430EX question

[santer36]

is it or is it not possible to set up a 430ex flash on a tripod and be able to

"trip" it using a studio flash connected to the camera via a pc cord? i do not

have a 580EX but i would like to use my 430 as a background light and my studio

strobe as the main light. thanks

[enzo_simonelli]

Yes, You can; You have just to add a common slave-cell to the 430EX (to its hot-shoe) and of course, to set it for M-manual mode dialing the output like with the strobes.

 

Indeed, 430EX does have built-in slave-cell, but there is an electronic digital-filter right after the cell, in the inner circuit. This filter wants digital-encoded pulses of light as generated by a Master Speedlite's pre-flash (550EX 580EX ST-E2).

This is why EX-Speedlites won't react on common lightnings, they having built-in slave-cell even though.

[santer36]

i have been getting the strobes to fire when i had my 430EX on me camera. i would like to be able to take the 430 OFF my camera to use behind the subject. is this possible WITHOUT buying a 580EX or any other MASTER speedlite?

[pbalko]

My experience with the 430EX + slave is that the flash will fire once. After that you have to turn the flash off and on again to reset it.

[m3rdpwr]

I thought I heard that power off and on speedlite flash thing was because of a certain brand or type of slave-cell. It was some sort of weird compatability problem, but the new model solved the problem..

 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong...

 

-Mario

[pbalko]

It could be me, Mario. My no-name slave is about 20 yrs old. I thought I had read here, though, when I got the flash last year, that that's the way it was. If anybody has other info or experience, I guess I could spend a few more $$ on a new slave.

[enzo_simonelli]

Whether the plate of the cell is metal, tray insulating all the Flash's pin BUT the central one; by a piece of film inbetween.

[dave_holland]

Yes it is possible, though I have never done it. There are several threads right here on photo.net describing what you are looking for. Do a search in the photo.net google search engine for this:

430EX AND wein peanut.

 

Dave

[willhl]

Ok there are a couple of ways of doing this depending on you camera and exactly what you want to do. My understanding is you want the studio flash connected to the camera via a pc cord and you want the 430EX to fire at the same time. I take it your camera has a pc socket and a hot shoe.

 

1. Easiest, get an optical hotshoe slave, small and cheap, when your studio strobe fires, so will the 430EX, provided it is able to get enough light to trigger it. Couple of extra issues, I have two slaves, one works with my 430EX and the other doesn't, don't know why but it doesn't. Also my 430EX switches off after a while if it is not fired, haven't check to see if I can change the power off settings.

 

2. Radio trigger. You could get a radio trigger to fire you 430EX, from a hotshoe mounted transmitter and still have the strobe using the pc sync socket. Ebay triggers are not expensive but you must make sure you use the new Version 2, apparently they should work with the 430EX, I know for a fact that the V1 does not.

 

You could make some other wierd combinations too but those are the easiest.