bill_goldman

The screens come with a plastic tweezer-like tool and are intended for owner installation.

Your Transistor Pack E is operating normally. The unit does not provide any indication of full charge. Obviously, with a full charge your 580EX will recycle very rapidly, probably in less than 1 second after a full power flash.

 

My method for determining if the unit was fully charged was to measure the voltage with a voltmeter; when it measured approximately the same as the output voltage imprinted on the charger, I knew it was fully charged.

 

The unit contains sub-C cell NiCd batteries. NiCds have a memory effect so they should be completely discharged occasionally for best performance.

 

I have "retired" my Transistor Pack E and replaced it with the CP-E3 which I use with NiMH rechargeable AA batteries. It recycles my 580EX faster than the Transistor Pack E and is tiny in comparison.

Some EOS cameras have a custom function that sets the shutter to 1/200th in Av mode. Did you check to see if that custom function is set?

It sounds to me as if the Off/Master/Slave switch is bad, failing to make contact in the Master position. Exchange the unit for a new one.

Although the previous respondents have given some good advice, I suspect Gilles is not as advanced a photographer as they and is looking for simple, straight forward information.

 

Gilles, if your camera is exposing correctly and your Speedlite is working correctly, your flash pictures with slide film should generally be fine without any special techniques or considerations. Since you have previously only shot print film, you wont know that until you see the results from your first roll of film, since photo labs attempt to produce good prints even if the negatives are not properly exposed.

 

The one thing you should keep in mind is that slide film has less lattitude than negative film. Slide film is less tolerant to overexposure and it is better to underexpose slightly than overexpose, whereas negative film is the opposite.

 

So the best advice is to shoot a test roll to check everything out before you go on vacation.

BTW, Pamela, the original Canon EF100mm macro lens featured linear focusing whereas the newer (present model) has internal focusing. Also, there are also zoom lenses which have internal zooming and others, such as the 28-135 which gets longer as you zoom.

 

I'm afraid I can't help you on the subject of the 28-200 lens but I'm sure someone else will.

Basically, lenses focus closer as all the elements move forward together as a unit. This is called linear focusing. Another method of focusing is when certain internal element or elements move and the overall length of the lens does not change. Actually, there are internal and rear focusing lenses. The rear focusing lenses move an element or elements at the rear of the lens, as you would suppose.

 

Internal focusing lenses are not necessarily better than linear focusing lenses in terms of accomplishing the job, but may focus faster. Linear focusing lenses may develop more play in their mechanism which racks the lens in and out whereas internal focusing lenses may be more convenient as you don't have to rack them back to the infinity position for more compact storage.

 

However, linear focusing lenses usually have fewer elements; classic lens formulas such as Tessars fall into this group.

The correct procedure is as you describe it in your first assumption:

 

"Set the master as group A and the slave as group B and then follow the normal procedure of setting a flash ratio between these groups."

 

It's also possible to set FEC on all units by setting it on the master; or you can set it on each individual Speedlite.

The primary purpose of the Canon multiflash system is to automate the flash function; i.e., it is a "closed system" to provide autoexposure when multiple Speedlites are employed. If other (non E-TTL) units are included, the autoexposure function is compromised.

 

However, you can include other units by setting Canon Speedlites to manual mode or manual slave mode.

For John Stark:

 

If you think the 580EX is a top-notch performer, you will be even more impressed if you replace the disposable batteries with rechargeable NiMh batteries. The Energizer 2500 mah ones are especially good. Try ThomasDistributing.com for batteries and chargers.

This may be trivial, but one advantage of FTM which I have never seen commented upon applies to lenses with linear focusing, such as the EF50mm f/1.4. These are lenses in which all of the elements move forward and backward as a unit, which means the lens gets physically longer when focused closer. With FTM, it is easy to reset the lens to infinity before stowing it into your bag or case for compact storage, if that is a requirement.

 

Without this feature, you would have to switch it to MF, set it to infinity and remember to set it back to AF.

 

In fact, if you own the EF85mm f/1.2L lens or any of the other older EF lenses with the original USM design, you have to remember to switch it to MF and refocus it to the infinity setting before removing it from the camera body, as it requires power for manual focusing.

http://www.penncamera.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=6754

All retrofocus wide angle lenses exhibit some edge falloff. Technically, this is not vignetting. Vignetting is caused by some physical object, such as a too narrow lens hood or stacked filters, intruding into the corners of the image.

 

The edge falloff will be the same with or without a standard filter and the proper lens hood.

Cliff; I'm not sure you are correct in your statement that your Transistor Pack E provides all the power for flash recycling and the 550EX only provides power for the display and electronics. The reason I say this is that the 580EX has a custom function that allows selection for having only the power pack or both the power pack and Speedlite provide power for recycling the flash; since the default setting is for both. Unless they have changed the design between the 550EX and the 580EX, I would assume they operate similarly.

Common sense would dictate that the C batteries in the Transistor Pack E need to be replaced when the recycle time becomes excessively long. With the Transistor Pack E disconnected from the 550EX, you can then easily tell if the AA batteries need replacing when the recycle time becomes excessively long or the ready light fails to come on at all.

 

Also, if you are using the combination and the AA batteries in the 550EX become exhausted while the Pack is still functioning, the 550EX will stop operating or malfunction.

 

Have you considered using rechargeable NiMH batteries, at least in the 550EX?

Simply set on-camera Speedlite to Master and ID to "A". Set off-camera Speedlite to Slave and ID to "B". Set desired A:B ratio on Master to desired value (between 8:1 and 1:8).

