3rd party TTL flash


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song

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I went down today to AP and talked to Steven. He showed the original flash bracket from olympus with the TTL shoe mount. He also showed me the TTL flash cable and the olympus TTL flash for CX040z series.

I just wonder why no one thought of this. If i buy the original flash bracket with TTL shoe mount and the original olympus TTL flash cable, why can't i buy a 3rd party TTL flash to use??

Please take note that the TTL flash cable connect the Camera to the bracket's shoe. So in theory, any TTL flash should be able to use since the cable does not directly connect to the flash unit.


Anyone comment on such feasibility?

The original bracket with TTL shoe mount is about $100 and the TTL flash cable is about $110. But a third party flash only cost around $350 as compared to the original olympus TTL flash which cost $600++. So the above ideal may save us some money if we want to use TTL flash.
 

correct me if I'm wrong huh, I'm not very sure but this is what I think:

TTL works in different ways for different models/brands of cameras, that's why you see dedicated third party TTL flashes having various mounts for Canon, Nikon, Minolta etc. The pin arrangements and communication works in different ways too I believe. That's why I think it is not possible to use a third-party TTL flash with the Olympus flash bracket, unless you can find a dedicated 3rd party TTL flash for Olympus cameras.
 

I think for $350 he WILL be getting a dedicated Olympus TTL third party flash.

Wah, the cost of the flash bracket and cable really terok. That's what proprietary technology is all about.
 

Originally posted by Tweek
correct me if I'm wrong huh, I'm not very sure but this is what I think:

TTL works in different ways for different models/brands of cameras, that's why you see dedicated third party TTL flashes having various mounts for Canon, Nikon, Minolta etc. The pin arrangements and communication works in different ways too I believe. That's why I think it is not possible to use a third-party TTL flash with the Olympus flash bracket, unless you can find a dedicated 3rd party TTL flash for Olympus cameras.


I thought all TTL are the same ??
If it really requires delicated TTL, then which are the 3rd party delicated for olympus??
 

Originally posted by song



I thought all TTL are the same ??
If it really requires delicated TTL, then which are the 3rd party delicated for olympus??

The basic operation of TTL is the same, but each camera/flash combination uses a different pinout on the flash/hotshoe. Some implements advanced features (e.g. Canon E-TTL, Nikon's 3D Matrix Balanced Fill Flash etc) which are not compatible with each other. Not sure if there are Olympus-dedicated 3rd party TTL flashes or not, but I don't think so.

Regards
CK
 

Originally posted by StreetShooter
I think for $350 he WILL be getting a dedicated Olympus TTL third party flash.

the problem is there isn't a third party dedicated TTL flash for the Olympus Camedia series of cameras, or at least none that I can find.

I haven't heard of anybody in the Olympus Camedia community trying this kind of setup before, the users who can't bear to buy the Olympus flash all go for third party automatic flashes (non TTL). That's also how I conclude that there should be no dedicated third party TTL flash for Camedias.

song, if you can find, please let me know, I'll be interested as well. :D
 

i know TTL stands for Though the Lens but what does it mean??

what's the difference between a normal flash and a TTL flash??
 

I think (not sure, hor?) that a TTL flash will cut off on a signal from the camera when enough light has reached the CCD or film to ensure a correct exposure. A "normal" flash will have an auto-thyristor mounted on the flash that estimates the amount of light reaching the flash (and therefore the film) and cut off the flash when enough light has done so, depending on the settings, which are based on the camera aperture and distance from the subject.

Canon's E-TTL (evaluative TTL) will fire a preflash to determine how much power the flash should output during the actual exposure (sort of "testing testing hor") approach.
 

thank streetshooter

since digital cam can have direct review of the exposure, why get a TTL one, get normal one around than S$100 only....

that's what it think.......;-)
 

Originally posted by looteer
thank streetshooter

since digital cam can have direct review of the exposure, why get a TTL one, get normal one around than S$100 only....

that's what it think.......;-)

Imagine this. You are shooting something with a non-TTL flash. Bang. The LCD shows that it's overexposed. You adjust settings, try again.... the moment would be gone by then.

Regards
CK
 

Originally posted by looteer
i know TTL stands for Though the Lens but what does it mean??

what's the difference between a normal flash and a TTL flash??

There are basically 3 types of flashes.

1. Full manual
The flash always fires at full power. You need to calculate and set the f-stop for the correct exposure. This is done by dividing the Guide No. (at the correct ISO) of the flash by the distance. Most cumbersome.

2. Auto Thyristor
Through a thyristor (sort of an electronic switch), the flash will fire. A sensor on the flash unit measures the light reflected back by the subject. When the exposure is enough, it automatically cuts the flash off.

3. TTL
Camera triggers the flash. A sensor INSIDE the camera will measure the light reflected off-the-film and cut off the flash when the exposure is sufficient. As it is measured through the lens, it's a lot more accurate than [2].

There are variants of TTL such as Canon E-TTL and Nikon's Matrix balanced fill flash mentioned above which employs a more advanced technique of calculating flash exposure, including using a matrix sensor similar to the ones used for regular exposure, etc. These are able to balance flash exposure and ambient exposure so well that when done properly, there is no hint of flash being used.

Regards
CK
 

Originally posted by StreetShooter
Erm, normal cheap flash can be had for $38.
I'm using it myself - Achiever 260T.
Prefer it to my 420EX, which I am thinking of letting go....

260T? I've gotten one and it has an extremely high trigger voltage of >200V!!! Be careful of damaging your expensive DSLR in the long run.
 

ckiang,
you are right about capturing the moment......

and thanks for enlightening us on various types of flashes.......

best regards,
;-)
 

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