Canon 299T as slave for pop up flash

This question is probably for Jim Strutz or the N.K Guy:

I bought the old 299T to use as an automatic flash (non TTL) for the G3 via the

hotshoe. It also works fine for the 20d that way. It's a great flash with all

the f-stop settings, not just 3 like the Vivitar 283/285 or the Sunpak

varieties. The integrated ISO setting up to 1600 can also be used as flash

exposure compensation.

However, I recently bought a Powershot S3, which does not have a hotshoe. So

naturally I tried to use a hotshoe slave to trigger the 299T by the S3's pop up

flash (manual mode, no preflash). Strangely, the 299T only flashed once, then

to get it to work again, I had to turn it off and back on. I checked the slave

with a Vivitar 285 and it worked fine.

I remember a comment somewhere that this behavior also happens with the newer

550ex's or 580ex's when used with a hotshoe slave. I tried taping the extra

contacts on the 299T but to no avail.

Is there a way to fix the 299T to work with hotshoe slaves? Would using the

Canon's proprietary PC cord (the one with one round and one flat prong) for the

299T solve this problem?

Or is there a way to install a PC nipple to the S3? Back in the days, Canon did

just that for my T-90.

I've never so much as seen a 299T. But I have read things about them and have used the older 199A. I'm only a bit surprised that the 299T locks up after one pop from a generic optical slave device. That's exactly the behavior that most, but not all, the somewhat newer EZ series flash units do. And all EX series Speedlites that I have tested do this too. I just thought that the 299T, being an auto flash, would cooperate with optical slaves better. I never had any luck with taping the extra contacts either.

The Ikelite Lite-Link TTL slave cures the problem with EZ and EX series Speedlites, and I suppose it would do the same for the 299T. Adorama last sold them for $80, but they have been recently discontinued, so you would have to locate a used one. I bought a couple on ebay.

Does the 299T have a PC socket, or would you have to use a PC to hot shoe adapter?

I wonder how the new "digital" optical slaves might work with Canon Speedlites? They are designed to either ignore the preflash, or delay firing (an adjustable aount of time) before tripping the slaved flash. It just may be that the electronics involved would cooperate with the Speedlites. You couldn't use the S3 in manual mode though, since the digital slave would need to see the pre-flash.

The 299T has a 2 prong PC socket, not household but proprietary 1 round one flat prong, just like the 199A. Maybe generic slave via PC cord would work? But then would be cumber some for a handheld flash to use with little digital cameras. The Ikelite would be too big for this purpose.

Consistent with the way in the G series, the S3's manual mode would also have the flash in manual, with 3 output settings. This oddity is annoying when you want to use the built in flash in manual mode, but quite convenient to use with external slave flash. Just set to lowest setting and trigger the slave flash, no preflash nonsense.

One strange thing I just found with the 20D is that when using the built in flash to trigger a generic slave attached Vivitar 285, the external flash just would not sync with the camera exposure. It has no effect at all, just like the built in flash working alone.

There has to be some kind of better external flash solution for the S3. A 432mm zoom reach with the puny built in flash, and no PC socket, is absurd. The external slave flash especially made for it is not that powerful either, something like GN 50 (feet).

Now we have to live with the 283/285, with 3 auto f stops and no flash compensation.

<I>"The Ikelite would be too big for this purpose."</I>

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It's actually not much bigger than some of the Wein optical slaves I have. It has a hotshoe and it works fine hand held. But it's not going to work with an E-TTL system anyway.

<P>

<I>"There has to be some kind of better external flash solution for the S3."</I>

<P>

Yeah, it's called a Panasonic FZ20/FZ30. Has a generic hotshoe built in. :)

<I>"But it's not going to work with an E-TTL system anyway."</I>

<P>

I should clarify that. The Lite-Link is not going to work with the on camera flash in an E-TTL mode, but it will work with the camera set to manual. I have an older G1, and it's flash system also reverts to full manual when the camera's metering mode is set to M, just like the G3 and S3. I've used the Lite-Link to add a 550EX to it. It's also got a tripod screw hole on the bottom to make mounting easy.

Can you clarify a little more about the Lite-Link. I've read a few description at retail sites but still uncertain how it works.

I thought it retains TTL capability for an EZ off camera flash, with the main EZ flash fired from an A type body like the A2.

It does not work with E-TTL. Then how does it work in your example on the G1 if the camera is on manual flash? Does it make the 550ex behave like a TTL flash even though the camera is on manual flash? If so how can it achieve this? Or you mean the 550ex only works in manual power mode (full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 etc.)?

Normally the Lite-Link does retain TTL capability with EZ series Speedlites. It senses when the master flash fires and quenches, and contolls the slaved E, EZ or EX flash the same way. It does not work with E-TTL flash metering because when it sees the pre-flash it pulses the slaved flash, and there is't enough time for it to trigger the second time.

When the G1 (or any of Canon's G series) is in manual, the flash fires in manual too, just like you noted above, and there is no pre-flash. What you have to do with the 550EX is switch it to manual also. The Lite-Link is undoubtedly still thinking TTL, and signalling the start and stop of the master flash, but the 550EX ignores the quenching signal and continues in manual power mode (full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 etc).

The Lite-Link is a technological over kill for manual applications, and the only reason I use it is because it doesn't lock up the EZ & EX series Speedlites. I haven't looked in quite a while, but I bet they go cheap on ebay. They probably don't come up all that often though.