It's not true that the 550EX will only fire in E-TTL mode on the 20D or any other type A body; it will also fire when set to manual mode. In manual mode, there is no preflash. Therefor, it should trigger any studio strobe (monolight) with a built-in slave trigger. You will need a flash meter, trial and error or use your histogram in order to get the correct exposure.

 

The ST-E2 only works in E-TTL mode.

Obviously, Canon does not recommend stacking extenders and therefor has not implemented a scheme to have the camera recognize the combination. The detailed comments above tell the whole story.

I upgraded from the EOS-1N to the EOS-1v shortly after it was introduced. I documented the improvements as follows:

 

EOS-1v DETAILED OPERATIONAL CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS

 

1. The EOS-1v is more ruggedly constructed with improved materials (magnesium-alloy top and front covers), extensive moisture sealing and a more durable shutter.

 

2. Shutter lag time and mirror blackout time have been reduced. Mirror action is better damped and camera is quieter. Power Drive Booster PB-E2 provides increased shooting speed (with optional NMH battery pack) and added vertical controls for improved operability.

 

3. The EOS-1v features 45-point area AF and 21-zone metering compared to the EOS-1N?s 5-point AF and 16 zone metering. The EOS-1v?s system is based on the EOS-3?s, but with improvements, including faster AF speed. All 45 focusing points are sensitive to horizontal or diagonal lines with f/5.6 or faster lenses. Six of the seven central points are high-precision cross-type sensors with f/2.8 or faster lenses. The center point is the most functional of all, providing high-precision cross-type performance with f/4 and faster lenses and maintaining standard autofocus with maximum apertures as small as f/8 (in which case the camera automatically selects the center focusing point).

 

4. Center-weighted metering is now a selectable metering mode instead of via a custom function.

 

5. The Battery Check button has been removed from behind the palm door (now called the side door) and replaced by a battery status icon on the top LCD panel visible whenever the camera is on.

 

6. The Auto Exposure Bracketing and Drive controls have been moved from behind the side door to the top of the camera, using two-button combinations of the existing three button array.

 

7. The Multiple Exposure Control is now located behind the side door along with a new Multi-Function button which supports added functions. See Nos. 12., 13. and 14.

 

8. The Quick Control Dial?s On/Off switch has been redesigned and is easier to use.

 

9. Flash performance has been greatly improved with incorporation of the E-TTL flash system in which a preflash is fired and evaluative metering weighted at the current focusing point provides accurate exposures balanced between flash lit subject and ambient-lit background. It also allows wireless off-camera E-TTL flash with multiple 550EX/420EX units controlled by an on-camera 550EX master or ST-E2 transmitter. 550EX & 420EX replaced by up-graded models 580EX & 430EX respectively.

 

10. Two additional controls have been added to the top, grip area of the camera: The FEL button supports the E-TTL flash system as well as multi-spot metering and has been carried over from the EOS-3; Unique to the EOS-1v is the ASSIST button which enables quickly switching to a previously registered focusing point or automatic focusing point selection mode.

 

11. Expanded custom functions, most similar to those on the EOS-3, include: focusing screen exposure compensation, options for viewfinder frame counting display (now normally counts up from 1 to 36), enabling second curtain sync, enabling a safety shift function for Tv and Av modes, options for limiting the number of manually selectable focusing points, method for enabling a registered focusing point, a number of options for changing the function of the AF-stop buttons on new IS super telephoto lenses, and expanded options for various, familiar custom functions.

 

12. Custom Function Group Registration provides the ability to memorize and recall three sets of custom functions.

 

13. Other new features are a sprocketless film advance system and automatic film leader imprinting with a user set number (to identify the camera body) and a film roll number from 1 to 99.

 

14. The remote terminal has been moved to the left side and changed to an N3 type (with a retained cap to prevent loss) for use with a remote switch/timer or connection to a PC using EOS Link Software ES-E1 for setting numerous personal functions and accessing memorized shooting data.

 

Actually, it's very clear. EOS cameras meter ambient light and flash separately. The underexposure indication you saw in the viewfinder is the cameras's meter reading of the ambient light relative to your (manual) settings.

 

With E-TTL or E-TTL II, the camera computes the necessary flash power and duration required for the expsure mode you've selected, or in this case, to match your manual settings. This occurs just prior to the mirror rising and the exposure is made. Therefor, the camera always indicates correct exposure for flash.

I believe you can easily repair your OCSC2 by carefully prying the thin metal plate out of the hot shoe to gain access to the exposed screws.

The reading would only be valid if the 550EX is in manual mode. This takes the camera, which computes the exposure in E-TTL mode, out of the loop and also eliminates the preflash.

When I used to do quite a bit of product photography, I positioned a monolight with umbrella above and at 45 degrees from each side of the subject. This pretty much eliminated shadows and reslulted in good illumination of the subject. It even works for portraits or groups of people.

 

If I wanted better modeling, I would configure the monolights as key and fill by moving the one lower and more centered, while reducing its output relative to the other. I've used the E-TTL wireless system in a similar manner with good results. However, I use an ST-E2 to get the Speedlite off the camera.

The 550EX master covers an 80 degree angle so it is relatively easy to place the 420EX background light within that angle but still be out of the frame of your picture.

 

However, the camera computes the exposure based on preflashes from each Speedlite for the subject, not the background. If your 420EX is aimed at the background, controlling the background exposure may be difficult as the camera will see no contribution of light for the flash exposure from that unit.

 

If you were to use a 550EX as a background light, you could configure it as a manual slave and adjust its power level as desired with no effect on the exposure of your subject. Perhaps a little trial and error or the use of a flash meter could help you zero in on the effect you want.

Here it is:

 

http://www3.canon.de/pro/bda/fot/bli/