Canon 20d owner needs help

I have a new 20d which will be here tommorrow, and I have a Sunpak 522 flash
unit with a slave sensor. Would I be better advised to purchase a speedlite
flash? I have excellent studio lighting, just want something for low light
outdoors besides the onboard flash. Thanks, Bill

"Bill and Lisa" writes:
I have a new 20d which will be here tommorrow, and I have a Sunpak 522 flash
unit with a slave sensor. Would I be better advised to purchase a speedlite
flash? I have excellent studio lighting, just want something for low light
outdoors besides the onboard flash. Thanks, Bill

If you look at some of the 300D and 350XT Rebel threads about flash
right now, you may find out that you may actually be better off with a
Sunpak than a speedlite, so don't run and spend that money just yet.

ETTL-II according to some is quite broken.

I can verify that ETTL on the 300D is pretty screwed up and I'm
currently looking for alternatives to the 550EX I own in search of
proper flash exposures I don't have to rack my brain about.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Todd H. wrote:
"Bill and Lisa" writes:
I have a new 20d which will be here tommorrow, and I have a Sunpak
522 flash
unit with a slave sensor. Would I be better advised to purchase a
speedlite
flash? I have excellent studio lighting, just want something for
low light
outdoors besides the onboard flash.

If you don't want E-TTL, then there are non-TTL automatic flash. For
fill flash, f/2 at ISO 100 might be too strong. Metz 54 MZ can do f/1
at ISO 100 with -3 stop flash exposure compensation, which might work.
F/1 at ISO 400 with compensation would be better.

If you look at some of the 300D and 350XT Rebel threads about flash
right now, you may find out that you may actually be better off with
a
Sunpak than a speedlite, so don't run and spend that money just yet.


ETTL-II according to some is quite broken.

I can verify that ETTL on the 300D is pretty screwed up and I'm
currently looking for alternatives to the 550EX I own in search of
proper flash exposures I don't have to rack my brain about.

You can try non-TTL automatic flash.

http://digitcamera.tripod.com/#flash

wrote in message
oups.com...
Todd H. wrote:
"Bill and Lisa" writes:

If you don't want E-TTL, then there are non-TTL automatic flash. For
fill flash, f/2 at ISO 100 might be too strong. Metz 54 MZ can do f/1
at ISO 100 with -3 stop flash exposure compensation, which might work.
F/1 at ISO 400 with compensation would be better.

The Metz 54 MZ-4 is a TTL flash, available in a dedicated Canon shoe.
According the B&H's website, it is,"especially designed to support TTL
operation with Canon Digital cameras."


If you look at some of the 300D and 350XT Rebel threads about flash
right now, you may find out that you may actually be better off with
a
Sunpak than a speedlite, so don't run and spend that money just yet.


ETTL-II according to some is quite broken.


I've had bad results with my 20D and Canon's own flashes, and some good
ones, but I've had consistently good results with Quantum's T4D, which is
pricey, to say the least. But I've heard good things from people who use
other mfr's flashes, including Metz, Sunpak and Vivitar.
--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

Skip M wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
If you don't want E-TTL, then there are non-TTL automatic flash.
For
fill flash, f/2 at ISO 100 might be too strong. Metz 54 MZ can do
f/1
at ISO 100 with -3 stop flash exposure compensation, which might
work.
F/1 at ISO 400 with compensation would be better.

The Metz 54 MZ-4 is a TTL flash, available in a dedicated Canon shoe.

According the B&H's website, it is,"especially designed to support
TTL
operation with Canon Digital cameras."

It can do both non-TTL auto and E-TTL. It may be the only one that
supports both.

http://digitcamera.tripod.com/#flash

wrote in message
oups.com...
Skip M wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
If you don't want E-TTL, then there are non-TTL automatic flash.
For
fill flash, f/2 at ISO 100 might be too strong. Metz 54 MZ can do
f/1
at ISO 100 with -3 stop flash exposure compensation, which might
work.
F/1 at ISO 400 with compensation would be better.

The Metz 54 MZ-4 is a TTL flash, available in a dedicated Canon shoe.

According the B&H's website, it is,"especially designed to support
TTL
operation with Canon Digital cameras."

It can do both non-TTL auto and E-TTL. It may be the only one that
supports both.

http://digitcamera.tripod.com/#flash


True. The way I read your post, it sounded like you were saying the Metz
was a non-TTL flash.
Actually, the Canon 550 and 580EX flashes will work as full manual flashes,
thus qualifying as non-TTL support, too, I think.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

Skip M wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Skip M wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
If you don't want E-TTL, then there are non-TTL automatic flash.
For fill flash, f/2 at ISO 100 might be too strong. Metz 54 MZ can do
f/1 at ISO 100 with -3 stop flash exposure compensation, which might
work. F/1 at ISO 400 with compensation would be better.

The Metz 54 MZ-4 is a TTL flash, available in a dedicated Canon
shoe.

According the B&H's website, it is,"especially designed to support
TTL operation with Canon Digital cameras."

It can do both non-TTL auto and E-TTL. It may be the only one that
supports both.

True. The way I read your post, it sounded like you were saying the
Metz
was a non-TTL flash.

Because of the design problem of the preflash of E-TTL, and the
implementation problem of the metering accuracy of E-TTL, non-TTL auto
flash works better than E-TTL.

Actually, the Canon 550 and 580EX flashes will work as full manual
flashes,
thus qualifying as non-TTL support, too, I think.

Munual flash is much more difficult to use than non-TTL automatic
flash.

The way Metz 54 MZ works in non-TTL auto mode, it is fully automatic.
The flash gets the imager sensitivity and lens aperture from the
camera, and set those into the flash automatically. The difference
between non-TTL auto and TTL is who meters the flash exposure, the
flash, or the camera (TTL).

http://digitcamera.tripod.com/#flash