Canon A-1 and Speedlite 540EZ

[curtis_sifford]

I purchased the Speedlite 540EZ to use with both my Canon A-1 and AE-1. I know

this flash is designed for the EOS cameras but I asked around and was told that

it would work with the A series cameras in its most basic mode. So I purchased

it and have shot numerous rolls with both my A-1 and AE-1. The exposure is

working fine. I use it with the shutter speed on the sync speed (60) and set

the aperature to whatever value I want considering the distance to the subject

and guide number of the flash at the zoom setting I am using. I just use a

large enough aperature to make sure the flash has enough power to cover the

subject. I know the A series have 3 contacts and the 540EZ has 5 but I assumed

the other contacts were for the TTL flash metering that the A series does not

have. I assumed the 3 contacts send a signal to the flash letting it know what

the aperature is. When the flash is ready to fire, it sets the shutter speed

automatically on the A-1 to 1/60. With the aperature signal and the set shutter

speed, I assumed the flash took care of the exposure. The pictures turned out

great so it looks like the flash works fine with both A series cameras. I asked

a technical representative at B&H Photo Video before I purchased the flash and

they said it should work in the automatic setting.

 

With all that said... on both cameras (first the AE-1 then the A-1) I am having

problems with the shutter operating when I press the shutter release button. If

I press it quickly the shutter will operate. However, if I depress it half way

to take the exposure reading and make sure the flash is ready to fire and to

wait for the right opportunity to take the photo then when I continue to put

pressure on the shutter button to release the shutter it does not fire. For

some reason this slow release causes it not to work. But if I wait 5 seconds

or so and rapidly press the button the shutter will operate. So now I am

wondering if I have messed up a circuit or the button with this flash? Does it

have some high voltage that messed up something? Or is it just a coincidence

that both cameras are having the exact same problem at very near the exact same

time after using them with the speedlite for about 6 rolls of film?

 

My only reason for purchasing the 540EZ (used) was to have the bounce and twist

head. I wanted to be able to bounce the flash when taking a portrait.

Otherwise, I would have purchased an older and for sure compatible speedlite.

 

Thanks for any comments.

[richard_cook2]

Maybe the batteries in your cameras are getting a little flat?

 

If a battery is on its way out I would expect the voltage to drop when you depress and hold the button to take the exposure reading. Hold the button for too long and the battery does not have the strength to fire the shutter.

 

Realising the button and waiting for a few seconds would enable it to recover enough to fire the shutter.

[JosvanEekelen]

Can't answer the questions you have but your assumptions about the contacts are wrong. At the time of introduction the Speedlite 199A was the flash for the A1. In this setup the flash is the master that controls the body. The aperture value that is set on the flash is communicated to the body, so is the signal that the flash is ready to fire, this sends a corresponding signal to the camera.

 

The flashes for the A-series cameras were thyristor/auto-flash, the light output was measured and controlled by the flash unit. The 540EZ is a TTL/A-TTL flash which relies on type-B (as Canon calls them) bodies for flash measurement so the signals go the other way. I think you might read Neil Guy's essays on Canon flash photograpy for a better understanding: www.photonotes.org.

[gale]

Can't answer for sure either but I have had luck with Canon's 299T and 533G Speed Lite Gun. Both of which meets your criteria of both side to side and up and down bounce and both of which are dedicated to Canons including A Series Canon's and works on The A-1 or AE-1 Program in all modes including full Program.

 

I own both. I found mine on E Bay...the 299T for around a 100 bucks and the 533G Lite Gun for around 125 bucks.

 

Dave

[jeremy2]

Curtis, this may be a stupid question, but I'm not sure from your post - does this shutter problem only happen when you're using the flash, or does it happen even when you don't have the flash mounted on the camera?

[curtis_sifford]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Jeremy, that is a good question - it happens with or without the flash on the camera. I did some more reading in the last few days and found a site that said the flash could be used with the A series cameras but only in the manual setting where guide number calculations would have to be made with every exposure. At least that would lead me to believe that it would not damage the cameras. I wish now that I had purchased the 299T or 533G as David suggests. Maybe Camera Coop (in Houston) will be understanding and let me return the flash (6 weeks since purchase) since they told me it would work with the camera. If they do not I may cut my losses and have the Camera's repaired and buy a 299T or 533G. Richard - I did try replacing the battery on both Cameras and still had the same problem.

