nikon vs canon flash system

[woodmen]

I keep reading that Nikon flash system is light years ahead of canon.... Why?

[J Rabin]

You're not trolling, right? Not light years ahead, just different. Nikon includes color in metering. Canon includes other things.
When cameras are operated in full Auto TTL, Nikon flash algorithms and metering arguably results in more consistent flash metering exposures than Canon. Canon flash algorithm behavior is a bit more arcane to understand.

Experienced users with either system at the same event will get equal results if they know what they are doing with each system.
Until the 580EX II, Canon did not provide Auto Flash option.
Better Nikon bodies have a wireless commander built in.

If repeatable, consistent, easy full auto TTL flash metering exposures are the most important criteria for your camera choice, Nikon will make your life easier than Canon.

Canon provides extraordinary natural successful fill flash metering results once a Canon user takes camera off of P or Auto, learns a flash photo is two separate exposures, and masters using EC-FEC-FEL combined on the fly. You just have work a bit harder.

There are so many reasons to chose one system over another. Make your choice by what feature set is important to YOU. On balance, I like Canon for many other innovative reasons.

Jack

[bsaber]

^what he said. It would be awesome if Canon put built-in commanders into their bodies.

[woodmen]

Yep, that's why I bought the st-e2 :). Thanks J Rabin, I never really had any problem with my good old 580ex as I shoot in manual mode on the camera and ettl with the flash. Your explanation was really instructive!

[René Damkot]

You just have work a bit harder.

And even then, you still get unexpected results sometimes...

I *really* fail to understand why Canon still hasn't managed to get flash exposure as predictable as their old TTL system on film SLRs...

(Haven't used the 580Mk2 yet, which supposedly does better then my 580EX)

[tim]

Hey, who let René out of the RAW forum? Oh, I see, someone mentioned color ;)

[silvex]

Hey, who let René out of the RAW forum? Oh, I see, someone mentioned color ;)

:shock: :lol: :lol:

[RichNY]

The Nikon flash system was one of the compelling reasons for me to primarily shoot Nikon.

Somehow I got smarter when I started using the SB-800; I was never able to master shooting with my 580EX despite watching videos and reading POTN posts, the flash bible, etc. With my SB-800 I am able to shoot much more reliably than in the past.

There is a second TTL mode that gives you the ability to balance flash and fill. There is an Auto mode that doesn't use the camera's metering but determines the flash output just using the flash. Multiple flashes are EXTREMELY simple to set up.

I've seen great shots with the Canon flash system and I know there are people getting consistent great results using it. I was never one of them.

[René Damkot]

Hey, who let René out of the RAW forum? Oh, I see, someone mentioned color ;)

:mrgreen:

[dithiolium]

I get inconsistency with my 430EX and TTL mode on a 40D. 20% of the time it under-flash a dark scene even when I use up to FEC +2/3. What I like abt Canon is that the TTL tries to get a more even and natural look, but risk underexposure. I usually get better results with 2nd curtain. I shoot Av and Manual modes only.

My Nikon counterparts get bright and compelling flash shots in iTTL, but 50% tend to be over-flashed and unnatural. Some customers like that look though.

Think I will try manual flash for now. Will a 580EX2 be better for auto flash?
I've used Canon for a while, yet cannot master the flash system....

[PacAce]

Both Canon and Nikon flash systems have their good points and the their bad points. It's just a matter of learning what they are and learning to work or cope with them. For example, the Nikon has the iTTL-BL mode which is supposed to do a good job of balancing the fill flash with the ambient light and, based on some tests that I've done, it does. But you know what? When I set the Canon flash to ETTL mode, I get the same balanced fill lighting. When the Nikon flash is set to iTTL mode (without BL), the flash exposes as if the flash were the main light and can (and did in my testing) overexpose the foreground subject in the same situation.

When using the flash indoors in very low ambient lighting, the Nikon flash in iTTL mode (without BL) exposes the shot very well. In iTTL-BL mode, the shots at times were overexposed. This is the reverse of what I saw when the flash was used as fill. WIth the Canon flash, set to ETTL mode, the exposure was like that of the Nikon set to iTTL mode.

