 Kimberly Beatty |
Canon Digital Rebel and Flash Unit
Thanks!
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Jon Close |
There's virtually no info on the QDA-CAF module at ritzcamera.com. Are you sure it's E-TTL? I suspect it isn't, in which case you should exchange it for the manual focus module, or exchange the QTB-9500 & module for a Canon EX-series speedlight (420EX, 550EX, 220EX), or other that supports E-TTL (such as Sigma EF 500 DG). Digital SLRs are not compatible with traditional off-the-film TTL flash control. The E-TTL system uses a low-power preflash before the shutter opens that is read by the evaluative meter to set flash exposure, then the flash fires again when the shutter is open.
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Wayne l |
Kim and Jon C, Kim, we have discussed this in the image section.
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Andy |
Could it be the battery that you used? I have been using Energizer or Duracell all the time except that one time, my friend's wedding, that I switched to use the Rayovac Maximum for my Canon 550EX. As soon as I took one roll of film, I have noticed that the recycling time took so long and I have to replaced them after each roll of film taken (usually with the other brands I don't have to change batteries until 4 or 5 rolls or film; but I changed them anyway after 3 rolls during wedding shot). Results, all the photos were 1 or 2 stops underexposed. My friend was disappointed and I have to apologize, etc. But I did not know why because it had never happened to me before. Until the next time I took picture for another friend's birthday party. This time I used another camera with Canon 200E. Although the flash confirm light was on, it did not fire when I took the pictures. Tried a few times and it didn't work. As soon as I replaced all the batteries with the usual brands, the flash worked fine and the photos came out good. Same as my 550EX. I don't know if this happen to other photographers before.
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Kimberly Beatty |
I thought of that...I used the batteries that are made for electronics and cameras - I believe they were duracell or energizer (one of the two). I just don't know how to explain to the couple what happened. It was definitely unexpected, but doesn't make it right!
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Rhonda L. Tolar |
I don't know anything about the digital side of your problem, I am still hanging on to my film camera. But, I do know that the only batteries that have served me well, time and time again, have been Duracell. Anytime I have tried to use another brand, my prints are disappointing. And even with the Duracell, I put in fresh batteries for every shoot, no matter how long the used ones have been in the flash. I would, just to test the battery factor, get each brand, set up a shot similar to the bride and groom, and test each brand. You might end up suprised at the difference each brand makes.
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Wayne l |
I used only the center focus point. I have never posted pics here so they may not come out so you can see them but it did make If you can see the yellow dots on them (that's the focus points) first 2- #1 & #2 on the dress (dark part) the next 2- #3 & #4 was on the forehead and the last 2- #5 & #6 on the dark part of the seat. As you can see this thing is very temperamental. Settings were ISO 200, AE or P, 1/60, 5.6, Eval. metering, Built in flash, apox.5 ft to subject and my battery was at least 50% gone but I was using the Cam. built in flash. Also the largest jpg file I found that the focus point has to be on the darkest part of the area you want, because it is easier to darken it later than it is to lighten it.
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Kimberly Beatty |
Wayne, I didn't happen to see those photos you said you posted, but I'd be interested in taking a look at them. I am just sick to death thinking of what to tell this couple! "I'm sorry, my camera is so temperamental and it picks and chooses when it wants to work..." Yeah, that will go over well!
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Wayne l |
I clicked the select button and only tried 3 to see what they looked like, filled out the rest and never saw where they went. LOL I guess I did something wrong.
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Wayne l |
Well there they are!!! That time it worked. Do you have a direct email address?
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Kimberly Beatty |
Yes, info@kimberlybeatty.com is my email address...thanks!
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Jerry W. Gross |
I get the same thing with my camera. They look fine on the LCD screen, but flash shots are dark when uploaded. Some programs are even worse than photpshop it seems Jerry
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Sheryl L. Bowman |
I had a similar problem at a party w/550EX, Canon 10D and Quantum 1+ battery. Consistently underexposed, even with 1 or 2+ flash compensation, fill flash option turned off in camera. Only way I got good shots was with the flash in manual, but that was hard to guess quickly sometimes and I'd miss the moment.
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Joe Darlington |
The problem has nothing to do with the batteries. The Digital Rebel has firmware compatibility problems with the 380EX and 550EX flashes, and possibly others. THE PROBLEM WILL DISAPEAR if you use a Canon-manufactured compact flash card . . . however we should not have to pay (typically) $90+ for a 256MB CF card from Canon. jdarling2k@yahoo.com
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John Wright |
Joe, Where did you get that info? I'd be interested in reading more about it. Thanks,
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Kimberly Beatty |
I too would be interested in reading more about that... Kim
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Joe Darlington |
I tested using a Lexar 256MB CF card, a SanDisk 128MB card, and a Canon 8MB CF card. Canon's Irvine service center also tested three times, but always using Canon media. With the brand-X CF cards, exposure (using an external flash) is inconsistent. THE TESTS USING THE CANON MEDIA ALWAYS COME UP CLEAN. Surely, Canon intended any CF card to be compatible, but such is not the case.
