Canon Flash and IR distribution

[dwdallam]

Does anyone know if a Canon 580 series flash will fire it's IR when used as a slave?

Example: STE-2 on camera. 580EX used as slave. Second 580EX used as slave. Do either of the salves fire their IR tripping device?

Put another way, if the STE-2 fire, and it only hits one of the 580EX's, will that 580EX also fire so the second flash will have a chance to see that IR output?

In this instance, you would have slave one in line of site with the STE-2, and slave two--out of line of sight from the STE-2--would be fired by slave one, as in a chain reaction where slave one sees the STE-2 and slave two sees only slave one, not the4 STE-2.

Thanks again.

[Ken Bennett]

Put another way, if the STE-2 fire, and it only hits one of the 580EX's, will that 580EX also fire so the second flash will have a chance to see that IR output?

Good question. As far as I can tell from my own experience, the answer is No. (And I have tried every possible combination to get the flash set up behind the subject to fire. It won't.) In a small room, enough IR bounces around to trigger all the lights most of the time, but outdoors? Forget it.

It appears that Canon is very literal about how they expect their speedlights to be used. Two lights at 45-degree angles from the subject, using ratios. (Look at the diagram in the manual. Ugh.)

[dwdallam]

Good question. As far as I can tell from my own experience, the answer is No. (And I have tried every possible combination to get the flash set up behind the subject to fire. It won't.) In a small room, enough IR bounces around to trigger all the lights most of the time, but outdoors? Forget it.

It appears that Canon is very literal about how they expect their speedlights to be used. Two lights at 45-degree angles from the subject, using ratios. (Look at the diagram in the manual. Ugh.)

IR system is super stupid.

[Ken Bennett]

IR system is super stupid.

Well, that's a polite way of putting it.

I've spent a bundle on the new Pocket Wizard TTL radio system. It has some bugs, but it's going to really help my location flash work.

[dwdallam]

The Radio Popper gives you full ETTl also, but like you said, the damn things cost as much as a flash itself.

[JessicaLuchesi]

The Radio Popper gives you full ETTl also, but like you said, the damn things cost as much as a flash itself.

Am having a similar problem. I don't want to buy the control unit Canon sells for the speedlight system, because I have both Canon, other brand and even studio strobes and I want a central Radio control on the camera. But the one I have isn't ETTL, and my 40D doesn't recognize it as an external flash for rear curtain flash sync :| And like you said, the Canon solution is a joke and won't work with any other setup :|

[Ken Bennett]

Jessica, I saw your post on rear-curtain sync with the 40D, and I am almost positive that the original Pocket Wizard transmitter (not the new TTL) will work. If the 40D is set to second-curtain sync, the PW transmitter should fire at the proper time. All of that gear is at the studio, though, so I can't test it until Monday.  But if you have or can borrow the original PW's you can test it yourself.

Boa sorte.

--Ken

[JessicaLuchesi]

Jessica, I saw your post on rear-curtain sync with the 40D, and I am almost positive that the original Pocket Wizard transmitter (not the new TTL) will work. If the 40D is set to second-curtain sync, the PW transmitter should fire at the proper time. All of that gear is at the studio, though, so I can't test it until Monday.  But if you have or can borrow the original PW's you can test it yourself.

Boa sorte.

--Ken

Obrigada Ken,

I don't own the Pocket Wizard, I own an alternative, Brazilian made similar one, in which the camera refuses to fire at rear curtain, it fires normally, so does any flash connected by the sync cable. But if you can test that for me, that would be incredible, I would be really thankful to you for trying out