 

I have submitted this inquiry to Canon Support and I will let everyone know what their response is. Thanks again!

[curtis_sifford]

Here is the response from Canon. Looks like the flash is compatible and from the now 7 or 8 rolls I have taken the exposure is correct by simply selecting the desired aperture. I guess it is a coincidence that both Cameras are having the same problem with the shutter not releasing with or without the flash. I will repair them and try it again. Thanks for your responses.

 

Curtis

 

Response from Canon Support.................

 

Dear Curtis:

 

Thank you for your inquiry regarding your 540EZ. We value you as a

Canon customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

 

Yes, the flash should be compatible, although every now and then you

might run into some quirks where the camera or flash don't react as you

would expect. I'm guessing that the shutter issue doesn't occur when

you have the flash removed from the cameras. If the camera continues to

act that way even without the flash, then you might want to send the

camera in for service.

 

For factory service, please forward your camera to one of the Factory

Service Centers shown below. When shipping your camera, please be sure

to remove the film (if possible) and batteries. You are not required to

send any accessories or manuals when shipping the camera. Be sure to

include your name, street address (no P.O. boxes, please), telephone

number, and a letter describing the issue with the product.

 

As we do not provide RMA numbers for service, we suggest using a

trackable and insurable service (i.e. UPS, Federal Express, Priority

Mail) to ship your camera. Please package the camera very securely in a

sturdy shipping box to prevent damage during shipment.

 

Please send your camera to one of the following Factory Service Centers:

 

Canon Factory Service

100 Jamesburg Road

Jamesburg, NJ 08831

Telephone: (732) 521-7007

 

OR

 

Canon Factory Service

15955 Alton Parkway

Irvine, CA 92618

Telephone: (949) 753-4200

 

Upon arrival at the Factory Service Center, your camera will be logged

in to our repair database and assigned a repair number. Next, the

camera will be examined and you will be advised of the findings. When

the repairs are complete, the camera will be shipped back to you via

Federal Express or UPS.

 

The length of time for the repair will be dependent upon the nature of

the repair and availability of parts, if needed. Usually, repairs are

completed within approximately ten to fourteen business days of the

camera's arrival at the Factory Service Center. Please be assured that

your camera will be returned as soon as possible. We appreciate your

patience and understanding in this matter.

 

Since the camera is out of warranty, a written estimate will be sent to

you at the address that you have provided. The repairs to your camera

will not begin until you approve this estimate and make payment

arrangements. If, after receiving the estimate, you do not wish to have

the camera repaired, please inform the Factory Service Center of your

decision as soon as possible. If you decline the estimate, the camera

will be shipped back to you unrepaired.

 

Once you have confirmed with your shipper that the camera has been

delivered, you are more than welcome to contact us for repair updates.

Please include your name, address, and telephone number, as well as the

serial number of the camera, in all repair status inquiries.

 

I hope that helps. Please let us know if we can be of any further

assistance with your cameras and flashes.

 

Thank you for choosing Canon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Nick

Technical Support Representative

[feanolas1]

Curtis, I would try to bring the flash back and get another one, Canon Speedlites are good, the 199 is probably the one you should get.

 

However, there are tons of compatible flashes out there, and you may want to look at Metz flashes as they can be adapted to lots of different cameras by simply changing the hot shoe part.

Note that only the very recent ones (tagged Digital) are compatible with Canon E-TTL.

[curtis_sifford]

I brought the Cameras to a repair shop and found that the battery was indeed the problem. When the AE-1 started to act up, I replaced the battery but I used an alkaline battery instead of a nickle battery. According to the technician, I should use a nickle battery. And the A-1 had a battery drain. It was the switch that turns off the display in the viewfinder. I have been using them both since they were repaired and they seem to work fine.

 

Thanks,

Curtis

[cadillacmike]

Hi Curtiss. You should use a Silver or Lithium battery. To my knowledge they don't make a nickel (NiMH) battery in this size. Duracell PX28L or Eveready LR44 (or SR44 for Silver) Lithiums last longer in storage while the silver is supposed to have more power. I prefer Lithium.

