Options
what pc connection for canon
I want to take the flash off my camera...what pc connection cord from canon do i need...thanks janis
(2) Canon 20d, (1) canon 30d, 70-200is 2.8, tamron 17-50,canon 50mm 1.4
http://www.photographybywidget.com
http://www.photographybywidget.com
0
Comments
For ETTL connection with a Canon body, you need the Canon Off Camera Shoe Cord 2 or the newer OC-E3 which had better weather sealing or some such for the 580ex II.
There are some non-OEM versions also. I recently purchased a 40 inch ETTL extension cord for Canon portable flash units from www.alzodigital.com
They accepted payment via Paypal. I think the cost was ~$40. It was made in China. I received it within 5-9 days after I ordered it. I have not tried it yet, so I cannot verify that it works, but it looks sturdy and nicely made. The mounting shoe portion is aluminum, not plastic like the OEM version is.
Most Canon flashes will not accept a "normal" pc connection cord as they have no jack terminal ( the new 580ex II does accept a jack, but interestingly and maddeningly, it does not include a pc cord for its price!! )
Straight PC cords will only support manual flash use of course.
I own several off camera ETTL cords acquired before I purchased Canon's IR remote trigger - the ST-E2.
However, I very rarely use a cord any longer, the non-corded ST-E2 is just so much more convenient, and reaches so much farther than the ETTL cords.
If you search dgrin or Google for threads on dgrin with a search term for ST-E2 and fill flash you will find numerous threads we have posted here about off camera EOS speedlite use. Much is devoted to the ST-E2, but an appropriate EETL cord will accomplish the same techniques.
Here are a few to get you going,,,
http://digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=70330
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=602150
http://digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=74561
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=49999
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Is this what you bought
http://alzodigital.com/online_store/digital_camera_accessory_ocsc_canon.htm
if you have an st-e2 do you need the shoe cord?
I bought for 50 a wireless trigger for power pack and strobe..hope to hear..I am reading all your stuff...janis
If I got the ST-E2 I would not need a etttl cord , right? just trying to understand and do a better job with flash
http://www.photographybywidget.com
Yes, that is the cord I bought from Alzo for ETTL hardwire connection between my Canon camera and a Canon flash in ETTL.
If you have an ST-E2, it serves as a wireless transmitter to an EOS flash. The receiver is the EOS flash itself, you do not need a separate receiver with an ST-E2 and an EOS system flash. Other brand flashes will not work with an ST-E2 I believe ( some of the Sigma's might since they will work as a slave to an EOS master )
An ST-E2 is light based transmitter that includes ETTL control. A Pocket Wizard is a radio transmitter that requires a Pocket Wizard receiver that will then trigger a strobe to fire in manual mode. The Pocket Wizard does not permit ETTL usage of an EOS strobe. A Pocket Wizard ( despite the name ) is just a long pc cord connection done via radio transmission, hence does not include any automatic flash exposure control like an ST-E2.
A 580ex can be used in Master Mode to trigger another EOS flash as a slave, just as an ST-E2 can trigger an EOS flash as slave. Both support ETTL exposure control, unlike Pocket Wizards.
Pocket Wizards will trigger a flash many hundreds of feet away. An ST-E2 will be limited to less than 25 feet out of doors, and maybe 30 feet or so indoors. PWs do not require line of sight since they are based on radio transmission. The ST-E2 requires almost line of sight - there will be some tolerance due to reflection indoors, but out of doors the flash that is the slave needs to "see" the front of the ST-E2 to trigger reliably.
I am definitely not suggesting that one device is better than another. Both have their advocates who swear by them. I am more AC/DC as I use both the ST-E2, Pocket Wizards, optical slaves, and EOS Flashes in the master mode.
It is not which tool is the best, but which tool is the most appropriate for the task at hand.
In a formal studio shoot, where the photog is in charge of seating, lighting, movement, PWs RULE!! Set up your lights, sit your subject down, and the exposure does not change from frame to frame.
But indoors ( and some out of doors shoot as well ) where the subjects are moving about like kids playing, or candid shots, or where spontaneity rules, remote control of EOS flashes in ETTL is a very valuable alternative. As the subjects move toward or away from your flash, you never have to remove your eye from the viewfinder - ETTL takes care of the exposure adjustments dictated by the subject to flash distance.
"Available light" is any light that is available to me:D And I pack quite a bit with two EOS flashes and an ST-E2 with diffusers and gels. The trick is to make sure the image is not noticed as being done with flash.
Can you pick out which images were shot with off camera flash in this [url-"http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/gallery/3193011"]gallery[/url], and which were not?
The exif data will give you the answers.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin