I want to use my Canon 580EX II flash unit to light up a backdrop, or as a fill light, in conjunction with my Alien Bees studio lights and was wondering if there is any way to trigger an off-camera 580EX II (manual mode) via standard optical flash.
My question was similar to what Gabriel L asked in his photo.net forum post "580 EX II: optically trigger with standard flash (not Canon ETTL)?" Gradually, after some serious researching online plowing through many many forums & sites, it dawned on me that my Canon 580EX II
I believe I'm not the only one who's disappointed... just go ask Syl Arena... he's got a whole long list of Canon Speedlite Wishlist and many are really just plain common sense "should have" inclusion, especially for Canon's top end flash unit. Point number 10 says it all:
"10. Add a built-in optical trigger. It won’t take up much room. It won’t require a lot of circuity. Heck, it would probably fit right in where the relatively-useless thyristor photo-eye sits right now. An optical trigger solves a load of problems when mixing Speedlites with studio strobes. Studio shooters often want to a just a splash of light on set or to conceal a light within the frame. (Canon, consider this to be a perfect opportunity to sell more Speedlites to guys who are used to using lots of lights.) An optical trigger would also make a Speedlite more friendly in the midst of lights from other companies. Again, ease-of-use will drive users to the Canon system. Making the whole system proprietary means that few outsiders will want to change jerseys." --- Syl Arena
My next thought: Is there any available 3rd party optical slave I can add to the 580EX II?
Online research threw up some peculiarity about canon speedlites & optical slaves combo... many of the speedlites will jammed up after a single fire or misfire after attaching 3rd party optical slaves... : P
This is due to the unique working voltage of Canon Speedlites, as I found out from this blog article "The Truth About Canon Speedlites & Optical Slaves" by the same Syl Arena...
"An optical slave gets its power from the Speedlite rather than from a battery. With Canon Speedlites there is the peculiarity that the voltage does not drop far enough after the flash exposure to release the typical slave circuit. Essentially, the slave thinks that the Speedlite is still firing. With ordinary optical slaves, the result is that they will fire a Speedlite one time and then lock up. Fortunately, there is an optical slave with an added circuit that is made just for Canon Speedlites. And, luckily, this technology adds less than the price of a venti cup of fancy coffee to the cost of the optical slave (about $16 as opposed to $12)" --- Syl Arena
This is how I got to know about the Sonia brand of optical slaves, and also about FlashZebra, where I bought the optical slave from, SPECIFICALLY for the 580EX II.
My package finally arrived...
The purchase from FlashZebra was a breeze... very reasonable shipping rates, prompt shipping and excellent communication via emails. Bonnie's handwritten note adds a human touch and I really felt like I had just received a birthday present :D
Here's a look at the Sonia optical slave...
Eagerly, I fitted it onto the 580EX II and tried it out by firing an Alien Bees close range... it worked! Tried a few times... it worked! There was a time when the 580EX II didn't fire. Upon investigation, it was because the unit went to "sleep" after a period of inactivity. I then switch off the "auto-power off" function in the speedlite and "problem" solved.
Next, within my living room, I set them about 16ft (4.8m) apart (580EX II on Manfrotto 680B monopod with Manfrotto 678 Universal Folding Base), fired the Alien Bees and the 580EX II fired reliably. Fitted on a 20 deg honeycomb spot grid on the Alien Bees, point towards the 580EX II and tried again... it worked very well : )
I'm satisfied with the Sonia optical slave so far and have no doubt that it can now liberate the 580EX II for use in conditions not intended by it's maker. Like Syl Arena, I wish Canon can hear the ground and get out of the design box that they had encased themselves, which is really limiting the endless creative possibilities of their speedlites (sales, revenue, profits, market share....etc). Liberate future speedlites... PLEASE!
Shooting Notes:
Camera Body: Canon 40D
Lens: EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro with Hood
Mode: Manual - Av @ 11, Tv @ 125
ISO: 100
Focusing: Manual
Tripod: Manfrotto 190XPROB
Ball-Head: Slik 800 Quick Release
Monopod: Manfrotto 680B with Manfrotto 678 Universal Folding Base
Flash: Alien Bees B800
Flash: Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash
Light Meter: Sekonic Flashmate L308BII
2 comments:
Great article. I too have read Syl Arena's wish list and am now an avid reader of his blog and look forward to his new book. I am awaiting my Sonia optical slaves as I write. Although I went with the green ones, these are designed to work when you are useing Speedlites and you want or need to fire another Speedlite using manual mode but the line of sight issue isn't possible but an optical slave would. These little chaps egnor the preflash, which will be signalling the main lights, and fires on the actual flash. I was just thinking this morning that I'll be needing a couple of slaves like the ones you are talking about so they can be used a a regualar slave flash without Canons built in system.
I really hope Canon is listening to guys like Syl, or they'll loose so many customers. Nikons system is just so much easier to understand and intuitive, that goes for the cameras to. I very nearlly switch to Nikon because of this but Syl helped keep me calm and with Canon. Here's what he said....
Now that I'm 16 months out from writing 'My Canon Speedlite Wishlist' and nearly a year into writing the 'Speedliter's Handbook', I firmly believe that Canon Speedlites are the equal of Nikon's. It's all a matter of who is operating the gear. Cruise through my material on Speedliting.com. Go through all the How-To articles. There are a number of things that Canon Speedlites handle better than Nikon Speedlights. For instance, you can control your Speedlite from the LCD of your camera. This is huge when shooting wireless as the menu is much easier to understand. With Nikon, you have to use the LCD on the Speedlight. High-speed sync with Canon is very easy (there's a button on the Speedlite). WIth Nikon, HSS is a menu or two down in the system. Canon's system has every feature that Nikon's CLS has -- every one. The biggest difference is that Nikon is way better at marketing their gear than Canon is. My recommendation, is that you stick with Canon, keep you head held high, and learn the system inside and out. Syl
I hope that Canon releases a new creative generation of Speedlite soon and then on the other hand, I have 4 new 580 EXiis so I may be a little miffed if it's really soon. Enjoy your new creative ability.
Jonathan
PS, sorry for all the horrible spelling mistakes. Yikes!!
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