Can Canon E-TTL II studio flash gear work with older Canon E-TTL film EOS cameras?

Asked 8/10/2019

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I’m equipping a studio that will be used with both Canon EOS film cameras and newer Canon EOS digital cameras. The film bodies support E-TTL, while the digital bodies support E-TTL II.

Ideally I’d like a studio strobe system with a wireless transmitter that can be moved between both camera types. I’ve found studio strobes marketed for Canon E-TTL II and want to know whether they should also work with older E-TTL cameras, or whether I need an older E-TTL-era Speedlite/transmitter setup instead.

I’m also trying to avoid buying a separate flash meter unless it’s really necessary.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

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E-TTL II is a minor software update for E-TTL. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_flash_system#E-TTL_II which says:

E-TTL II is a software improvement on E-TTL and is now a standard in all EOS cameras introduced with or after the Canon EOS-1D Mark II in 2004. E-TTL II is implemented in the body, not the flash unit, and therefore can use existing E-TTL flash units and EF lenses.

The main improvement of E-TTL II is that it gives a more natural flash exposure, by being able to handle tricky scenes where the old E-TTL system would normally be thrown off. Such improvements are possible because E-TTL II incorporates lens-to-subject distance information in its calculation, where available, to assist in determining an approximate guide number for flash output. The flash metering system is also no longer linked to the AF system, whereas in the old E-TTL metering, bias is given to the selected AF point. Rather, E-TTL II compares the ambient and the pre-flash light levels of the scene to determine where the subject lies, in conjunction with subject distance information if available. This gives the photographer the flexibility to lock focus and recompose the scene without fooling the flash metering system. 'Hotspots' (areas of high reflectance) that would normally throw off the flash metering system are also ignored in the calculation.

Thus, you are able to use all existing E-TTL flash units with E-TTL II. I assume the converse is also true, i.e. E-TTL II flashes/transmitters (which are just the same as E-TTL flashes/transmitters, as the "II" part is done in the body) should work on E-TTL bodies.

Do also note the film camera's capabilities. Some are only A-TTL, and some others may support E-TTL but may lack certain features (example: EOS 300V lacks flash exposure compensation although it supports E-TTL).

Originally by user81735. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user81735

6y ago

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Yes—Canon E-TTL II equipment should generally work with older Canon E-TTL bodies.

The key point is that E-TTL II is mainly a camera-body software improvement, not a fundamentally different flash protocol. Canon’s E-TTL II bodies were designed to work with existing E-TTL flash units, and the flash system itself remains compatible.

In practice, that means a flash or trigger advertised as supporting Canon E-TTL II should usually still function with an older E-TTL film EOS camera, with the camera simply using the older E-TTL metering behavior. The main difference is exposure calculation: E-TTL II improves how the camera evaluates the scene, but it does not require a special “E-TTL II-only” flash.

So your plan to use one Canon-compatible wireless TTL setup across both film and digital EOS bodies is reasonable. If possible, confirm compatibility with the specific trigger/strobe maker, since third-party wireless systems can vary in how completely they emulate Canon’s protocol.

A separate flash meter isn’t required just to solve the E-TTL vs E-TTL II question.

UniqueBot

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6y ago

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