EOS 5 pc cord problem

[kevin_allen]

I have a couple of EOS 5 bodies and 540EZ flash units. I just got a lightstand and umbrella and want to use the 540EZ in manual mode to light some portraits, etc. I got a 10 ft pc cord and a pc to hotshoe adapter (which has a short cord attached) to connect the camera to the flash. I connected everything and started shooting to get a good exposure starting point to calculate from (no flash meter). I shot 7 times successfully, then the flash stopped firing. I disconnected the 10 ft cord, plugged into the hotshoe adapter, and it worked again. Took the camera, cord/connector and flash back to the store (SE Camera in Raleigh, NC - knowledgable people, not cashiers) to get them to check it out. The cord fired every time when shorted or connected to different cameras; still didn't work with mine. So, we hooked it up hotshoe to pc to hotshoe, and it worked again with the EOS 5. Left the store, back at home -- doesn't work. Removed the 10 ft cord again (a different one, by the way), and it works.

 

<p>

 

Any ideas why this is happening?

[jimstrutz]

This same kind of thing happens when people use generic optical

slaves with Canon Speedlites. Only it usually fires once and then

locks up. You can reset it to fire again by pressing the open flash

button (the red light). It will then fire once more before locking

up. Turning it off and back on does the same thing. Some 540EZ's

seem to be affected like this and others don't.

 

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You can try to make sure none of the other four flash foot contacts

get shorted out on the hotshoe adapter. A piece of tape usually

works. This may or may not work with your setup though. Some

540EZ's (and other Canon Speedlites as well) just don't like working

with anything but real Canon hotshoes.

 

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Two other options are using Canon's modualr TTL wire set (very

expensive) or using a Ikelite Lite-Link TTL optical slave ($80 at

adorama.com). Either one will still allow TTL metering if you want

and manual settings when you don't.