Sekonic L-358 lightmeter

[heffsarmy]

Can you meter with this lightmeter, Sekonic L-358, to be used with multiple canon 550ex's???

[scottbergerphoto]

Can you meter with this lightmeter, Sekonic L-358, to be used with multiple canon 550ex's???
If the 550EX's are in Manual Mode you can use the L358 as you would with monolights. Not in ETTL.

[heffsarmy]

Thanks Scot (Lightening Genious)

[Todd Jacobsen]

If the 550EX's are in Manual Mode you can use the L358 as you would with monolights. Not in ETTL.

My attempts, in the past, at utilizing the 358 with ETTL (+ multi flash) have failed. I believe this is due to the lightmeter triggering off of the pre-flash. Using the lightmeter w/ flashes in manual mode works.

There is a 358 capability where it will account for multiple flash fires and "add" the values. I never attempted to see if this would solve the ETTL problem. The pre-flash is probably consistent value that could be factored out, based on the cumulative value supplied by the 358.

The slight annoyance with the 358, when using the transmitter (PocketWizard device you can get with the 358 ), is it's limited capability in transmit mode. You need to set shutter speed annd the 358 will estimate f-stop. I prefer setting apeture. Easy conversion after initial reading but still annoying. You also cannot do all of the other light calculations available in non-transmitter mode (like cumulative multi-flash fires).

Scott, is there a way that one can shoot a test shot in ETTL, evaluate the histogram/exif data, and then set the flashes manually to the ETTL determined values? Or even better yet, evaluate the ETTL determined values off of my "assessed" manual flash settings.

I would love to be able to cross check what I believe is a good set of values, as well as determine what my lightmeter readings "offset" is in comparison to the camera. I understand the difference between incident (lightmeter) and reflective (camera - ETTL) light but it would be nice to get a grasp of expected variance between the two. and/or understand why there could/should/would be a variance.

[scottbergerphoto]

I don't understand why you would try to use a Flash Meter when the flashes are in ETTL. You have no control over the flash directly, only a chance to modify the camera's calculations via FEC. Changing the f stop or shutter speed does nothing because the camera using ETTL will adjust the flashes output to what it thinks is the appropriate output. If you want to use a flash meter to take control over the lighting process, use the flashes in manual.

[Todd Jacobsen]

I don't understand why you would try to use a Flash Meter when the flashes are in ETTL. You have no control over the flash directly, only a chance to modify the camera's calculations via FEC. Changing the f stop or shutter speed does nothing because the camera using ETTL will adjust the flashes output to what it thinks is the appropriate output. If you want to use a flash meter to take control over the lighting process, use the flashes in manual.

Good point.

I was "thinking" (not always a good idea...) that setting up E-TTL initially would give one a general lighting baseline to start (Ev wise). Based off of that reading (and your assessment thereof), you could try to achieve similar Ev readings in your manual setup.

But with E-TTL, the exif data doesn't provide group flash ouputs that were used (1/250th to 1/1) in order to set your flashes accordingly...too bad, since the data "was" there at fire time. You know the ratios, since you set them up but you don't know what the baseline "fire" output was that the ratios are using.

[scottbergerphoto]

Good point.

I was "thinking" (not always a good idea...) that setting up E-TTL initially would give one a general lighting baseline to start (Ev wise). Based off of that reading (and your assessment thereof), you could try to achieve similar Ev readings in your manual setup.

But with E-TTL, the exif data doesn't provide group flash ouputs that were used (1/250th to 1/1) in order to set your flashes accordingly...too bad, since the data "was" there at fire time. You know the ratios, since you set them up but you don't know what the baseline "fire" output was that the ratios are using.
You're making my head hurt!