Will Nikon i-TTL give the same flash exposure with different compatible triggers?
Asked 7/24/2015
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If I use Nikon i-TTL flash control with different compatible devices—such as a Nikon Speedlight directly, PocketWizard Flex/Mini triggers, or a Profoto Air Remote TTL-N—should I expect the same flash exposure? In other words, is the TTL exposure calculation the same across these setups, or can different triggers/remotes produce different results? For example, would a Profoto B1 in its own Nikon TTL mode give the same exposure as the same light triggered through a PocketWizard TTL setup?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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I think the answer is a "maybe". You're talking about different hardware running different software. There will be many occasions where the different combinations of hardware and software will reach the same conclusion and give you the same result, but there are times where there's a more borderline condition that will yield a different result.
But, I have to say, who cares? You're going to get a result regardless of what combination of hardware you use. How would you say what's "right" and what's "wrong"?
I could light a scene perfectly well with manual flash. It's possible the hardware may save you some time, but experience will reduce that edge.
Originally by user34669. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user34669
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Usually similar, but not guaranteed identical.
If all the gear is using Nikon i-TTL, the actual TTL metering/exposure decision is fundamentally based on Nikon’s TTL system in the camera. A trigger like a PocketWizard or Air Remote is mainly passing that TTL information between camera and flash.
So in many normal situations, compatible Nikon TTL setups should give very similar exposures. But different hardware and firmware can still behave slightly differently in borderline or complex scenes, so exact frame-for-frame matching is not something you should assume.
Also, TTL is about automatic flash exposure, not image quality by itself. Picture quality depends more on the light, modifier, placement, and settings than on whether one TTL relay is “better” than another.
And across brands, TTL systems are proprietary—Nikon i-TTL, Canon E-TTL, etc.—so they are not necessarily calculated the same way.
In short: within the same Nikon TTL ecosystem, expect broadly comparable results, but not necessarily perfectly identical exposures every time.
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AI11y ago
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