So, from what I've seen so far, the Canon flash automatically handles the flash exposures with one ETTL mode what the Nikon flash needs two modes to accomplish, the iTTL mode and the iTTL-BL mode. Of course, these observations are based on what I think a flash picture should look like, i.e. natural looking and the less evidence of a flash the better. Other people will have different tastes and hence, different requirements.

When it comes to flash exposure consistencies in ETTL mode, the Nikon iTTL is no better (or worse) than the Canon. I've seen Nikon iTTL exposures vary from shot to shot of the same scene just as I have with the Canon ETTL when shooting handheld. (From what I've experienced, flash exposures don't seem to very as much when the camera is on a tripod.)

What I really like about the Nikon flash system is the ability to control remote flashes via the built-in flash. Most Canon users, including myself, don't really find the built-in flash very useful on their Canons. However, I can't say the same about the Nikon built-in flash on models which allows it to be used in Commander (master) mode. On these Nikon cameras the built-in flash is a joy to work with. It sure beats having a heavy 580EX mounted on the hotshoe, especially for close-up or macro work. :)

Lots of 580EX II owners have already complained about the severely underexposing Auto (thyristor) mode that's incorporated into the 580EX II. I'm still looking for a chance to drive it down to Canon to see if they can adjust mine so it doesn't underexpose so much. I find that the other flashes, like the Metz 58 AF-1 and the Nikon SB-900, tends to overexpose a tad but I'll take that over the severe underexposure of the 580EX II. :|

Overall, I like the Nikon flash system better than Canon's because of the flexibility, feature and cost advantages it offers. But for the shooter who always uses the flash in automatic mode (spelled ETTL or iTTL) and mounted on the hotshoe, Canon's flash system will do as good a job as Nikon's will, and vice versa. :D

[Colorblinded]

Having used both I've never found a significant difference in ease of use or end result. I would agree that Nikon has done a better job of integrating good features in to the flash and bodies, but if it's just sitting on my camera as an auto-flash I've noticed no difference. Even operating mostly manually, not much difference in my experience, except for the fact that I think my 550EX is a bit obtuse to operate.

[woodmen]

Too bad we can't use a Nikon flash on a canon body or even better, use my st-e2 and control a nikon flash wirelessly :)

[m3rdpwr]

What I really like about the Nikon flash system is the ability to control remote flashes via the built-in flash. Most Canon users, including myself, don't really find the built-in flash very useful on their Canons. However, I can't say the same about the Nikon built-in flash on models which allows it to be used in Commander (master) mode. On these Nikon cameras the built-in flash is a joy to work with. It sure beats having a heavy 580EX mounted on the hotshoe, especially for close-up or macro work. :)

This is my complaint.

You pay good money for a Canon camera, they put a built-in flash that's close to useless and they can't/won't make it a commander...

-Mario

[dithiolium]

I believe we can mount an SB-600/800 on a Canon hotshoe, just that ETTL/iTTL does not work.

So would it be better to use speedlights in manual? that way we can control the light in any situation.

I'm tempted to just get 2 x surefire LED lights picatinny mounted next to my lens in place of using the speedlight. I think the subjects will get really blinded though.

[Rudeofus]

What I really like about the Nikon flash system is the ability to control remote flashes via the built-in flash. Most Canon users, including myself, don't really find the built-in flash very useful on their Canons. However, I can't say the same about the Nikon built-in flash on models which allows it to be used in Commander (master) mode. On these Nikon cameras the built-in flash is a joy to work with. It sure beats having a heavy 580EX mounted on the hotshoe, especially for close-up or macro work. :)

Nikon patented a lot of flash related stuff in the late 90ies and got licenses for a lot more, a notable example being the ability to control remote flashes directly from the camera. No Canon gets hammered about this a lot but there's not much they can do about it except wait for the patent to expire. Looks like Canon ignored flash while focussing on sensor chips in the mean time ;)