Next Canon Flashes With Exposure Based on Color Temperature?

[Gothmoth]

Could we please stop mis-using the word "quantum" to describe a precipitable change in current-to-future technology?

It makes the post appear as written by someone who just doesn't understand how blisteringly small a quantum leap really is...

it´s not because of the distance that this is used in regular discussions.
it´s because a quantum leap seems to be "discontinuous". a jump, a instant progression.

 

[Gothmoth]

The basic discussion in the cr report makes no sense to me. I fail to see the connection between color temperature and "exposure".

We may be suffering here from some "loss in translation".

yep i think so.

imho what that means is that the guide number (power output) will be different for different color temperatures the flash is set to.
therefore the exposure needs to be adjusted according to the color temperature of the flash.

 

[dougkerr]

Hi,

imho what that means is that the guide number (power output) will be different for different color temperatures the flash is set to.

But what does it mean "the color temperature the flash is set to"?

Perhaps it mean that the needed output of the flash for "proper" exposure in a particular case depends on the white balance setting of the camera.

I'll try and get an English translation of the patent publication and see what it actually talks about.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[dougkerr]

A colleague was kind enough to arrange for a machine translation of the Japanese patent publication.

I have not yet perused it at any length. The translation is a bit clumsy but is still very welcome.

The patent indeed refers to a flash unit using (for example) three sets of LED's so that the chromaticity of the flash burst can be set, presumably (as mentioned by one of the correspondents here) so that the flash illumination can match the chromaticity of the ambient illumination. [Note that this involves more than the correlated color temperature, although much of the discussion proceeds as if that is the only parameter of interest.].

Presumably this concept itself has been covered in earlier patents.

The thrust of this patent (as it seemed from the earlier characterization) is to provide for automatic flash exposure control to perform properly in this situation.

The basic idea ("matchable" flash burst chromaticity) sounds very worthwhile.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[pwp]

The prices of the 580EXII are already in the range of (cheap) monolights. For portable lighting the speedlights are great, but they're also selling to people who use them to double as quick & easy & ultra-portable staged setups.

Right, they're pretty close in price to Paul C Buff Einsteins which I recently bought four of. No buyer regret there...the Einsteins are fantastic. (Happy to expand on this but getting OT)

But for 580's to be useful in staged setups, especially when used with modifiers, an external power source for each 580 is a must. Quality batteries cost as much or more than the 580 itself.

Many of us need both mono's & speedlights. My 580ex & 580 exII are ready for retirement...I'll pre-order at least two of this new flash as soon as it's announced.

Paul Wright

 

[DavidM]

no one has successfully explained how the new flash system would practically work?

 

[kennykodak]

i switched over to Canon from Nikon a few years ago. the one thing that i miss most is Nikon flash. a back light setting, the master/slave settings on the on/off switch, diffuser and color correcting filters and most of all an intelligent power port and cable mount for external batteries. anyone here ever accidentally push the one inside the unit on a 580?

 

[ScottyP]

Hey, just duct tape a magical flash like this onto a Lytro "light field" camera, when they arrive, and you could throw all your other gear away.