What's the best equipment to use for off-camera fill-flash on location?

Question

I want to be able to use off-camera fill in flash, but I'm not sure if my equipment is up to scratch. I have a Canon 550D camera and 430EX (MkI) speedlite. I can use E-TTL when the speedlight is on-camera but when I use my triggers for off-camera flash i have to set the flash manually.

The triggers only enable me to trigger the flash, not set the E-TTL/power level and this cannot be set in my current camera. Is there a gadget that will enable me to do this on my current equipment please?

If not, for now I may have to stick with my current set-up, so my next question is how can I take a light meter reading with my Sekonic Flashmate L-308S for the correct flash setting? What would be an affordable set-up for the above without breaking the bank?

Answer 1

You can use a set of Yongnuo YN-622C triggers to maintain most E-TTL functionality when your 430EX is off camera. Each YN-622C unit is able to act as either a transmitter or a receiver. I prefer to use the YN-622C-TX on camera as it has an LCD that makes setup and changing settings much easier. The YN-622C-TX is a transmitter only. You would then need only one YN-622C to act as receiver attached to your 430EX. The 622C will run about $40 per unit on amazon.com and the 622-TX runs around $45. You can buy a bundled 622C + 622C-TX for about $85.

Another option, depending on how far off camera you want to place the flash, is an E-TTL cable that connects your hot shoe to the flash via a wired connection. They are available in various lengths up to about 10 meters (33 feet).

Answer 2

If you want remote power control of the 430EX, you could use TTL-capable radio triggers (e.g., RadioPopper PX, PocketWizard TTL, Yongnuo YN-622C, Pixel Kings, Phottix Odins), but these might have only limited control over the 430EX, since some of them use the camera menu flash control signals to communicate settings to the flash. For example, with YN-622 triggers, you could only control the 430EX in eTTL with FEC/ratios. You'd have to use a YN-622-TX dedicated transmitter unit in a special legacy mode to treat a 430EX in eTTL as if it were in M mode, and my experience with a YN-622-TX and 430EX/580EX is that it doesn't work as well as using an actual menu-commandable flash. There are, however, lower-cost 3rd-party units that can be menu-controlled.

See also:

• What should I look for in a wireless flash trigger for a home studio?
• What does an expensive flash unit buy over a cheap one?
• What are the Yongnuo flash naming conventions?

With the L308S meter, the manual gives two ways that you can measure flash illumination. The first is to hook up a PC sync cable or radio trigger connection between your lights and the meter. Many radio trigger transmitters have a sync output port of some kind. You can cable that port up to the PC sync input on the front of the meter. Then, you press the Mode button to go into corded flash mode, set your shutter speed, and press the measuring button to set off the flash and have the meter make a measurement.

If you don't want the meter to trigger the flashes, and you'd rather set them off via a trigger test button or the camera shutter release, then press the Mode button to set the meter into auto reset cordless flash mode. The mode mark will blink, and you've got 90 seconds to set off the lights for the meter to make a measurement.

See pages 14-16 of the L308S user manual.