Canon 5D2 @ Canon 220 EX

<p>I just started getting a few flash misfires when using camera in the manual mode? Any advice as to proplem. Thanks for any input.</p>

<p>Make sure your exposures are not longer than the flash can handle. I think 1/200 or 1/250 is all the faster Canon flashes can go. I do not own the 220 EX but that it the way it works with my 580 EX II. I hope this helps. Good luck!</p>

<p>batteries. I know it seems obvious, but they're easy to forget about, you may need new ones. That's the first thing I would try. That and clean the contacts on the hot shoe and flash.</p>

<p>Can you define more precisely what you mean by "misfires"? There are many possible things that can go wrong, and having a better idea of which one you're talking about might help us give you advice that's tailored for your specific situation.</p>

<p>Maybe he's asking about the E-TTL metering preflash? Lots of people think that's a misfire.</p>

<p>The 220EX will normal sync with the 5DII at 1/200 or, in high speed sync mode, any shutter speed. Of course you'll want to be tight to your subject as the 220EX is wee and HSS reduces range considerably.</p>

<p>Hi All, Shutter speed is below 1/200th,I can go about shooting several pics then flash doesn't fire and I get a blank frame, then it's ok again for several more pics and then another no flash? I'm going to replace the batteries and see what happens.</p>

<p>It could be batteries, or a poor connection (clean the contacts on both the camera's hotshoe and the flash unit's foot); these are both quick and easy things to test, and you're already in the process of doing this.</p>

 

<p>Another possibility that could match the symptoms you're describing is that you may not be allowing the flash unit enough time to charge up between shots. The cycle time depends on a number of factors, including the batteries (both what type they are - nickel-based rechargeables typically charge the flash more rapidly than lithium batteries, which in turn are usually quicker than alkalines - and their state of charge) and how much light was needed from the flash to produce a correct exposure. If the exposure only needed (say) a quarter of the flash unit's maximum output, then the flash unit will still have about three-quarters of its charge left, and it will be ready for the next shot pretty quickly. But if the shot needed more power, then the flash will need longer to be ready for the next shot*. If the "flash ready" indicator in the viewfinder comes on but the flash doesn't fire, then this isn't the problem, but I know there have been times that I've forgotten to keep an eye on it and taken a shot only to find that the flash didn't fire because I didn't give it enough time to recharge.</p>

 

<p>*: Another possible complication is that the flash doesn't have to be charged all the way up to 100% to fire; the "flash ready" light will come on a bit before it's fully charged, since most of the time you don't need the full power anyway and there's no point making you wait for it. So (just to throw some numbers out there, and these are completely made-up numbers and may not reflect reality) if you take a series of pictures, each of which needs (say) 25% of the flash unit's power, and only allow enough time for it to charge up (say) 20% each time, then the first few shots will work - the flash will be at 100% before the first shot, 95% (100-25+20) before the second, 90% before the third, and so on. At some point, though, the flash won't have enough charge by the time you take the shot, and will surprise you by not being ready even though you're asking exactly the same task it just performed a few times in a row. Whether this is a realistic version of your scenario, I have no idea; I mention it more for the sake of completeness than anything else.</p>