Settings for UWT flash trigger

[toque 1]

Hi all. I didn't see anything recent, so I thought I'd start a new thread. I have a Sony a6600 in a Nauticam housing and YS-D1strobes. I purchased and am installing a UWT flash trigger using fiber optics for the housing and wonder if anyone has a Sony setup that wouldn't mind sharing their settings. I think I have it setup, but a few things in the directions confused me a bit. What flash setting do you use? What is "Wireless flash" setting and when do you setup the strobes in slave mode? Thanks again

[TimG 62]

toque

Pavel Kolpakov is the man to talk to: Mr UWT.

He's often on the website, a seriously helpful guy,  so I'm sure he'll comment fairly soon.

[toque 1]

Yes, we've had some email exchanges in the past and I see he's often commenting here. actually he did a video in an earlier post for someone with an A7 i think. it was quite helpful to me too. The manual just has so many options and many I'm not familar with what they mean and whether they would be helpful with my setup. Thanks TimG for the reply

 

[Barmaglot 228]

Wireless flash setting is what you'd use to shoot manual mode rather than TTL. In this mode, the trigger emits a single light pulse, rather than pre-flash + main flash. Note that with the UWT trigger, the length of this pulse is varied according to the camera's flash compensation setting - you can set the camera to wireless and the strobes to TTL, and manually control strobe flash power via flash compensation setting in the camera, or you can set the camera to wireless, strobes to manual, and control power output via the power knobs on the strobes - this latter method is more reliable.

Also, unlike a pop-up flash (which the A6600 doesn't have anyway), the trigger does not restrict your shutter speed - the maximum flash sync speed for A6xxx cameras is 1/160s, and on models with a pop-up flash (A6000-A6500) you physically cannot select higher shutter speeds with the flash up, but the UWT trigger (provided you have a recent model) supports high-speed sync (HSS), so these speeds are not locked out. However, the only strobes that currently support HSS over fiber optics are Retra Prime/Pro, so if you try to shoot your YS-D1s at shutter speeds of 1/200s or higher, your shots will be partially or even fully unexposed.

Don't forget to set the rotary switch to the appropriate position for your strobe model.

[toque 1]

13 hours ago, Barmaglot said:

Wireless flash setting is what you'd use to shoot manual mode rather than TTL. In this mode, the trigger emits a single light pulse, rather than pre-flash + main flash. Note that with the UWT trigger, the length of this pulse is varied according to the camera's flash compensation setting - you can set the camera to wireless and the strobes to TTL, and manually control strobe flash power via flash compensation setting in the camera, or you can set the camera to wireless, strobes to manual, and control power output via the power knobs on the strobes - this latter method is more reliable.

Also, unlike a pop-up flash (which the A6600 doesn't have anyway), the trigger does not restrict your shutter speed - the maximum flash sync speed for A6xxx cameras is 1/160s, and on models with a pop-up flash (A6000-A6500) you physically cannot select higher shutter speeds with the flash up, but the UWT trigger (provided you have a recent model) supports high-speed sync (HSS), so these speeds are not locked out. However, the only strobes that currently support HSS over fiber optics are Retra Prime/Pro, so if you try to shoot your YS-D1s at shutter speeds of 1/200s or higher, your shots will be partially or even fully unexposed.

Don't forget to set the rotary switch to the appropriate position for your strobe model.

Thank you Barmaglot, this is very helpful. So for TTL I would use Fill-Flash setting? and Wireless Flash for manual. I'm guessing I should set the wireless flash to a back button. Thanks again

 

[Barmaglot 228]

Yes, fill flash will work for TTL. That said, I ended up not using the TTL function on my UWT trigger at all - I run it in manual all the time, along with my strobes. For me, its value is in the ability to do burst shooting, and HSS triggering (I use Retra Pro strobes which support it).

[TimG 62]

I'm with Barmaglot too on not using TTL (but used too all the time with macro some years back) - usually Manual but, as he says, the HSS is very useful especially for those shots into the sunball on the reef

[toque 1]

Thanks. I use it rarely, but I've found that having it in TTL when I'm hunting for subjects sometimes a fish will dart by and I might get a brief window to get a shot off. 

[TimG 62]

1 hour ago, toque said:

Thanks. I use it rarely, but I've found that having it in TTL when I'm hunting for subjects sometimes a fish will dart by and I might get a brief window to get a shot off. 

A good plan that!

[toque 1]

Has anyone had a problem removing the trigger hot shoe connection? this is my first time removing it and it seems stuck. i'm afraid to put too much pressure on it. TIA

[TimG 62]

1 hour ago, toque said:

Has anyone had a problem removing the trigger hot shoe connection? this is my first time removing it and it seems stuck. i'm afraid to put too much pressure on it. TIA

No! Assuming you didn’t really jam on it to get it on, it should come off with a push. 

[toque 1]

it did. my nauticam trigger has a bottom that unlocks it from the shoe.