Controlling a 430EX-II with a 430EX-III-RT

[perino86]

Hi everyone,

the question is pretty much in the title.

I have recived a 430EX III RT as a gift, and I own a 430EX II. Is it possible to control the older with the new one?

I think not but I can't find much information online.

From what I see the new one cannot control optically and the old one cannot be slave by radio, am I correct?

Thanks for your help, cheers!

[diverhank]

---

@perino86 wrote:

Hi everyone,

the question is pretty much in the title.

I have recived a 430EX III RT as a gift, and I own a 430EX II. Is it possible to control the older with the new one?

I think not but I can't find much information online.

From what I see the new one cannot control optically and the old one cannot be slave by radio, am I correct?

Thanks for your help, cheers!

---

Hi perino86...I believe you're correct in your assessment - you can't remote control your 430EXII with the 430EXIII.  If you have one of the Canon cameras that has a built-in optical control (quite a few has it, check your manual), you can optically control both of these flashes using the camera built-in flash.

[perino86]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

I have a 6D tho, so I don't have that possibility.

I guess I'll sell the old 430 and maybe buy a new chinese flash for 50€ that will serve as remote unit.

Thanks again!

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

Correct... the table that shows the capabiltites of the 430EX II vs. 430EX III RT (in the "Introduction" section of the manual that came with your flash) shows that...

1)  In "radio" mode (which the 430EX II doesn't have) the 430EX III RT can be a master or slave.

2)  In "optical" mode, both flashes can ONLY be a "slave" (no optical master capability).

You would need an optical master unit.

Either:

1)  the Canon ST-E2 is an optical flash commander unit (it is not a flash... just a commander which can trigger Canon optical slave flashes)

2)  the Canon Speedlite 90EX - this is a flash, but it has optical master capability.  As a flash it isn't very powerful or versatile, but it CAN act as a master to trigger off-camera flash.  It can control both of your 430EX series speedlites in optical mode.

3)  a Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT or 600EX II-RT ... Canon's flagship flash which supports every mode (radio master/slave & optical master/slave.)  It can only be in either "optical" or "radio" mode at any given time... it wont do both simultaneously.  In other words you cannot use it to trigger the 430EX III-RT in radio mode AND trigger the 430EX II in optical mode at the same time.  All flashes would have to be in optical mode.

[perino86]

Thanks for the very detailed explanation, I got to that conclusion too reading the manual but since I couldn't find specific info I though it was worth trying to ask,
The speedlite 90ex seems a very viable option, thanks for the suggestion!

[TCampbell]

BTW, if you have a camera with an on-camera "pop-up" flash, then that pop-up flash can also be used to optically trigger off-camera slave flashes.

[kvbarkley]

Only if that is a feature of the camera. Not all of them offer that.