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Compatibility of Canon flash with Nikon

Thanks for your help.

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May 09, 2006

Flash automation comes in flavors. The most advanced type of flash exposure automation is TTL - through the lens - which means that the flash electronically communicates with the camera body, and relies on the light meters in the camera to tell it when to quench (or turn off). While it sounds amazing, the fact is that all of this happens in a tiny fraction of a second - at close range and wide apertures, where the flash doesn't need to put out a lot of light, the actual flash tube may emit light for only 1/30,000th of a second.

The next level of automation utilizes a light sensor inside the flash unit itself. Basically, you set that sensor to, say, f4, and then also set your lens to f4. Now that the flash "knows" that the lens is set to f4, it will put out the proper light amount when you take the shot. The only electronic communication between the camera and the flash is the synch trigger - the signal that tells the flash at exactly what microsecond to fire.

So, knowing that, the Canon flash on the Nikon body can be set to the second automatic mode, where the sensor system inside the flash unit itself will control the light output. The hot shoe connection should make the Canon flash fire at the right instant, but it's up to you to set the flash and the lens to the same aperture.

Does that make sense to you?

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May 09, 2006

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May 10, 2006

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May 10, 2006

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May 10, 2006