EX270 II Slave Mode Doesn't

[Ki2t]

This is a duplicate posting of one elsewhere because I was advised the existing thread was more than 5 yrs old.

I could not get my Speedlite 270EX II to fire as a slave in even direct view of the front with the built-in flash on my Rebel SL3 (200D II). The flash control menu on the camera ("External flash func. setting" or "External flash C.Fn setting") returns the message "This menu cannot be displayed. Incompatible flash or flash's power is turned off". Since the power was not turned off, I'm assuming incompatibility. Hoping someone can tell me of a setting in the camera I didn't know about - I really don't want to buy and carry those pricy little triggers as this is part of a personal light weight travel kit I (retired from studio work).

[inkista]

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@Ki2t wrote:

...Canon Repair in Norfolk stated that they did replace the top unit of my SL3 (EOS 200D II) because of a non-functioning vertical pin that mechanically senses the presence of a speedlight in the hotshoe. A tech also confirmed that there was no mention in their database of a master slave controller in the on-camera flash on that model, so they believe it has none, as you reported.

I'm a little confused, however about your comment regarding the absence of a sync contact, as there is what appears to be one in the center of my hotshoe. I'll attach a photo when I get the camera back yet.

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The vertical pin is the issue that was mentioned up-thread by Mike Sowsun. That little springloaded thing tells the camera whether a speedlight is mounted on the hotshoe, or whether the camera needs to spring the pop-up flash. 

As for the metal sync contact on the hotshoe, it was definitely removed from the SL3 (200D II/250D), T7 (2000D, 1500D), and T100 (4000D) bodies, as you can see in product photos (top-view) of  the SL3, T7, and T100. But as I also stated, some newer T7 owners are reporting they've got a sync contact.  If they replaced the entire hotshoe assembly, it could be you got a new one with a sync contact.

[kvbarkley]

Except there is more hardware/software involved than just the contact.

[inkista]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

Except there is more hardware/software involved than just the contact.

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It's possible. But it's also possible that the entire assembly took care of the hardware, and that the DryOS and DIGIC processor in the SL3 might be more or less identical to that in the T7 and T7i.  Most of the lower-end Rebels are about leveraging already existing/older tech, not so much introducing new tech that doesn't exist further up in the higher tiers.

I don't think Canon would have bothered to reinstate the T7's hotshoe if it involved more tinkering than simply swapping the hotshoe assembly. And simply using a different contactless hotshoe assembly is a very easy lower-cost way to "cripple" the said models vs. doing that and also changing the internals. 

We are talking about a single analog connection (and that a simple short) that dates back decades into the film era as part of an international standard. Not some super-complex proprietary digital encoding.

[Ki2t]

Canon Repair shipped my SL3 (EOS200DII) today. When I receive it, I'll post a photo of the hot shoe. However, the repair tech notes (which they read to me over the phone at my request) stated that they replaced the entire "upper unit" (the term I think they used). I thought mine had the center contact, but I could be mistaken - we'll see what I have when it returns.