44 replies to this topic

[Ryan]

Ryan, will the Nauticam trigger have a TTL mode? And any indication when it might make it to production and released to market?

This initial product will be a manual trigger.

[fly&dive]

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This initial product will be a manual trigger.

Ryan, thanks, let's hope Nauticam will continue working on a TTL solution.

[fly&dive]

The word on the streets is that a Mk ll Nauticam trigger may incorporate S-TTL however re-engineering Canon's and Nikon's E-TTL flash protocols is still work in progress...

Tim, Ryan, thanks for your comments. Ryan has stated that the initial product will be a manual only trigger.

Hmm doesn't make it easier for me to decide whether to go for the NA-5D3 housing for my upcoming Raja Ampat trip. I have my NA-7D which can work in TTL mode with the built-in flash on the 7D.

[fly&dive]

Sorry I meant to thank Tim and Alex for their comments. Its mid-night here and I'm dozing off!

[bvanant]

I think that an LED ttl trigger is a lot more complicated (even STTL) than doing it with flash tube. Getting reliable and scalable intensity from an LED requires a lot more sophistication than a simple quench circuit that the flash guys use. As for real eTTL, I would be very surprised to get that from an LED.
Bill

[Timmoranuk]

I think that an LED ttl trigger is a lot more complicated (even STTL) than doing it with flash tube. Getting reliable and scalable intensity from an LED requires a lot more sophistication than a simple quench circuit that the flash guys use. As for real eTTL, I would be very surprised to get that from an LED.
Bill

I agree with you Bill. Applying flash tube functionality to an LED is likely to be a nightmare, not withstanding the de-engineering and re-engineering of the OEM protocols... I'll be more than happy with a manual trigger for my 5D3

Tim, Ryan, thanks for your comments. Ryan has stated that the initial product will be a manual only trigger.

Hmm doesn't make it easier for me to decide whether to go for the NA-5D3 housing for my upcoming Raja Ampat trip. I have my NA-7D which can work in TTL mode with the built-in flash on the 7D.

How on earth can you own a 5D3 and not house it?
Yes, you'll have to shoot manual but believe me, once 'free' of S-TTL you'll never return...

Edited by Timmoranuk, 30 October 2012 - 09:36 AM.

[fly&dive]

How on earth can you own a 5D3 and not house it?
Yes, you'll have to shoot manual but believe me, once 'free' of S-TTL you'll never return...

Haha! Tim, I know where you're coming from. The 5D3 is such a good camera topside that I expect it'll be a fantastic creative tool underwater.

It's just that macro is my main interest & I find that my keeper rate is much better with TTL, esp with really shy & fast moving critters where I may have only 1 or 2 shots at it. Wide-angle is when I usually shoot manual. Maybe I need more experience and/or practice to get really comfortable with shooting entirely manual.

[fly&dive]

I see a foto of Nauticam's prototype strobe trigger on Wetpixel's report of DEMA 2012. Does anyone have any idea when this will make it to market? It does looks quite slick but I'm afraid it'll probably cost a few dollars!

[Timmoranuk]

I see a foto of Nauticam's prototype strobe trigger on Wetpixel's report of DEMA 2012. Does anyone have any idea when this will make it to market? It does looks quite slick but I'm afraid it'll probably cost a few dollars!

Mine isn't too far away now. I'll let you know when it gets here. Unfortunately Carlos' Glowdive trigger has failed to work with a ND-5D3 and Z-230 combination and when I took a look at the Triggerfish option at the NEC dive show in October, I was disappointed with the output. Looking at Adam's DEMA review, the Nauticam variant seems to be a well finished and professionally manufactured product - no surprise there!

[Alex_Mustard]

Unfortunately Carlos' Glowdive trigger has failed to work with a ND-5D3 and Z-230 combination

Tim, any idea why the Glowdive trigger doesn't work with the Nauticam 5D3 combo? Tatters was saying that it is more powerful than a pop-up flash that is turned down?

We tried the Triggerfish trigger on the NA-D4 housing and it wouldn't work. I even tried coating the whole area of the housing with tinfoil to try and make it pick up a signal through the housing and fibre optic, but it just wasn't strong enough.

I do think that there are differences between housings in this respect - both brands and between individual housings - as Carlos has a Nauticam, AFAIK, and I am sure his trigger works on his housing.

