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I am aware that the Canon 430EX II can only be used as a slave, but if I have the hot shoe adaptor with a standard PC cable connecting it to my Cybersync receiver (which fires upon connection) when shooting from my 5D Mark II with my Cybersync transmitter, shouldn't that work?
Is it my technology that is not compatible or is there a flash setting I should be using? I use Manual as opposed to E-TTL.
Any advice is appreciated.
Simply having the 430EXII in Manual mode isn't sufficient. It must also be out of slave mode. The slave modes for the 430EXII are for Canon's wireless eTTL optical-based system. Your Cybersync triggers are replacing that system, and using the PC sync port to trigger the flash. If the 430EXII is in Slave mode, it's only listening to the optical sensor under the front red panel and not listening to the foot of the flash or the PC sync port.
Otherwise, the system should work as you envision. For basic troubleshooting, check the following things:
Make sure all your batteries (flash, triggers, and camera) are good.
Make sure both triggers are using the same channel/group. Use the test button to see if the radio triggering is good between the triggers.
Make sure the flash is set to M mode and out of SLAVE mode. (You cannot use eTTL, 2nd curtain, or HSS with Cybersyncs, which are manual-only triggers).
Make sure the PC cable and its connectors are good. A screwlock PC cable is probably the best to make sure the connection with the flash is secure.
When putting the transmitter unit on the camera, make sure it's fully seated forward into the shoe.
Make sure your shutter speed is at or below your camera body's sync speed (1/200 for the 5DMkII; you may need to lower to 1/160s if the radio triggers add enough of a propagation delay to the signal.
The flash should be set in Manual mode, not Slave mode. When used in Slave mode there must be a Master flash optically controlling the 430EX II through the optical receiver on the flash. In Slave mode the signals through the pins on the flash shoe are ignored. If there are channel and slave symbols visible in the lower right corner of the 430EX II's LED panel, press and hold the Zoom button (for around 1-2 seconds) until they disappear. This will probably put the flash back into E-TTL mode so you will then need to press the mode button until M appears on the LED screen.
If the flash is set in Manual mode then you need to check your Cybersync trigger set to be sure they are set to the same channel and communicating properly. Exactly how you need to do that will vary depending on exactly which Cybersync models you are using. There are too many possible combinations to cover them all here. Please see the CyberSync User Manual on how to setup your particular models.
Beyond that, you can also test the flash directly on the camera's hot shoe just to confirm that the hot shoe and flash are working properly. Also check to be sure all the pieces are connected properly. With some triggers it is very easy to insert them backwards on the camera's hot shoe or insert the flash backwards on the flash adapter. And don't forget to check the batteries powering your various pieces as well!