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Jon Close |
Exposure has nothing to do with the CF card. This makes no sense at all, unless one believes the Canon TTL flash programming includes code to test the memory and purposely mess up the exposure if non-Canon media is used. And that cannot be since most users don't use Canon CF cards yet have no troubles.
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Wayne l |
In all the correspondence I've had with Canon no one has asked what card Im using.
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Joe Darlington |
May I recommend that you have the good folks at Canon test your camera using YOUR CF card, as well as with theirs. Once Canon duplicates the problem, they can begin to solve it. Also, if you do an internet search for "canon 10D 550EX exposure problem" or "canon rebel exposure problem", you will see that these problems are common.
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Wayne l |
Canon says they don't make any CF Cards, Sandisk makes them and puts the Canon name on them.
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Jon Close |
Did the searches and what I've read about these problems almost invariably come down to user error from not understanding how E-TTL works, and the universal problem that metering on a white dress returns 18% gray. Especially useful are the threads on this problem in the forums at Rob Galbraith's site. Chuck Westfall (Director/Technical Information Dept. Camera Division/Canon U.S.A., Inc.) posted much helpful information. I've yet to see any other source for attribution of the problem to the brand of CF card. With E-TTL, flash exposure is based on the active focus sensor, one cannot focus then recompose and shoot. Doing so will give incorrect and inconsistent flash exposure. To keep the proper flash exposure FEL (flash exposure lock) must be used before recomposing. Because of the near-spot metering done in E-TTL one may have to apply + flash exposure compensation (FEL) for a white subject, just as one would with typical spot/partial metering. And digital sensors have narrow exposure latitude, more akin to slide film than print. A user switching from print film to digital is going to have the same problems as one switching to slides - exposure errors that have always been present but masked by print film's latitude will be more apparent with digital and slides, and the photographer has to be more diligent and less reliant on program autoexposure. Until the recent introduction of the Nikon D70, the D60, 10D, and Digital Rebel were/are far and away the most popular digital SLRs, drawing many new users from Nikon, Minolta, and Pentax film cameras. I could be wrong, but it is my impression that some of the people having trouble are those who have switched from another maker's system to a Canon digital and are unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the EOS flash system. For example, in Nikon and other systems flash is balanced 1:1 with ambient exposure and the user dials in his own fill flash reduction. In Canon, E-TTL (as well as the older A-TTL and TTL algorithms) applies its own fill-flash reduction. If the user dials in their usual -1 to -2 stops of flash exposure compensation for fill flash they unwittingly end up with -4 stops. The 10D has a custom function to disable E-TTL's auto fill flash reduction so that the user can directly apply their own. The Digital Rebel does not have this option. Another useful custom function on the 10D that the Digital Rebel lacks is CF 4, which moves autofocus activation from the shutter button to the AEL button, and AEL to the shutter button. Autofocus by pressing the AEL, lift then set exposure and shoot with the shutter button. This way there is no active AF sensor when E-TTL is applied and the flash exposure is averaged equally over the 35 meter segments (equivalent to old centerweighted TTL). The same can be acheived with the Digital Rebel (and the 10D) by switching to manual focus.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
And with Jon Close's explanation, notice the wedding picture has the white dress in the middle of the frame.
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Michael Warnock |
Well, I looked at both photos for quite a while, comparing the two as best I could and it seems to me that they both share one thing in common...not enough light. Obvious sure, but take another look. The photo of the bride and groom looks to be taken in the church at the alter. This would typically mean a large room with high ceilings and most churches I've been in have minimal lighting. The background is quite dark and the illuminated portion of the photo fades rather quickly from foreground to background based on the light cast on the floor infront of the B&G. I would guess that the problem lies in an underpowered flash unit. The second photo is taken in a much smaller room with a much lower ceiling and is much brighter that the first photo. What really caught my eye was the fact that the room in the second photo contains flourescent lighting which explains the slight green cast to the image. The white dresses also have a slight greenish cast and the very back corner of the room is quite dark. Again, I would have to say the problem is an underpowered flash unit especially considering the green cast on the dresses was not over-powered by the flash. Hmm...I suppose this could be caused by the unit being TTL and the Rebel being E-TTL. I think the TTL conflict is causing the flash to be "under-fired".
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