Speedlite backwards compatibility

I've recently bought a used EOS D60 as my primary body for shooting

motorsports, relegating my trusty EOS 5 to a backup. Dare I say it,

I've barely picked it up since I've bought the D60, but in my line of

work I cannot afford not to have a backup body.

 

Unfortunately, my 430EZ speedlite only works in manual mode on the

D60, and since given the nature of what I shoot means I don't have

the time to do the maths in order to get the right exposure using

flash, I am looking for another flashgun.

 

I have been using the on-camera flash of the D60, but being

accustomed to using an external flashgun on the EOS 5, it leaves a

lot to be desired of - particularly in the harsh sunlight we've been

having in the UK currently. This is fine at a pinch, but very

frustrating and not particularly ideal.

 

I tend to use a lot of fill flash for driver portraits and in-car

shots as well as to compensate for harsh / strong sunlight. I also

like using second-curtain synch for interesting blur effects.

 

Because my backup body is an older film body which uses A-TTL, I need

to know whether the EX-series flashes are backwards compatible with

it. I've looked through the past posts on this topic, and they don't

really answer my question particularly well.

 

Which is why I need to pick your brains. The budget I have available

for a new flashgun depends on the backwards compatibility issue

since, since it will determine whether I can trade in my 430EZ

against the cost of a 550EX or whether it would be better to keep it

to use on the EOS 5 and get a 420EX for the D60.

 

For what it is worth, the 430EZ more than met my needs when the EOS 5

was my main camera body.

 

If anyone has any suggestions on this, I'd be pleased to hear them.

I use a 550ex on an EOS 5 regularly with good results. You don't get E-TTL and the

flash doesn't do A-TTL but regular TTL flash metering still works pretty well to my

eye. The best resource I've seen for canon flash questions is:

 

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

For as far I know (correct me if I'm wrong), no Canon Speedlite is able to operate in both A-TTL and E-TTL.

I know for sure that the Metz 54MZ-3 works in TTL and A-TTL mode on your EOS 5 and in E-TTL on your D60. Check it out on www.metz.de

 

But you also might consider using an EX speedlite in TTL (instead of A-TTL) mode on your EOS 5. IMHO A-TTL is not much better than TTL.

But my advice: go for the Metz! It's a wonderful flash.

I believe that the speedlites are all backward compatible with what Canon calls "B Cameras" The "A Cameras" are the E-TTL and the B the ones that are just TTL. I had the 380EX and I remember that one-half the manual was about the "B" Camera uses. I have the 550EX and it also has doubled the size of the manual by giving instructions for both "A" and "B" cameras. The difference is that the 550EX has a custom feature regarding the body types. I think that the 380 automatically knew if the camera was "A" or "B" and there was nothing to set. Since the 420EX is the speedlite most compatible with your 10D you should double check, but I am pretty sure that it is completely backwards compatible. The Canon website will list this feature.

I went to the USA Canon website and this is what they say about the 420EX: Totally TTL-compatible with all "Type B" EOS cameras, and the manual-focus T90 SLR body. So I think you can go for any EX flash and it works on the "B cameras".

>> "For as far I know (correct me if I'm wrong), no Canon Speedlite is able to operate in both A-TTL and E-TTL".

 

You are right. EZ flashes give you TTL and A-TTL. EX flashes give you TTL and E-TTL.

 

If the 430EZ was good enough for you, the 420EX will certainly be just as good, if not better. It will work in E-TTL on the D60 and TTL on the EOS 5.

 

Happy shooting ,

Yakim.

<i>If the 430EZ was good enough for you, the 420EX will certainly be just as good, if not better</i><p>

 

I have to disagree with Yakim there. The 430EZ's present equivalent in the range is the 550EX, since the 420EX does not offer any sort of manual control nor stroboscopic mode, both of which are available on the 430EZ (which was replaced by the 540EZ).<p>

 

The source of confusion is that film E-TTL bodies (like the EOS 3) can use E-TTL with an EX flash, A-TTL with an EZ flash and TTL with either. <br>Digital E-TTL bodies can ONLY use E-TTL. <br>Older A-TTL bodies can use A-TTL and TTL. <p>

 

As for flashguns, EX series guns offer E-TTL and TTL only, whilst EZ series guns offer A-TTL and TTL only. <p>

 

Thus the answer to the original question is that the 550EX will work on the EOS 5 only in TTL mode, but that is not enormously different to A-TTL. <p>

 

I personally would trade in the 430EZ for the 550EX. That is what I did late last year, and really do not regret it at all, especially now that I have a D30 in addition to my EOS 3. With the EOS 5, I believe you'll lose very little, and you may upgrade to an E-TTL body later, for which the 550EX will serve well.