Canon Camera Problems

dragon300zx

OK I went into the studio last night to try out the lighting equipment there and shoot some models. I have having a big problem with the lights though which is something I haven't ran into before.

Previously I have always shot with lights using a sync cord rather than using a slave and flash.

With the lights at the studio I was using the lights and activating them off the flash.

The lights are firing correctly but for some reason my camera isn't seeing them. I mean literally not seeing the light.

I can shoot with two white lightning 1200's and a 600 at isa 400, 1/60th, and unless I have my flash facing the model the picture is almost completly dark.

This is happening on my 20D and my 10D with a sigma super DG flash and with the on camera flash.

If I use my A80 it will use the on camera flash and trigger the lights just the with the slr's but the pictures are completely blown out because it is seeing the light from the studio lights.

Why won't my slr bodies see this light and use it? The AEB is set to 0. What am I missing. Why isn't this working? One of the studio owners was there and couldn't figure it out either.

Scott_Quier

My thought may be really stupid, but by default the canon fires the flash twice. Once to take an exposure reading and the second time for the actual exposure. Could it be that your slaves are firing on the first flash and by the time the shutter is open, they have finished?

ziggy53

Scott_Quier wrote:

My thought may be really stupid, but by default the canon fires the flash twice. Once to take an exposure reading and the second time for the actual exposure. Could it be that your slaves are firing on the first flash and by the time the shutter is open, they have finished?

Yep, I think you're onto the solution Scott.

Dragon, make sure the cameras/flashes are not set for TTL operation. Everything should be set for manual when using optical slaves. Even set full manual, I use an external flash. External flash is a lot more reliable as a trigger.

ziggy53

pathfinder

Could your 20D be firing your Sigma flash for the second curtain - that is just before the shutter closes? The the studio strobes might be just enough later to fire only after the second shutter curtain closes.

I cannot find any evidence that the built in flash in the 20D can be fired as a second curtain flash.

And make sure you have Red Eye Reduction turned off in the Setup Menu.

Dante King

Yep its the preflash
Yep its the pre-flash. Strobes are seeing the first flash and firing, but when the camera is capturing, the strobes have already fired.

I was trying to fire my strobes from my st-e2, and found that if you cover the 4 smaller metal contacts with a piece of tape, the unit is no longer ttl and then fires only once. I would wager that if you did this with your flash, you will back in business.

JSImages

Use your gear right..
The button to set your focus and exposure, on the back of your camera..

Use it.. set your focus and exposure one time, using the menus and this button. The the PRE_Flash will not fire each time, allowing you to use the slave function correctly...

Skip the TAPE, and use the equipment the way in can be used.

dragon300zx

went in to the studio this after noon. Threw the flash on manual. Worked perfectly. I knew I should have tried this the other day but the other photographre said it wouldn't make a different. Bah, shoulda figured, he shoots fuji's afterall.

Dante King

JSImages wrote:

The button to set your focus and exposure, on the back of your camera..

Use it.. set your focus and exposure one time, using the menus and this button. The the PRE_Flash will not fire each time, allowing you to use the slave function correctly...

Skip the TAPE, and use the equipment the way in can be used.

Errr, well sometimes the focus/exposure and recompose just wont work. Think the real point of getting off ttl is the point. :

Dragon300zx, Glad to hear you have got the problem solved.