Speedlite 589ex ii

[Maximages]

With the 580 is it possible to set it to emit a low power pulse of light that will trigger another Speedlite but not light the subject itself? Thanks!!

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

If the 580EX II is being used as a "master" on-camera and it's communicating to an E-TTL slave flash, then yes ... this is possible.  

In the speedlight control menu on your camera, just tell it you want to "disable" the flash.  That sounds like an oxymoron to have a flash, turn it on, and then "disable" it... but what it really means is that you want the speedlight to only function as a speedlite commander but not fire when the camera shutter is open.

You will still see the speedlite flash, but if you evaluate your images carefully you will notice that only the light from the off-camera speedlite(s) (or ambient sources) are visible in the shot -- and you wont see evidence of light from the on-camera speedlite.

The most confusing part of this (when I was learning to do this) is that YOU WILL see your on-camera flash fire even in the "disabled" state.  But it fires only to communicate with the other speedlites and it wont contribute light to the subject.

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

If the 580EX II is being used as a "master" on-camera and it's communicating to an E-TTL slave flash, then yes ... this is possible.  

In the speedlight control menu on your camera, just tell it you want to "disable" the flash.  That sounds like an oxymoron to have a flash, turn it on, and then "disable" it... but what it really means is that you want the speedlight to only function as a speedlite commander but not fire when the camera shutter is open.

You will still see the speedlite flash, but if you evaluate your images carefully you will notice that only the light from the off-camera speedlite(s) (or ambient sources) are visible in the shot -- and you wont see evidence of light from the on-camera speedlite.

The most confusing part of this (when I was learning to do this) is that YOU WILL see your on-camera flash fire even in the "disabled" state.  But it fires only to communicate with the other speedlites and it wont contribute light to the subject.

[Maximages]

Many thanks T Campbell - as you say, sounds odd but I understand now how this works. Cheers

[amfoto1 · Accepted solution]

Tcampell is correct.

But I  also suggest you download the manual for the 580EX II and study it...

There are some other important things to know about doing off-camera flash, such as setting the on-camera flash to Master mode and the off-camera flash(es) to Slave... and making sure the trasparent red panels of the flashes are facing each other so they can communicate (optically, using near-IR light, requires "line-of-sight" setup)... and using groups/ratios with multiple flashes, etc. The manual is availble free from the Canon website.

There also is the ST-E2 flash controller module, which can be used on-camera as the Master, instead of utilizing a flash for that purpose. The ST-E2 is much smaller and frees up your 580EXII to be used off-camera. (Note: I understand that the ST-E3-RT cannot be used to control non-RT flashes... it uses radio communication only, so only works with the 600EX-RT and the new 430EX-RT flashes.)

Another handy feature of the ST-E2 is that it can provide focus assist in low light situations. It does so by projecting a red colored grid onto the subject and is good for up to 15 or 20 feet, depending upon ambient conditions. The flashes can do this too, but it's a lot more convenient to use the much more compact and ligher weight ST-E2.

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER 

[Maximages]

Thanks Alan - very useful comments!!