Biggest improvement I have seen in Canon in a long time

[Stephen Lutz]

For quite a while I have used a 10D as my only camera. Before that, a D-30 and before that an EOS 3 and A2. I recently bought a Rebel XT, brand new, for $550. I must say it is a big improvement over the 10D in many areas, but the absolute biggest improvement I have seen in this camera, or in the Canon system, for that matter, is the E-TTL II flash system. It is much, much improved over the E-TTL system, with flash exposure errors non-existent. No under or over exposure on any of the several hundred flash pictures I have taken with it so far. Quite impressive (at least to me). Even the pop up flash gives good exposure (limited range though).

Have others had similar good experiences with this flash system, or is it just me? My exposures are dead on, and the histograms full and rich across the scale, with only slight clipping on the highlights. With the 10D, virtually everything was overexposed. I had to drop the flash power 2/3 of a stop routinely, and then use curves in photoshop to tweak the photo. Now I can use the exposre straight out of the camera almost 100% of the time.

[poker]

Which flash are you using?

I personally feel the opposite. I went from ATTL to ETTL-II and have had the hardest time learning how to use it. So far the only success I have had with ETTL-II is using the fully automatic green zone/mode on the camera. I've started to use FEL which improved my shot quite a bit but I am still very uncomfortable in in door situations. Let's just say I use to think receptions where the easiest to shoot but now I'm afraid of the dark.

I have both the 430ex and 580ex.

Let me just add that I don't blame the gear. I'm probably not doing something right.

[Loupey]

Stephen, for a while there you, me, and several others here were "holdouts" with the aging 10D's. I too upgraded very recently after giving the 10D over 3 years of hard use (still using btw).

Good to hear about the E-TTL-II results. I haven't tested that yet. My main reason for upgrading was the reduced digital noise. Although the noise is still not to my liking at ISO 800, 400 is now a real useable setting. Then I found that the read/write times were so much faster than with the 10D.

[Stephen Lutz]

I have used the pop-up, a 220EX and a 550EX. All have given very good flash exposures with no flash compensation. When I say, "good flash exposure" I am referring to "no blown highlights and a full histogram across at least 4 of the 5 exposure zones. My 10D used to over expose the subject quite a bit. That's why I would dial the flash down 2/3 of a stop. Blown highlights cannot be recovered, whereas slight underexposure can be salvaged. The E-TTL II system produces no blown highlights and a fuller exposure in the mid-tones (at least for me. I have rarely had to tweak them.