360 Flash with 50-200 lens?
The zoom setting is entirely independent of the P-TTL protocol so picking a length manually will make no difference to the metering (which is what P-TTL is concerned with), just to the angle at which the light leaves the flash head.
The only thing you can't use is the automatic zoom when the flash isn't directly connected to the camera. That's when you want to set it manually according to the subject and the position of the flash (experiment and adjust to taste).
If you really feel the need to have the light narrower than the 85mm setting provides, then you can make your own DIY light modifiers by wrapping some tin foil around the head with a progressively narrower gap at the front to let the light escape - I think you'll find the 85mm setting will be just fine for most uses though.
Just shoot away! With P-TTL the camera is controlling the exposure based on what it sees through the lens, so it will work fine with longer zooms.
Technically it'll work, however, for longer focal lengths you'll probably get a better quality of light by (a) bouncing, (b) diffusing, (c) mounting the flash off camera. The further your subject is away from the flash, the more "pin source" it appears and the more "cardboard cut out" the subject can become. Just experiment (and don't be afraid to try different zoom settings to get different qualities of light)
Obviously you'll only get wireless in a body that supports wireless with the pop-up (e.g. *ist-D, K10D, K20D, K200D, K7D). Other bodies that don't support wireless with the pop-up will require two AF360s... but then you probably knew that already
Matt
(For gallery, tips and links)
So you can use a 360 in P-TTL off camera :
How does that work :
I know my Samsung GX10 supports wireless flash mode but didn't know the camera and flash sent info back and forth so P-TTL was still supported, I just thought it meant I could use the flash in manual output mode and the wireless just meant it would trigger the flash :
On the camera set flash mode to "W" (wireless) and in the custom menu choose whether the on-board flash is either "Master" (it contributes to the scene) or "Controller" (it acts as a trigger only).
On the flash set the protocol to "P-TTL", the on/off switch to the middle (slave) setting and the mode switch to the left hand Green symbol.
That's it! Now you have wireless P-TTL.
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42 posts
14 years
P-TTL. Also, if I shoot wirelessly .. do I go manual as well when using the zoom. Thanks for your help.