How to control Flash power w/ minitt1/flex

I cant figure out how to change the flash power with my 580ex 2 off camera and connected to the flex and the minitt1 on my 50d. Help please!

I believe you need an AC3.

If its just the one light, FEC will do the same thing that an AC3 could do. i.e. run the power up or down two stops. However, since its ETTL you are adjusting the exposure based on what the camera TTL meter thinks is proper exposure.

Better solution is AC3.

The AC3 is awesome, but you don't need it to control just one flash.

If you're using ControlTL, the camera thinks the flash is mounted on the hotshoe, so all you need to do is adjust your FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation).

On the 50D, it shares the same button as your ISO on the top of the camera. Hold it down and spin the big dial on the back to adjust the power up or down.

thats what Ive been doing, but the power isnt changing. Do I need to set contolTl in the utilitly?

If you haven't tweaked your settings in the PW Utility and everything is set to default settings, check these and test it again.

- Ensure the flash is set to eTTL, not manual
- Ensure both the TT1 and TT5 are both on C1

Also, make sure you fire at least one, preferably two test shots to allow it all to sync together. Don't judge the exposure from the first or second shot, as it will likely be off.

one thing that skipped me when i first got these things is FEC control won't work if you're in manual shooting mode. you have to be in one of the auto modes (AV, TV, etc.). that said, AC3 is highly, highly recommended. even with one flash, you can put it in manual mode remotely, without touching the flash, and use the dials to set output.

(It's been a long rough day, so I may be wrong, but...) I'm sure FEC still works in manual exposure mode. I shoot in manual most of the time, with the flash on TTL. When it's on TTL, you can ride that FEC up or down all night.

Alright, I can not figure it out. I reset everything to factory settings. The FEC will not change my flash power

sergio, you're right. i'm the one smoking crack. the ac3 lives on my tt1... FEC is disabled with the ac3, not a bare tt1, and the camera in manual, which makes sense. i only ran into this recently when trying to take an einstein below 1/64, and gave it a shot with FEC... no dice.

Chris - try one more thing:

1. Power OFF everything: camera, flash, mini and flex.
2. Turn on the flash, wait for it to power up, and then turn on the Flex.
3. Turn on the camera, then turn on the Mini.

I used to have issues too, until I read somewhere that the units need to be turned on in this specific order. I do this now, and have never had a problem since. Give it a shot.

mizer357 wrote in post #12274435
sergio, you're right. i'm the one smoking crack. the ac3 lives on my tt1... FEC is disabled with the ac3, not a bare tt1, and the camera in manual, which makes sense. i only ran into this recently when trying to take an einstein below 1/64, and gave it a shot with FEC... no dice.

No worries bro. The AC3 lives on my MiniTT1 too. It's really the best tool for these radios and I'd recommend it, even if you only have one flash.

with only one flash does it matter if you set the flex on a,b or c?

Chrisnuge13 wrote in post #12274496
with only one flash does it matter if you set the flex on a,b or c?

Nope, it doesn't matter.

thanks for all the help, after a day of working on it, i dont know what I did, but it just started working