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Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash

Ok here is the deal.... have kids line up against backdrop and bam
shadow that i don't like...for kicks lets say I have decided to
purchase either another 580EX (this time II) or a 430EX II. After
studying what I would need I thought maybe the cord that is only 3
feet long.....but it appears to me that 1 end of the cord goes on the
camera where my current 580EX goes; therefore the cord would only be
good for 1 flash but away from the camera. Therefore after more
research....AHhhhh the STE-2 wireless transmitter is the answer (or is
it....) put this on the camera buy another flash and bam now I can
have both flashes working. However kept on fighting myself......"200
bucks just for a transmitter let alone buying another flash, ehhh".

Just tonight, yes I took a gander at my current 580EX book
manual......it would appear (and this is my MAIN QUESTION) that
somehow, haven't figured out the details yet, this 580EX can by
itself, without the $200.00 transmitter, act as a "master" and it
would be on the camera and somehow if I had another flash in slave
mode, my current 580EX could make the other flash go off.

Therefore I'm starting to think to get rid of the shadow behind the
children, I would only need to purchase another 430EX or 580EX (no
wireless transmitter or cords). Am I reading the manual correctly?
Thanks.

On Jan 19, 10:49*pm, dohc46 <doh...@hughes.net> wrote:
> Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash
>
> Ok here is the deal.... have kids line up against backdrop and bam
> shadow that i don't like...for kicks lets say I have decided to
> purchase either another 580EX (this time II) or a 430EX II. *After
> studying what I would need I thought maybe the cord that is only 3
> feet long.....but it appears to me that 1 end of the cord goes on the
> camera where my current 580EX goes; therefore the cord would only be
> good for 1 flash but away from the camera. *Therefore after more
> research....AHhhhh the STE-2 wireless transmitter is the answer (or is
> it....) put this on the camera buy another flash and bam now I can
> have both flashes working. *However kept on fighting myself......"200
> bucks just for a transmitter let alone buying another flash, ehhh".
>
> Just tonight, yes I took a gander at my current 580EX book
> manual......it would appear (and this is my MAIN QUESTION) that
> somehow, haven't figured out the details yet, this 580EX can by
> itself, without the $200.00 transmitter, act as a "master" and it
> would be on the camera and somehow if I had another flash in slave
> mode, my current 580EX could make the other flash go off.
>
> Therefore I'm starting to think to get rid of the shadow behind the
> children, I would only need to purchase another 430EX or 580EX (no
> wireless transmitter or cords). *Am I reading the manual correctly?
> Thanks.

Basically, you're right. On the "back" side of the flash (the side
that faces you) there's a switch towards the bottom. IIRC, it reads
"off" to the left, "master" to the middle, and "slave" to the right.
Put the flash on top of the camera to "master" and the other flash to
"slave". Then make sure they are both on the same channel. It's a IR
system so the slave has to be able to "see" the master but you can
point it right at the master and then swivel the flash towards the
subject. You can also use the master to control the relative output
of the slave by turning the power of either one down in increments.

It works pretty well. You have to remember to give time for both
flashes to recycle between shots.

Also, move the kids away from the backdrop and it's do a lot to
control the shadows.

Finally, another alternative is to use the cable and get a "wedding
arm" to move the flash a few more inches above the camera. It cures
red-eye and does a lot to control the shadows because they are blocked
by the subject.

Good luck with it.

dohc46 wrote:
> Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash
>
> Ok here is the deal.... have kids line up against backdrop and bam!!!!

The answer is yes, you need no synch cords or transmitors to pop off two
Canon Flashes.

--
john mcwilliams

dohc46 wrote:
> Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash
>
> Ok here is the deal.... have kids line up against backdrop and bam
> shadow that i don't like...for kicks lets say I have decided to
> purchase either another 580EX (this time II) or a 430EX II. After
> studying what I would need I thought maybe the cord that is only 3
> feet long.....but it appears to me that 1 end of the cord goes on
> the
> camera where my current 580EX goes; therefore the cord would only be
> good for 1 flash but away from the camera. Therefore after more
> research....AHhhhh the STE-2 wireless transmitter is the answer (or
> is
> it....) put this on the camera buy another flash and bam now I can
> have both flashes working. However kept on fighting
> myself......"200
> bucks just for a transmitter let alone buying another flash, ehhh".
>
> Just tonight, yes I took a gander at my current 580EX book
> manual......it would appear (and this is my MAIN QUESTION) that
> somehow, haven't figured out the details yet, this 580EX can by
> itself, without the $200.00 transmitter, act as a "master" and it
> would be on the camera and somehow if I had another flash in slave
> mode, my current 580EX could make the other flash go off.

Yep, that's exactly how it works and the ability to work as an ETTL
remote master is one of the differences between the 500 series and the
400 series Canon flashes.

> Therefore I'm starting to think to get rid of the shadow behind the
> children, I would only need to purchase another 430EX or 580EX (no
> wireless transmitter or cords). Am I reading the manual correctly?

Yes you are reading it properly.


--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

I might suggest that if you have a white ceiling you might do
best by pointing the flash at the ceiling about half way to the
subjects and using the white defuser. As previously noted, moving the
flash from the camera helps.

In article
<01688f57-26c7-411e-9369-(E-Mail Removed)>,
dohc46 <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash

Can't the Rebel's built-in flash act as a master to trigger the 580EX?

Fred

Fred McKenzie <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> dohc46 <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>> Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash

> Can't the Rebel's built-in flash act as a master to trigger the 580EX?

Nope.

-Wolfgang

dohc46 <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Current Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 580EX Flash

> Ok here is the deal.... have kids line up against backdrop and bam
> shadow that i don't like...for kicks lets say I have decided to
> purchase either another 580EX (this time II) or a 430EX II. After
> studying what I would need I thought maybe the cord that is only 3
> feet long.....but it appears to me that 1 end of the cord goes on the
> camera where my current 580EX goes; therefore the cord would only be
> good for 1 flash but away from the camera.

The 5xxEX flashes can serve as masters for wireless flash.

> Therefore after more
> research....AHhhhh the STE-2 wireless transmitter is the answer

Not needed. Use the extension cord for your 580EX, set it
to Master, use the slave mode on the 430EX (or 420EX or 550EX
or 580EX) and put it on group B (Why? Read the link below!).
No need for an STE-2, unless you need more distance than a (maybe
different) flash cord can give you.

Go read http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/ a couple
times till you really understand what happens. Flash is
*not* intuitive, you've got to *learn* it the hard way.

-Wolfgang