bill_goldman

The 24-70 and the new 24-105 extend when zooming but they are not push-pull type zoom lenses. That term means the zoom ring is moved forward or backward, rather than rotating it, in order to change the focal length.

 

I used to own the now discontinued 28-70L which extended when zooming and never experienced the "sucking in" of dust as a problem.

Yes, you can use a studio strobe connected via a pc cord in combination with an E-TTL on-camera 580EX or even a master/slave setup. As long as the studio strobe is only lighting the background it should not affect the E-TTL exposure.

 

Just make sure that the trigger voltage of the studio strobe does not exceed the camera's pc input limit. If it does, you should get a Wein Safe-Sync voltage regulator or equivalent device.

According to the instruction manual for the 580EX, the maximum range from the master to the slave indoors is 12 meters (39.4 ft) and outdoors it is 8 meters (26.2 ft) at the 80 degrees periphery.

 

Straight ahead it is 10 meters (32.8 ft) outdoors and 15 meters (49.2 ft) indoors.

To the contrary, diffusors such as the OmniBounce are very useful indoors where the light can bounce off of a (preferably white) ceiling and walls in order to illuminate the entire room and minimize shadows. Thus the OmniBounce emulates a bare bulb flash.

EOS digital cameras are compatible with any EX series Speedlite.

 

Current models include the top of the line 580EX (which replaced the 550EX) and the newly introduced, but not yet available, 430EX (which replaces the 420EX.

 

Some 550EX and certainly some 420EX models are still available at your local camera store or at on-line sellers.

The ST-E2 does not have a manual mode. It only works in E-TTL mode and must communicate with the camera. Your Panasonic digicam does not have the required circuitry.

In case it hasn't been noticed, the 430EX replaced the 420EX on the Canon Consumer website. The 430EX is obviously an upgrade replacement for the apparently now discontinued 420EX.

 

I believe the price will drop on it just as the price dropped on the 580EX. Look for a bargain price on pre-orders as supplies are probably going to be short initially.

The 430EX is a simple upgrade to replace the 420EX. It has improved performance (faster recycling, etc.) and now looks like a smaller version of the 580EX. It now covers down to 14mm with a drop down diffusor, has improved tilt and swivel, an LCD panel and a manual mode, etc. And it also has the extra features for improved operation with digital EOS bodies.

 

The smaller 430EX may be a better choice with the 5D than the 580EX simply because the camera body is more compact, which is probably one reason Canon is introducing the 430EX with the 5D.

 

Keep in mind that E-TTL/E-TTL II are camera functions. The camera determines the exposure from the preflash and controls the Speedlite. The 580EX will work fine with the 5D as will the 430EX, the 550EX and the 420EX.

New hardware is now on the Canon Consumer USA site:

 

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=111

The previous response pertains only to E-TTL capable EOS models which do not have a dedicated FEL button, which the EOS-1v does.

I would have preferred a 35-105mm f/2.8L as it would complement my 16-35 perfectly, with no overlap. But mostly, I'm dissapointed that Canon still has not seen fit to introduce a 50mm f/1.2L, especially because they discontinued the 50mm f/1.0L.

After thinking about my previous response, I think I should modify my answer to:

 

"It is unlikely that the 580EX, even in manual mode, will respond to a simple IR pulse."

Although the 580EX will respond to IR pulses from the ST-E2, it is not just the fact that the signal is infrared, but that the signal is comprised of specific pulses that are read by the Speedlite. In other words, it's the specific signal to which it responds, not the type of transmission. So the answer is no, a simple IR transmitter will not work.

The preflash occurs just before the mirror rises and the main flash occurs immediately after the mirror rises and the shutter opens.

 

These events happen rapidly and may be perceived as a single flash, However, since the preflash occurs before the mirror rises, you should see it bfiefly light your subject as you look through the viewfinder.

I am not sure of other models, but with the EOS-1v, if you set C.Fn 5-2, you can even set the lens aperture without a lens installed on the body. And manually set shutter speed and aperture remain the same even if you switch to other metering modes and later return to the manual mode.

You're correct in your assumption that the AE Lock is for the auto exposure modes only and not the manual mode. It makes no sense to have to lock exposure in the manual mode as it will not change unless you change it! The camera has no control or override for your manual settings.

 

Think about it. Before the existence of auto exposure, when cameras were all manual, there was no such thing as an AE Lock. And AE Lock stands for Auto EXposure Lock, not manual lock.

 

Maybe you need to get some books on photography or take a photography course. It also sounds like you need a simpler camera.

It appears that Giampi is correct about "fooling" the system by setting a ratio when only one slave is used. It never ocurred to me to use the system that way when simply setting FEC on an individual slave will accomplish the same thing with more predictable results.

You cannot use the 580EX as a slave when mounted on the camera. That's why it will not allow you to set FEC when so mounted. It should only be set to SLAVE when used off-camera with a 580EX/550EX set to MASTER and mounted on camera hotshoe or an ST-E2 mounted on camera hotshoe.

 

When I said I was curious to see if your 580EX FEC worked when mounted on your camera, I assumed that its switch was in the OFF position rather than MASTER or SLAVE.

I find it very strange that you see no difference in exposure when setting your 580EX slave to different FEC values. I am curious to see if you have tried setting FEC on the 580EX when it is used on camera, in the hot shoe. If so, do you see the proper effects on exposure?

 

Setting ratios on the ST-E2 will only work if you have at least two slaves; also, one slave must be set to A and the other to B, thus setting an A:B ratio.

 

Also, be aware that if you set FEC on both the Speedlite and the camera, the Speedlite settings override the camera settings.

Your 580EX has a 3 position switch labeled OFF/MASTER/SLAVE. When you use an ST-E2 on camera, it is the master so any off-camera Speedlites must be set to SLAVE. If you set your 580EX to slave, you will be able to set FEC on it as I described in my previous response. I can't explain it more clearly.

You don't need a manual for the ST-E2 as its features and controls are very obvious because they are so simple. A 580EX or 550EX, as master, allows you to control various features, such as flash exposure compensation (FEC) from the master.

 

With an ST-E2 as master, you must select FEC on the individual slaves. With a 580EX (for which I assume you have a manual) set to slave, to select FEC, you press the button in the center of the control dial and rotate the dial to the desired value and then press the button again to lock in the value.

The arrow your describe (it's actually a triangle) along with the frame count is most likely the gross underesposure indicator I previously described.

 

You are probably trying this indoors or in dim light. Select manual mode and set your shutter speed to a long value, such as 1 second and your aperture to a large value, such as f/2.8 or the wide open value on your lens. The triangle should change to a square and appear next to the scale.

 

When your settings match the camera's metering, the square will be aligned with the index at the middle of the scale.

Actually, there is a fixed pointer at the center of the scale. Correct exposure is indicated when a square to the right of the scale is aligned with the pointer. It changes to a triangle at the bottom of the scale when it is indicating gross underexposure and at the top of the scale when it is indicating gross overexposure.

 

To check this out, take a reading in P, Tv or Av mode. Then manually set your aperture and shutter speed to those values. In M mode, the little square should be aligned with the index at the center of the scale.

M means MANUAL mode; it means YOU select the aperture and shutter speed you want; these settings won't change regardless of which metering mode you select. What will change is the camera's meter indication to the right of the viewfinder.

 

When you change the aperture and/or shutter speed, the pointer will move up or down the exposure scale; when the pointer is in the center, the camera's meter is indicating correct exposure.

Thanx, Jim. I actually meant the CP-E3