Evidently there are several types of TTL. Standard TTL, D-TTL, and i-TTL. There are also such things as Aperture linked automatic flash brightness control and just regular non-TTL Auto. All of these depend on what kind of flash, what kind of camera, and what kind of lens you are using. And some flashes require the newer SC-28 or SC-29 off camera cable.
I just want TTL to work as it is supposed to. With off camera flashes, the camera can't really know how reflective the subject matter is until the shutter has opened and the flashes have fired. With TRUE TTL, the flashes will shut down when the proper exposure has been reached. Of course then there is the additional complication as to what sort of metering system you are using. Matrix metering will give you an entirely different result then if you are using spot metering or a weighted metering system.
Another example of where TTL metering is a real necessity, for the camera, but not for the flash system, is when you are trying to take photos of lightning. What you want the camera to do is to shut the shutter when the proper exposure has been reached from the lightning flash captured. It is impossible for the camera to know this beforehand when you press the shutter button. This sort of correct exposure can only be accomplished through TTL which meters the amount of light coming in through the lens while the shutter is open. This can be somewhat emulated artificially by having an exposure initiated in a darkened room and then hand holding a flash while walking around the room flashing various objects with the flash until the correct exposure is reached in the camera.
That list of compatible flashes is listed in the manual that came with the camera, but thanks for looking it up for me. I have to admit that I am rather disappointed to discover that although my SB-26s are TTL flashes (at least on my N90s Nikon SLR, that this facility does not seem to work with the Fuji S1 nor the S3. This was actually one of the main reasons I wanted to get the S3 in the first place. I'm really not that keen on having to buy two new flashes (master and slave) and perhaps a new off camera flash cable to boot. Even worse, I haven't yet found any confirming documentation that the new stuff will do what I want either. When taking photos of the snakes, I need to manually adjust the aperture depending on the color of the animals I am shooting. I just want the camera to do that grunt work so I can concentrate on the shot itself. It's rather irritating to get a really wild looking shot just to find that it is too overexposed because the animal was too light colored and I didn't manually compensate for it.
I guess I just need to get on the phone and talk to someone at FujiFilm about it one day.
Thanks.
Heck, I guess those flashes are getting up there in age, now that I think of it. So I guess it was just overly optimistic of me to think they would be compatible with the newer technology in the latest cameras. I wonder if my off camera cable (SC-17) is still compatible?
Linear Mode
