Canon 580EXII flash is dim

[stlracing]

I have a Canon 580EXII flash that I assume I overheated.. It would turn on and everything on the screen would look fine, but it would not fire....

I sent the flash back to canon for repair and $120 later I got it back.

It fires now but the flash seems very dim compared to the way it was before as well as to my other 580EXII..

Should I just put a new flash tube in it and try that or would there be some other parts that could be bad?

[Skirball]

If you spent $120 at Canon fixing it and it's not working to spec I would contact them, not try to fix it myself.

[TCampbell]

Make sure you have the "Flash Exposure Compensation" (FEC) set to "0". If you are using E-TTL mode and you've dialed it down, then it would be dim.

[Mykolas]

Hi stlracing!

Thanks for posting.

I agree here that it is possible Flash Exposure Compensation has been set.  FEC can be disabled by pressing the [SEL/SET] button, then turning the dial to the right until it is set to zero.  If FEC is set in either direction, the output of the flash will appear more dim or more bright, depending on which direction it is set.

If the flash still remains dim, the flash may need to come back to our Factory Service Center for additional repairs.  Depending on how long ago the previous repair was completed, there may still be a repair warranty.  If additional repair is required, please Contact Us directly using this link so we can set this up.

If this is a time sensitive-matter or this didn't answer your question, additional support options are available at Contact Us.

[stlracing]

I only shoot with the flash in manual mode... Even at 1/1 it is dim.. I have 2 of these 580EXII that I burned the bulbs out in and after getting them back from Canon (for $120 repair each), both aren't very bright. I have 600RT that works fine. I even bought a $65 Yongnou flash that is way better then these two 580EXII.. Canon should fix them again for free, but I'm sure I've let them set around long enough since the repair that they wouldn't fix them with another $120 each and probably won't be any better than they are.