Originally posted by andy888 A manual flash seems not the good one for beginners.
Everyone has their own preferences and is of course entitled to their own opinion.
However, I think manual flash photography is not only the choice of many professionals but in particular suitable for beginners. Why? Because it nothing could be simpler for "up" when it is too dark and "down" when it is too bright. Done; that's your training.
With P-TTL you have
- I want to use that flash off-camera but I don't know how to set its channel. The procedure is not in the camera manual, it is in the flash manual, right? Oh, I have to pair flash and camera, really?
- What mode do I set my camera to? What are the rules for P-mode when the program line is set to "Normal"?
- Am I allowed to use "Av" mode or was that not supported?
- I'm using an A-lens. That's OK, isn't it? Or did support for A-lenses stop at a certain point. Was my camera model made before or after?
- I'm trying to adjust the shutter speed, but the camera won't let me. Why?
- I changed the ISO line to fast but nothing changes. Is that normal? Does that happen on all camera models?
- My picture is a bit overexposed when I use direct flash and pretty well underexposed when I used bounced flash. Is there anything I can do?
- Should I use flash exposure compensation on the camera or on the flash?
- My images are way overexposed. Why? Am I too close for the metering to work? Do I need to disengage Auto ISO?
- My images are way underexposed. Are these flash reflections irritating the camera meter?
- Optical triggerring just worked so nicely a moment ago. Now I'm having trouble. What shall I do now?
- My sister has fast reflexes and always closes her eye-lids when the pre-flash occurs. How do I get a shot of her with open eyes?
- I better find this 60+ page flash guide that tells me how to cope with P-TTL... (no offence to all the brave P-TTL guide authors out there, but you have to admit a simpler topic could be dealt with a smaller guide, right? )
Note that one of the most popular flash photography guides, i.e,
"Strobist 101", tells people to set their flashes to manual mode. Not because the author hates TTL or cannot afford TTL equipment, but because manual flash photography is simpler; easier to learn for beginners.
Originally posted by andy888 1) it turns the photography to pure manual world. it is fine for some time but tedious for other times.
It is not only "fine for some time", it can often be the much more reliable approach that delivers consistent and predictable results.
It is not "tedious" at all, in particular when you have remote power control. Your "second" reason is the same criticism again:
Originally posted by andy888 2) below or over exposure picture make people try again and again for each shoot.
A flash typically supports 8 power settings that are separated by a stop. Even as a beginner you can just first try the middle power level and then adjust up or down, hitting the middle of the upper or lower range. From there it is at most one more adjustment till you have set the right power level. That's not "again and again".
With a bit of experience, you get in the right ballpark straight away and perhaps do one more adjustment after that.
Automatic flash exposure is very useful when you have very dynamic conditions with subjects changing quickly or changing their distance to the flash quickly. One typically gets a useful exposure from automatic exposure systems in such circumstances. They typically won't have anything to do with artistic vision or refinement, but they'll get you the shot. If that kind of "gun-and-run" approach is your thing then automatic flash exposure is just the ticket for you. For everything were speed isn't paramount, manual adjustments are much preferred. Hint: When you use flash exposure compensation, that's a manual adjustment as well.
Originally posted by andy888 3) this make people lost patient very soon for flash. it make more trouble than its usage.
Not at all.
There is no "trouble" with manual flash photography. There can be a speed disadvantage, but there is no "trouble". On the contrary, all the 60+ page flash guide complexity of P-TTL wizardry is completely avoided.
Personally, I'd advise a beginner to learn flash photography with manual flash power control. One can still try to master the often undocumented logic of various automatic P-TTL support systems later on, if one has the inclination and the need to do so, but in order to wrap one's head around how flash works (relation to shutter speed, what sync-speed is, etc.) it is much easier to start simple.