience with other traditional automatic units leads me to believe that outdoor use can be problematic for that kind of flash metering.

Traditional automatic flash uses a single light measurement from the entire scene. The sensor's angle of view does not change, regardless of the lens used. So the "scene" that it meters could be a small part of the center of your field of view, or an area much larger than your field of view, depending on your chosen focal length.

Also keep in mind that a distant background won't reflect significant light from the flash. So if your subject occupies only a portion of the flash unit's sensing area, it will reflect proportionally less light and the result will be overexposure.

Conversely, that distant background makes it easier for E-TTL flash to properly identify your subject and meter accordingly. For all of its shortcomings, outdoor use is where E-TTL usually works well.

[CanonXTuser]

Am i the only moron who buys his toys with out really knowing what they do or how to work it!




RFLOL! No. you're a hero for admitting it.

Like myself, you sound like you could care less about all the details, you just want the end results and to just know the "ballpark features" you need to get the results you want and not be an encylopedic reference on every possible feature and adjustment.

[Titus213]

....

Am i the only moron who buys his toys with out really knowing what they do or how to work it!

So my next question here is does anyone prefer using the flash meter over the camera meter?

If you were the only 'moron' to do this the forums would be a very quiet place most of the time....:lol:

[romeo26]

man...i must be the biggest moron out there...i got an xti b4 i knew how to use it! all i knew is that it takes pictures (^_^) well now i know better!