Alex

[oskar]

No actually a trigger-LED is easier to control & quench than a tube. For example much easier to deal with the lower voltages and energies involved.

However, the TTL-LED must mimic an ordinary TTL flash as our "Optical TTL" strobes are following the duration of the light pulse in the fibre. So the LED should flash in different duration from say 1/20000 of a s to 1/1000 of a sec to control the external strobe.

The messy part is to reverse engineer the TTL protocol

I'm happy with my DIY fully manual trigger I use today. But I have been toying with thought to slaughter a cheap TTL strobe to use only the logics.

I think that an LED ttl trigger is a lot more complicated (even STTL) than doing it with flash tube. Getting reliable and scalable intensity from an LED requires a lot more sophistication than a simple quench circuit that the flash guys use. As for real eTTL, I would be very surprised to get that from an LED.
Bill

[Timmoranuk]

I agree with you Alex, the Glowdive trigger is very powerful and it was a surprise to me that it failed to trigger the Z-240s (I was getting my INONs and Zens mixed up earlier... :-) ) Of course the position and direction of the light output of Carlos' trigger is not adjustable and the NA-5D3 relies on an internal mirror to bounce the LED output into the optical bulkheads so that may be the cause of the Glowdive's failure to work.

I'm hopeful that Nauticam's production trigger will operate my YS-250s reliably, which I bought specifically for the NA-5D3. I recall Ryan advised earlier in this thread that the Nauticam prototype would only trigger INONs and the YS-D1

Edited by Timmoranuk, 16 November 2012 - 02:13 AM.

[fly&dive]

Mine isn't too far away now. I'll let you know when it gets here. Unfortunately Carlos' Glowdive trigger has failed to work with a ND-5D3 and Z-230 combination and when I took a look at the Triggerfish option at the NEC dive show in October, I was disappointed with the output. Looking at Adam's DEMA review, the Nauticam variant seems to be a well finished and professionally manufactured product - no surprise there!

Hi Tim,

Reviving an 'old' thread here, did you get to try the Nauticam flash trigger? I haven't seen any more news about this other than the fotos of it from DEMA 2012.

[Timmoranuk]

I hear that Nauticam may have had to change their supplier which has had the effect of putting back production. However, I should be receiving a MkII prototype soon which I'm eager to try with the YS-250s.

Edited by Timmoranuk, 06 February 2013 - 12:43 PM.

[fly&dive]

Thanks Tim for the update. Look forward to your impressions of the Mk II flash trigger when you do get them. Soon I hope!

[CheungyDiver]

I doubt the eTTL protocol could be cracked anytime soon. Best is just stick with manual flash using the hotshoe LED circuit. I have retofitted these circuits in NA housings (any housings in fact). the LED has to right next to the external tip of the fibre cable. Plus changing the LED to red and highest wattage works better - similar to the one Zillion used in their housings.

The closest anyone is Heinrich W. with ETTL other than third part land strobe for eTTL out of Canon. The other obvious one is Ikelite. I have fitted old Ikelite eTTL in housings but works only wire and Ikelite strobes. I am working on an optical one for 5D- watch this space ;0)

[fly&dive]

Hi David, yes I've read that many have tried and Canon's eTTL protocol has so far proven notoriously hard to crack. I'm using manual flash with electrical sync cables on my NA5DMkIII housing but was looking for something that'll work with fiber-optic cables instead. If you work out a flash trigger (LED based I presume?) for the 5D MkIII I'd be interested!

[Timmoranuk]

I just received the Nauticam MkII prototype strobe trigger and can confirm that, topside and on the 5D3, it fires my YS-250s perfectly. I do need to confirm this with a dive but it looks good to go ;-)

[fly&dive]

Hi Tim, great you finally got your hands on the Nauticam strobe trigger. Are you allowed to post fotos of the unit and how it fits in the NA-5DMkIII housing? Looks like it'll work nicely with Sea & Sea strobes. I'm using the YS-D1s.

[fly&dive]

I just received the Nauticam MkII prototype strobe trigger and can confirm that, topside and on the 5D3, it fires my YS-250s perfectly. I do need to confirm this with a dive but it looks good to go ;-)

 

Hi Tim, I presume you've had a chance to try out the Nauticam strobe trigger prototype by now. How well do they work underwater? Seems like Nauticam is very quiet on this up till now while some of us are anxiously waiting for this!