Hot answers tagged speedlite
12
More power!
Master capability.
PC port.
Retractable bounce card.
"Weather sealing" at the hot shoe.
The 580 will also swivel further to the right and a little more downwards.
The 430 is a great flash though. I don't think you'd regret it. Too bad you just missed Canon's summer rebate on the 580! It was going for $400. If you got the 430 and eventually ...
11
The "Auto power off" feature can be toggled as one of the unit's "custom features". You need to set feature number 1 to have the value "1".
To set the custom features:
Press the "C.Fn" button for 2 sec. or more so that "C.Fn" is displayed on screen.
Select the Custom Function No.
Press the + button to select the Custom Function number ("01").
Change the ...
11
Disable the flash in the camera settings. It still uses the AF-assist beam, but it will not fire the flash.
The setting is in different places depending on the camera, for example:
EOS 5D:
Menu > Custom Functions > 07
EOS 5D mk II:
Menu > Tools 3 > External Speedlite control > Flash function settings > Flash firing
EOS 550D / Rebel T2i / Kiss X4:
Menu > ...
9
Aside from the obvious thing you're missing (automatic exposure control) the 580EX (and the cheaper 430EX) have an AF-assist LED light which is activated during focussing that can be very useful in low light. It also allows second curtain sync (flash which fires as the shutter closes rather than opens, useful for when doing long exposures with flash), as ...
9
Refer to page 19 of your ST-E3-RT manual. It specifies that when used with camera models released prior to 2012 (so, anything but the 1DX and 5D mark III at the time of this post) you lose high speed sync and your max sync speed is "one increment slower" than whatever it would normally be.
The flash sync speed is 1 increment slower
Check the flash ...
9
After trying as few things and playing around with the flash with no success, I found the following thread on the web.
The advice given is :
Rub all the battery contacts very briskly with a clean rag that is
just ever so slightly damp.
I actually works! To rub the terminals inside the battery compartment I wrapped a thin, slightly damp rag around ...
7
Canon flash is a bit convoluted. Exactly how the flash behaves varies by camera mode, in some modes the flash will try to act as main light, in other modes it will try to act as fill flash.
Unless I misremember, in AV mode the flash will automatically, always, try to behave as a fill flash; the photo will be pretty correcly exposed per the light-meter ...
6
I just picked up a LumoPro LP160 (about a week ago, in fact). I'm pretty happy with it so far. As Matt indicated, this flash will be manual only, but it works fine as an optical slave (triggered by an onboard flash), and it works fine on the hot-shoe with TTL metering or in manual mode. If you end up getting remote flash triggers (ex: Pocket Wizard or ...
6
Your test button should firing at whatever power you select manually. I can't speak to that specific model, but it has on a few different flash brands I've tried.
Its pretty easy to tell if it does.
Just set it to high, take a picture and press the test button.
Set it to low, take a picture and press the test button. Is there a big difference? ...
6
As with anything you buy used, wear and tear can be a drawback. Flash heads and key electronics do have a limited life, though I can't recall having a flash 'bulb' die on me, usually some other, unknown issue takes their life before then.
For the record, I purchased a used 420EX that was used as a rental unit by my local store. So I assumed going in it had ...
6
There is a fundamental timing issue involved with older cameras not designed with the radio trigger in mind. It does not affect direct connection or the IR/mounted-flash control of remote flashes, so a flash mounted to the camera directly or through an E-TTL cable, or remotely controlled by the pop-up flash or a camera-mounted flash will work at the normal ...
5
When using a third party speedlight such as your NM930 there is no communication between the camera and flash so the camera has no idea the flash is there, so it pops up the onboard flash as usual. It will dutifully close the circuit across the hotshoe to fire the flash when the shutter opens but that's it.
If you use a Nikon flash the flash talks to the ...
5
For off camera lighting with strobes there are several options:
Radio Triggers
Optical Triggers
Wired Setup
The best solution in general is either the Pocket Wizard wireless triggers, or the Radio Popper wireless triggers. Both are highly regarded, used universally by pros and amateurs alike, incredibly reliable and perform very well. Newer systems ...
5
The biggest advantage that I know is that it can act as an optical master, and can control a and b groups of slaves (the 430 can act as a slave). They also both have hotshoe hookups, but only the 580 has the pc sync cable, afaik.
I own both, and while I'm sure there are various features I am missing, I never notice those differences because i always use ...
5
No, sorry.
Some of the Canon EOS range have the ability to wirelessly trigger external flashes from their own, on board, pop up flash.
This works by the flash sending out a very quick "burst" of flashes like a code, immediately prior to taking the photograph. The flash unit itself, separate from the camera senses these flashes from the camera body, ...
5
Unfortunately, no.
