Flash cord

mercphoto

I'm about to get brave with the soldering iron. Has anyone ever attempted to lengthen a flash cord for a Canon? I like to be able to setup my flash on a stand about 30 feet away from my camera. For example, to hit the side of the car in this shot:


I've heard mixed reviews about Canon's infrared system, which is otherwise nice because it preserves TTL metering. And I don't want the expense of Pocket Wizards, which also removes the ability to do TTL flash metering.

mr peas

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=117659

<-- off-camera extension cord mod

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wireless-4-Channel-Slave-Strobe-Flash-Receiver-Only-US_W0QQitemZ300108920499QQihZ020QQcategoryZ64354QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

<-- off camera wireless unit from ebay

otherwise, if you're willing to spend more cash, pocketwizards are probably the best wireless devices. they can reach long distances. but if you dont need that, try those above. if you still need ttl, you will probably want to invest on the canon IR wireless system as you stated above.

good luck!

Hinson

Not sure what...

mercphoto wrote:

I've heard mixed reviews about Canon's infrared system, which is otherwise nice because it preserves TTL metering.

Bill, not sure what you heard about the ST-E2 but I just did a quick test just for this reply. I took my 550ex outside on a light stand, placed it in direct bright sunlight and then fired it from about 40 feet away (not measured but stepped off.) It fired like a charm.

Hinson

Shane422

There is a new version of the eBay triggers that is supposed to work much better with the Canon flashes now. The new versions say "Cactus" on them. No TTL though.

mercphoto

Hinson wrote:

Bill, not sure what you heard about the ST-E2 but I just did a quick test just for this reply. I took my 550ex outside on a light stand, placed it in direct bright sunlight and then fired it from about 40 feet away (not measured but stepped off.) It fired like a charm.

Hinson

Interesting. I've heard they fire unreliably based on ambient light and that they are very picky on their aim to the flash unit.

Hinson

mercphoto wrote:

Interesting. I've heard they fire unreliably based on ambient light and that they are very picky on their aim to the flash unit.

I'll do some more testing outside. My use has mostly been inside and it works great. It is IR so line-of-sight is rule of thumb but depending on room size, it will bounce off walls and still work. I've fired it with the sensor pointing in one direction and the sending unit pointing in another. Outside is a diffrerent matter. You would have to be line-of-sight but that really isn't a problem unless you wanted to hide the flash behind the car or some situation like that.

Hinson

BenA2

mercphoto wrote:

Interesting. I've heard they fire unreliably based on ambient light and that they are very picky on their aim to the flash unit.

Indoors, my ST E2 has never failed to fire a flash, even when the receiver is directly facing the transmitter with something blocking it (meaning a minimum of two reflections before the IR beam gets to the receiver). Outdoors, in daylight, they are not as reliable and require carefully positioning/aiming the receivers. But, people have gotten them to work at high noon up into the 30 ft range. I had never heard 40 ft before, until this thread.

Having said that, what you are trying to do does not appear to me like you necessarily need to maintain E-TTL. Shooting outdoors like this, I think you'll get more reliable/consistent results setting your flash power manually. In that case, the E-bay Cactus units are a very affordable option. They're new, but people seem to think they're pretty darn reliable, really giving the PWs a run for their money.

dogwood

Easy-- just be patient and take your time. It takes a couple of hours, but works great.

dogwood

Hinson wrote:

Bill, not sure what you heard about the ST-E2 but I just did a quick test just for this reply. I took my 550ex outside on a light stand, placed it in direct bright sunlight and then fired it from about 40 feet away (not measured but stepped off.) It fired like a charm.

Hinson

I've tried this same thing on a shoot in the desert in the middle of the day. It was too bright or something-- the IR didn't work.

It also has to be line of sight, which can be a major pain if you're using a light modifier.