 

Jos, I can't believe that Canon would deliberately cross up the signals on the TTL flashes vs the older non-TTLs. Those two extra contacts on the original 2 contact flashes are for 1: telling the camera to go to the flash synch speed and 2: telling the camera to set the lens to what the flash wants as opposed to what the meter wants. That's why the AT-1, AV-1 and AL-1 only have one of the two little extra contacts, because you can't use the lens on A with these three cameras. The 2 additional contacts on TTL flashes are 3: for the camera to tell the flash to shut off since the sensor is now in the camera not on the flash and 4: no idea! (possibly the 2nd curtain synch control???).

 

If someone wants to test a Canon TTL flash on an A- series, you can do this (I don't have any TTL flashes): Set the camera to 1 second, If you have an A-1 or new F-1, make sure the flash is not set to slow synch or this won't work. Attach the flash, fire it up and make a test shot. If the camera fires at 1/60 (1/90) then it works, if it fires at 1 second then Canon did indeed cross up the signal pins (which I do not think they did.

 

NOTE: this will NOT ensure correct exposures, TTL flashes do not have the sensor that the non-TTL flashes have. you still have to use the guide # calcs. but your camera will correctly go to flash synch speed when a TTL flash is ready which does help.

 

Sunpak also makes tilt-swivel flash for Canon A-series (and New F-1). 433D (auto 30DX in europe) is a powerful flash. No zoom though like the 299T (my fovourite shoe mount flash).

[JosvanEekelen]

I just tested the A-1 in the way Mike suggested. Canon A-1 and Speedlite 580EX. To my surprise the flash initiated 1/60 shutter sync speed, visible in the viewfinder ("F") and an aubible 1/60 whereas the camera was set to 1 sec.

 

Also tried the A-1 with a Metz 40MZ-3i, with SCA 3101 and SCA 3102 adapters, tried both E-TTL setting and A-TTL on the SCA 3101, the 3102 is E-TTL only. In all cases the Metz set the shutter speed of the A-1 to 1/60 (visible in the viewfinder), and "F" but the camera refused to fire.

 

Apparently there is more communication between the A-1 and the newer Canon speedlites than I expected.

[curtis_sifford]

I don't understand as much as you guys do about how the flash and camera communicate. As Jos says, when the flash warms up, the A-1 automatically sets the shutter speed to 1/60. The AE-1 also recognizes the flash is on. When the flash warms up, the light meter quits metering and the M in the display lights up (on the AE-1). I haven't verified that the sync speed is automatically set to 1/60 on the AE-1. I just set it at 1/60. I have now owned this flash and used it mostly with the A-1 since November. I have probably shot around 10 rolls of film with it and the exposure has turned out correct every time (at least I think it has). I do not set the aperture by the guide number formula. For example, if the subject is 10 ft away, I do not set my aperture to GN/Distance = 54*3.3/10 = ~16 (54 is the guide number with 105mm lens). Instead I make sure that I choose an aperture that is sufficient for the range. So generally I just choose f4 or f8 for subjects that are reasonably close. For subjects that are far away I may use 2 or 2.8. So far this has worked very well. Most of the time I bounce the flash and use a diffuser, but I have tried direct flash many times too. And I also have used fill in flash outdoors. I do this by taking an exposure reading at 1/60, then decrease the daylight exposure by 1/2 - 1 stop. Then I reduce the flash output by 3 stops on the flash unit. This seems to provide just the right balance. I found if I do not decrease the daylight exposure by at least 1/2 a stop then the picture is completely washed out.

 

Mike - I misspoke about the battery. It is the Silver battery that I am now using not nickel. No problem since using that battery.

 

Thanks again for all your responses. As a general disclaimer, I am very much a novice at this so it may just be an accident that the flash seems to work well with my A-1. As stated before, had I known about the 299T before purchasing the 540EZ I would have purchased that flash unit.

[cadillacmike]

Curtiss: my guess is that you are using print film, which is much more forgiving than slide film is to overexposure. As long as you are happy with the results, keep on shooting!