Off Camera 580EX ?

[dzdale]

HI

Just wondering if any of you use an off camera lighting setup with the 580EX, if so how do you accomplish this. Your feedback will be very helpfull.

Thanks
Dale

[JDArt]

I do, on occasion. You can accomplish this with an ST-E2 on camera and by setting the 580ex to "slave" mode. Also you can accomplish this with an on-camera 580ex set to "master" and one or more 580ex flashes set to "slave."

[dzdale]

Originally Posted by JDArt

I do, on occasion. You can accomplish this with an ST-E2 on camera and by setting the 580ex to "slave" mode. Also you can accomplish this with an on-camera 580ex set to "master" and one or more 580ex flashes set to "slave."

Thanks for the feedback, I realise that this is the easiest option, but IR is also unreliable and therefore would not be effective if there was an obstruction between the ST-E2 and the off camera flash. Does anybody use the 580EX with a wireless transmitter such as a pocket wizard, or similar. If so, how do you do this.

Thanks
Dale

[jfrancho]

I use a 580 as a master, and two 430s as slaves. One of the advantages of using the 580 as a master over the ST-E2 is that you can control everything from that on camera master.

[plutophoto]

I use two 580s and sometimes 3. I have also used the STE2. There are some trade-offs in that the ste2 is very liight so it makes camera movement quick when switching from portrait to landscape and vice-versa. The ste2 is not as easy to vary light output from two remotes because the 580 has the wheel and you can quickly roll the light output from one side to the other wheras on the ste2, you have to keep pushing a button. Also the ste2 does not have focus assist and the transmitter range is lower. Another thing to do if you have just two 580's or a 580 and a 420, (or just one flash) you can make a little extension cord for the off camera shoe cord to move your flash further than the two feet away. I hope this helps a little as it does get involved. I wouldn't try using a pocket wizard because it is overkill for the 580 system as you lose all of its inherent functionality. If that is the case just go with fixed settings and use strobes with the pocket wizard.

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by plutophoto

Also the ste2 does not have focus assist

...wrong according to my book and my ST-E2: the FocusAssist is one of the reasons I sometimes use ST-E2 *without* any flashes slaved to it

Originally Posted by dzdale

...IR is also unreliable and therefore would not be effective if there was an obstruction between the ST-E2 and the off camera flash.

again, and luckily, also not entirely true: the IR that is send out 'bounces' through the room, it might take some experimenting, but I have been able to fire off a 580ex and a 420ex that I couldn't even see (behind me and to my FAR left and right) with the ST-E2.

I agree that sometimes it is a bit harder to make them respond, but I have up-to-now always found a working solution

...but that is just *me* and *my* €0.02 worth, you mileage may vary

Kindest regards!

Max@Home

[dzdale]

Thankyou Max for your 0.02, Have you tried using the ST-E2 and the off camera flash outdoors and if so was it still reliable. Sorry for all the questions just trying to establish whether I should purchase the st-E2, or use the pocket wizard as I would like a wireless solution to work with both my speedlights as well as studio flash

[Max@Home]

dzdale,

...outdoors is a different thing: no walls to reflect the ST-E2 IR beams to the flashes, you would indeed have to rely on the flashes and ST-E2 'seeing' eachother, a pocket wizard and studio strobes would be the more 'secure' solution, IMHO, and AFAIK, as I do not know the PocketWizard too well

...but with any luck JohnC, who uses both, will chime in with his knowledge

...interested in hearing your 'final verdict' , thanks in advance for sharing,

...€0.02 more...

Kindest regards,

Max@Home

[Mark McCall]

I never could get the 550EX to expose consistently with any of my bodies, so we went back to Metz.

A Canon rep was in a seminar I was teaching in Kansas City, and provided me with the new 580EX, after hearing of our problems with the 550EX.
I'd heard great things about it, and your able to use it off camera with the transmitter. So we got it for a month.

The flash works wonders with the 5D, both on camera and off, indoor and out. Exposure compensation was excellent.
The flash was fairly consistent on the 30D, for awhile, before exposures starting flying all over the place, usually 2+ stops over.

It wouldn't expose consistently with with the 20D. It would be great for 20 shots, then blow 5.
Bum flash maybe, I dunno.

I love Canon, will probably never switch, but with digital, consistency is critical. I couldn't get it consistent enough.

I use Metz for portable automatic strobe, Novatron for lighting larger areas.

[jfrancho]

On my 20D, using ETTL and matrixed metering mode, I find that both the 580ex and 430EX consistently underexposoe by 2/3 stop, whether direct flash or bouncing. I set FEC at +2/3 automatically. I don't get the results Mark had, but maybe I'm not popping off as many shots in succession. I also stick to M mode on the cam, avoiding the "fill" effect from Tv and Av modes. I find the same to be true using the 580 as a master to one or two 430 slaves and ETTL. All the talk about Metz has me wanting to try one out. Nobody has a negative thing to say about them.