First time buyer Canon flash 580ex ii.

[chistian_sanchez]

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p> I'm still new to Canon flash units and Canon cameras. I'm looking forward on purchasing a Canon 580ex ii. My question before buying this unit is. Do I need to purchase anything extra to run this flash with my Canon Eos50d in wireless mode? With my Nikon camera I'm use to setting up my flash in remote commander mode without the need of any transmitters. Can the same be done with just the 580ex ii and the 50d body?</p>

<p>My thanks to all in advance for your help.<br>

Chris</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>Not with a 50D. you'll need another speedlight or a STE-2 remote transmitter. Or a OCSC for shorter distances.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Look at some sites like (<a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/index3.html">link</a>). The latest edition of something like the <em>Canon Speedlite System</em> may be helpful if the manual seems too dense.</p>

<p>The one, most useful addition, though not for wireless, is probably an off-camera extension cord. The Canon-made/brand cords (Off Shoe Camera Cord OC-E3 or the Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2) are fairly expensive, but a search for "canon flash extension" or the code for the Canon original will reveal lots of much cheaper cloned alternatives on eBay.</p>

[jeffrey_c1]

<p>The only camera that allows you to fire a camera remotely is the 7D. All other canon cameras require a 550ex, 580ex, 580ex II, or an ST-E2 to trigger the remote flashes. Canon's a bit behind here.</p>

<p>ST-E2 can only control 2 groups while the 580ex can control 3 groups.</p>

[james_slanger1]

<p>Head over to:<br /><a href="http://www.speedliting.com/how-to/">www.speedliting.com/how-to/</a><br />And scroll down to the post on "<a title="Permanent Link: Deciding How To Start With Off-Camera Speedliting — Part One" rel="bookmark" href="http://speedliting.com/how-to/how-to-start-off-camera-flash-part-1/">Deciding How To Start With Off-Camera Speedliting — Part One</a>"<br>

This is a newer site focusing on Canon flashes.<br>

<br />/jim</p>

[daniel flather]

<p><em>Can the same be done with just the 580ex ii and the 50d body?</em></p>

<p><br /> No, The 580 has to be on the camera in master mode, from there it can control 580ii or 430ii flash units that are in slave mode. I can't remember how may it can master and still have all the slaves in e-TTL, but I think it's three. But you can run more than that with out the use of TTL.</p>

<p>I have one 580 and two 430s.</p>

[chistian_sanchez]

<p>Thanks everyone,</p>

<p> The information was very helpful!</p>

<p>Chris :-)</p>

[steve_dunn2]

<cite>No, The 580 has to be on the camera in master mode, from there it can control 580ii or 430ii flash units that are in slave mode.</cite>

 

<p>Well, a master unit has to be on the camera. If all you want is a master (i.e. you don't want an on-camera flash unit to contribute to the lighting), it might be worth considering an older master unit (550EX or first-generation 580EX, both reasonably available on the used equipment market) or an ST-E2; any of these will control your slave(s) and likely cost less than devoting a 580EX II just to being a flash controller.</p>

 

<cite>I can't remember how may it can master and still have all the slaves in e-TTL, but I think it's three. But you can run more than that with out the use of TTL.</cite>

 

<p>The actual number of slave units is unlimited. What's limited to three is the number of <em>groups</em> of slaves. All slaves in each group are essentially treated as one large flash for metering purposes.</p>

[robert100]

<p>to james slanger... thanx tons for the two links, i bot a 40d a month ago and have been looking for data on using actual canon speedlights with them, i just downloaded the blurbs from those links and will look at them later tonite... at the moment, for an off-camera unit i am using an old vivitar 2800 thyristor unit thru the pc terminal, i used it in a large hall the other night knocked back to the low power setting with the camera on a sixtieth and iso 100 and works great... and versus the price tag on 430's and 530's i was quite pleased in that the vivitar 2800 was a freebie.... because the key is you definitely have to get your strobe off camera....</p>