EOS Rebel T8i Where does a sync cord get plugged into?

[Tuffcookie]

Hi, all,

I have a Canon EOS Rebel T8i camera.  I have recently been experimenting with off camera flash.  I ordered a bracket, with a hot shoe, that attaches to my camera, to get my external flash off the camera.  I have a sync cord but I'm not sure where, on the camera, the cord attaches and also where on the 580EX II Speedlite, the other end goes.

I would appreciate help!

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I've alerted our resident flash expert to your post.  In the meantime, can you tell us what it is you've purchased?  The flash sync cable should essentially have two shoe/mounts.  One that mounts in the camera's hotshoe and the other that the 580EXII mounts on.  Maybe I'm not understanding what you are working with?  I do know that the T8i does not include a PC Sync port.

For reference:

Canon Knowledge Base - Canon : Product Manual : EOS REBEL T8i / EOS 850D : Flash Function Settings

[Tuffcookie]

After ordering, I discovered the T8i did not have a pc port. This is the cord I ordered: 

[shadowsports]

This is what I suspected initially.  If you cannot add an additional shoe / mount to the existing cable you purchased, I'd return and get one that has the shoe / mount on both ends as I mentioned.  

[Tuffcookie]

That is exactly what I plan on doing! I appreciate everyone’s input!

[MikeSowsun]

When I hear “sync cord” I think of a standard PC (Prontor-Compur) sync cord. I suspect that is what you are asking about. They come in various lengths and some have screw-lock terminals for a more positive connection. The 580EX II has a screw lock PC connection under the rubber cover. Your camera doesn’t have a PC connection, so you would need to buy a hot shoe adapter.

The other type of off-camera cord would attach to the hot shoe of the camera, and to the foot on the  bottom of the flash.

[lantapete · Accepted solution]

What kind of sync cable do you have? My flash bracket came with a hot-shoe style cable so it can support all Speedlite functions...One end of my cable slides onto the hot shoe where the flash would mount, and the other end of the cable mounts to the bracket, and looks like the camera hot shoe for the 580exII to slide into.  I'm guessing your bracket has a cold shoe for the flash, and you're expected to use a 3.5mm or PC (you can google Prontor-Compur Connector) sync cord that only supports flash triggering. This style will still work. The 580exII has a "PC terminal" that works with both threaded and non-threaded PC sync cords (the threaded ones are more reliable).  The PC terminal is behind a rubber protector, near the base of the Speedlite.  I don' think the T8i has a PC terminal on it, but you can mount an adapter on the hot shoe of the camera that gives you a PC or 3.5mm connector.  If your bracket came with the adapter, just mount the adapter on the camera hot shoe, plug one end of the cable into the adapter, and the other end into the Speedlite and go.  If your bracket didn't come with an adapter, you may need an adapter like amazon.com's: "JJC Standard Hot Shoe Adapter with Extra PC sync Connection Port & 3.5mm Mini Phone Connection Port for Connecting Cameras to Additional Off-Camera Flash,Studio Light,Strobes or Other Accessories".  The adapter goes onto the camera hot shoe, and has a 3.5mm and PC connector for the camera end of the sync cord, while the other end of the sync cord plugs into the Speedlite.

[jrhoffman75]

I believe that if you connect the PC cord to the Canon flash you will simply have an on/off flash feature. If you want to be able to control the flash features you need something like this for off-camera connected flash and a Canon speedlite.