canon: old flash + new camera ?

cabbeycabbey Registered Users Posts: 1,053 Major grins
edited February 16, 2007 in Accessories
Anyone know if a Speedlite 200E *should* work with a 20D? The 200E's manual and what canon docs I can find online just say "compatible with all EOS cameras". But when I put it on my 20D only the AF Assist part of the flash works, the camera knows there is something in the hot shoe, and doesn't pop up the internal flash, but when it does the exposure calculations it clearly is thinking it has no flash, and it doesn't trigger the flash to fire.
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Comments

  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,250 moderator
    edited February 14, 2007
    Do you know what the trigger voltage of that old flash is?

    The reason I'm asking is that old flash units held a very high voltage across the hot-shoe terminals -- enough to fry some modern digital cameras.
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  • cabbeycabbey Registered Users Posts: 1,053 Major grins
    edited February 14, 2007
    David_S85 wrote:
    Do you know what the trigger voltage of that old flash is?

    The reason I'm asking is that old flash units held a very high voltage across the hot-shoe terminals -- enough to fry some modern digital cameras.

    :yikes

    The docs don't say. But given that canon's own site says "the 200E provides fully automatic operation with any EOS camera." today, I would be very very unhappy with them if it did any damage. (The camera has worked fine for the last several days since I first tried it.)
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  • RhuarcRhuarc Registered Users Posts: 1,464 Major grins
    edited February 14, 2007
    If need be you can get a safety shoe that goes between the flash and the hot shoe on the 20D. It'll allow you to use a higher voltage flash safely.
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  • LuckyBobLuckyBob Registered Users Posts: 273 Major grins
    edited February 14, 2007
    According to http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html, the 200E's on the safe list. clap.gif
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  • cabbeycabbey Registered Users Posts: 1,053 Major grins
    edited February 14, 2007
    LuckyBob wrote:
    According to http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html, the 200E's on the safe list. clap.gif

    phew. that's nice... it at least didn't risk my 20D... but it's still no workie. :(
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  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,156 moderator
    edited February 14, 2007
    According to the following page, it is "not" compatible with digital EOS cameras:

    http://photonotes.org/cgi-bin/flash-specs.pl?flashType=canon200e

    I believe this is true of all the flashes with the "E" suffix. You want a flash with the "EX" suffix to work with digital EOS cameras. (The "E" flashes were TTL, not E-TTL or E-TTL II)

    You may be able to get the flash to work with limited function (it may flash in sync with full output) by insulating the peripheral contacts, leaving just the central contact and shoe flange connections.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • cabbeycabbey Registered Users Posts: 1,053 Major grins
    edited February 15, 2007
    ziggy53 wrote:
    According to the following page, it is "not" compatible with digital EOS cameras:

    http://photonotes.org/cgi-bin/flash-specs.pl?flashType=canon200e

    I believe this is true of all the flashes with the "E" suffix. You want a flash with the "EX" suffix to work with digital EOS cameras. (The "E" flashes were TTL, not E-TTL or E-TTL II)

    You may be able to get the flash to work with limited function (it may flash in sync with full output) by insulating the peripheral contacts, leaving just the central contact and shoe flange connections.

    AH. And *that's* why they made you a mod around here... turning up the kind of resources my google outing didn't. Thanks! bowdown.gif

    Can I get three cheers for Ziggy?!

    Ziggy-zoggy! Ziggy-zoggy! oi-oi-oi!!
    Ziggy-zoggy! Ziggy-zoggy! oi-oi-oi!!
    Ziggy-zoggy! Ziggy-zoggy! oi-oi-oi!!
    :slurp


    (p.s. great link a few clicks away from there was Dave's speedlite comparison, which I'm now using to contemplate a 430ex vs a 580ex)
    SmugMug Sorcerer - Engineering Team Champion for Commerce, Finance, Security, and Data Support
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  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,250 moderator
    edited February 15, 2007
    cabbey wrote:
    AH. And *that's* why they made you a mod around here... turning up the kind of resources my google outing didn't. Thanks! bowdown.gif

    You got that right. Zigg's good with all these sorts of things. So a lesson learned... when someone spends a lot of time and effort in here helping others, they get kidnapped, reprogrammed, and made to work even harder mwink.giflol3.gif
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,156 moderator
    edited February 16, 2007
    Thanks folks. No rest for the mods in this place! Too many great people to help, and to help me when needed. thumb.gifclap

    Everybody, tell your friends about the Digital Grin, and tell your enemies about that "other" place.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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