As of today (October 17th, 2012), built-in radio-controlled wireless flash setup with Canon 600EX-RT speedlites limits you just to two options:
600EX-RT master with 600EX-RT slaves
ST-E3-RT master with 600EX-RT slaves
Optical wireless mode, on the other hand, allows 600EX-RT master to trigger non-600EX-RT slaves, but that's not what ...
5
The AF-Beam is is used while the camera focuses but before it meters. Otherwise, metering gets affected and significantly so in condition when the AF-Assist beam may help.
In any type of Continuous AF this is not usually the case, so , the AF-beam must be turned off. A camera must also be able to keep focusing, so the AF-Assist beam could create a situation ...
4
The 450D does indeed have a "no flash mode" on the dial but as John states it's one of the auto modes so you can't select aperture etc.
There is no way to disable the flash through the camera menu unfortunately on the 450D, the xxD models and above do have a custom function to stop the flash firing (handy if you just want the AF assist lamp) but that's not ...
4
With manual flash, you have two separate exposures you'll have to set and balance - background exposure and subject exposure (illuminated by flash). Both are affected by aperture and ISO, while only background exposure is affected by shutter speed and only subject exposure is affected by flash power setting.
First, you'll set your aperture, ISO and shutter ...
4
No. On the 430EX product page it says:
Compatible Cameras: All Canon EOS cameras...
Compatibility between Speedlites and bodies is very good within the Canon world. You don't always get 100% of all features, but the reason for this is generally obvious. For example, older bodies cannot program the radio trigger in the new 600EX-RT from within the ...
4
You'll need to check your camera instructions.
Only the newer Canon DSLRs (eg 7D, 60D) have the built in flash able to work as a Speedlite transmitter.
If you've not got one of the more recent cameras, you'll have to consider other options for triggering a remote flash (eg ST-E2, another 580, or - if you can accept manual only flash - an optical slave or ...
4
It's not a fault of the camera, it's the nature of the flash.
While we tend to think of a camera's hot shoe as an attachment point for a flash, it's actually an accessory shoe that can accept a flash. (Other typical uses include accessory optical or wire-frame viewfinders, GPS units, video lights and shotgun microphones.) The centre, large connector ...
3
Don't forget that you can also set the parameters for using flash in Av mode on Canon 5D Mk II cameras, with respect to shutter speed.
In the 'Custom Function' Menu, > 'Exposure' (C.Fn I), > 'Flash Sync, In Av Mode.
You have 3 options:
1. Auto
2. 1/60 to 1/200
3. 1/200 fixed
I think that Auto is the default setting, the only problem with this is your ...
3
Alan's answer covers the wireless option (and was posted while I was typing) so I'll restrict this to the wired options.
Let's start with what you probably don't want. The PC cable option is the cheapest possible -- until you take into account the flash-capable light meter you're going to need in order to make it work the way you'd like. There was a time ...
3
Essentially, you'll need to adjust aperture, ISO, and flash power until you get proper exposure. If your image is too bright, tighten your aperture, decrease ISO, or decrease flash power until it's properly exposed. If it's too dark, do the opposite.
If you like to do math in your head, you can use the guide number of the flash as an aide for proper ...
3
I have bought all of mine 2nd hand with success. However I would only buy ones described as excellent/mint condition and only if I could inspect before buying. Things to look for would be corrosion in the battery compartment, any signs of condensation inside from rain or being dropped in the pool :) If the flash has a zoom function, check that, as it's a ...
3
There are not a lot of new options for flash that is sub-$150, though the Metz Mecablitz 20 C2 is one of them and Metz makes a good flash, though I haven't used this one personally.
In terms of flash shopping, considerations would include:
Recycle time (how fast is the flash at being usable again once fired).
Guide number (at full power, what's the range ...
3
Depends if you need CLS or not. (Don't even know if the F5 has CLS).
I'd keep the SB-800, and use it until it dies. The Strobist folks snap up all the good used Nikon strobes, but they are still tons cheaper than the SB-910 (and the Canon equivalent).
I consider strobes to be like tires on my car. Good to have good ones, but they are normal wear items, ...
3
If you're setting up the lights, and they're a fixed distance away from your subject, then use manual. Other than if you fire your flashes with insufficient power, your exposure will be consistent from frame to frame. That's the boring example. Nothing is moving. TTL doesn't gain anything over manual.
If the distance isn't fixed, then it's still ...
3
Probably the best source of free information on shooting with a Speedlite and umbrellas is David Hobby's Strobist site. http://strobist.blogspot.com/
Do you have two 430s? If not, how are you using the three umbrellas? Most folks put a flash in each umbrella (that they are using) and shoot though the white, so that it diffuses the light.
Typical sets have ...
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