Wireless trigger help on 30D - DPChallenge Forums

01/04/2008 08:10:13 AM · #1

My ebay gear has just arrived, got it all hooked up and it's not firing - and I can't work out why. The channels are correct and when I press the test button both LEDs fire. Also when I take a shot both LEDs fire, but no flash.

I'm using a Canon Speedlite 380ex which is all I have. I know it's not the most versatile of flashes but it should at least fire under this setup?

Any help greatly appreciated...i've been clucking for off the camera lighting since I joined and I'm desperate to start playing!

Thanks

N

p.s. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that I need to set an option mode on the camera, but I can't find it on strobist or anywhere else. Do I need to, and if so, what...

Message edited by author 2008-01-04 08:11:24.

01/04/2008 08:17:13 AM · #2

Which kit did you get? The Cactus V2s? There is no mode you have to change in the 30D - you just put the transmitter on the hotshoe and the receiver on the flash. Have you changed all the batteries in the Tx and Rx units? The ones it comes with are total crap. That might help, for starters.

I know my eBay radio slaves don't like my Canon 430EX nearly as much as they do my Nikon strobes. I have to use teh 430EX with a hotshoe attachment, and it sometimes doesn't fire, or mis-fires. It's possible that they just don't "talk" well - the eBay site lists compatable models, what does it say about the 330?

timfythetoo

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

01/04/2008 08:17:40 AM · #3

What does your gear consist of? Whats your setup?

01/04/2008 08:21:50 AM · #4

It's the same as the cactus/gadget infinity ebay triggers...the RF-04 unit on the camera and the PT-04 receiver on the flash.

01/04/2008 08:23:03 AM · #5

Originally posted by fastforward:

It's the same as the cactus/gadget infinity ebay triggers...the RF-04 unit on the camera and the PT-04 receiver on the flash.

That's the one where the the Rx is like a little hotshoe that the flash seats into, right?

01/04/2008 08:24:38 AM · #6

Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

Have you changed all the batteries in the Tx and Rx units? The ones it comes with are total crap.

I put the CR-2 battery that came with it in...but it seems to be working fine because of the constant communication between the two units. I didn't know that there's a battery in the transmitter unit though...where does it open and what does it take?

01/04/2008 08:27:10 AM · #7

Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

That's the one where the the Rx is like a little hotshoe that the flash seats into, right?

Yep - that's the one (link to ebay item for pic)

01/04/2008 08:28:08 AM · #8

Originally posted by fastforward:

Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
Have you changed all the batteries in the Tx and Rx units? The ones it comes with are total crap.

I put the CR-2 battery that came with it in...but it seems to be working fine because of the constant communication between the two units. I didn't know that there's a battery in the transmitter unit though...where does it open and what does it take?

There should be a screw on the bottom that you remove, and the Tx comes apart. It's one of those funny little batteries that looks like a short "AA" size. They have them at RadioShack and Staples, usually.

Keep in mind, just because there's enough power to light the little LEDs, that doesn't meant there's enough power to actually trigger the units.

01/04/2008 08:31:10 AM · #9

Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

Keep in mind, just because there's enough power to light the little LEDs, that doesn't meant there's enough power to actually trigger the units.

Maybe...worth a try...will go and get a few now...thanks :)

N

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

01/04/2008 08:51:16 AM · #10

Just before heading out to get batteries I put the flash directly onto the camera, no wireless units at all. The flash isn't synching with the shutter release at all... it's firing but all the shots are badly underexposed (i.e. no flash).

I think this means my flash is in trouble/dead, or am I doing something obviously wrong? It has worked faithfully for years on camera.

N

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

01/04/2008 09:27:14 AM · #11

Originally posted by fastforward:

What's your shutter speeed?

pix-al

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

01/04/2008 09:27:49 AM · #12

One of the suppliers has a comprehensive list of the flashes that do/don't work with these units.

I only found this out AFTER I bought and they didn't work with my Sigma DG 500 unit, so ended up buying two old Nikon SB's on Ebay, which thanks to the strobist site were getting a lot of interest!

There were quite a few Canon units which either didn't work, or fired erratically and needed some DIY RF shielding work to fix them...

brownsm

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/04/2008 09:51:31 AM · #13

the gadget infinity site lists that flash as being compatible. Not being too familiar with the abilities or settings of that flash, this might not be exact, but worth a try.

put the flash into slave mode. that is the only way for my Sigma DG super to work. might be a similar issue.

as to your later issue, is the high speed sync switch set correctly? is the flash in the proper mode? (for instance, not in manual at 1/64 power).

hope this helps.

01/04/2008 12:04:58 PM · #14

Originally posted by brownsm:

Thanks - but it's such a basic flash - it has 1 slider and I've tried it in both modes and it still doesn't work (wirelessly or not).

Which camera mode should I have it on?

01/04/2008 12:07:27 PM · #15

Originally posted by idnic:

What's your shutter speeed?

I've tried quite a lot between 1/60th and 1s with no joy (trying to make sure I'm not asking too much of a basic flash)

01/04/2008 01:50:10 PM · #16

This is driving me nuts now - it now seems to be a flash or camera problem as well as a trigger issue.

Whatever I do, whichever mode I put the camera into (P, AV, TV) the E-TTL light on the flash will light and the flash will fire but the pictures are totally underexposed...as if the flash didn't fire at all but the camera metered as if there was flash, which suggests that the flash and shutter are out of sync.

I've read loads of webpages (this one is amazing for Canon flash) but there's nothing that seems to be relevant.

Any ideas?

N

01/04/2008 03:14:10 PM · #17

Here's a wild idea. Set the flash to Manual, and dial in a power level (1/4 for starters, perhaps). Then use tape to cover all the pins on the bottom of the flash hotshoe EXCEPT for the middle one. This will block all the TTL/communication between them, and just trigger the flash at whatever setting it's on. It'll be a bit clunkier to use it this way (assuming this fixes the problem), but with some practice, you'll get the hang of it. If taping it off makes it work, you'll also know that the problem lies in the communication between the flash and camera.

Of course, I have no idea (and little faith) that this will help your problems with the eBay slaves, although it may be worth a try - at worst, it will waste a few minutes.

brownsm

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/04/2008 03:18:53 PM · #18

Originally posted by fastforward:

you didn't dial in flash compensation of -2 stops on your camera, did you?

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

01/04/2008 03:19:41 PM · #19

What's happening is that the slaves are firing on the ETTL preflash and not the real flash (which occurs when the shutter is open). When this happens, there isn't enough time for the slaves to recharge before the main flash fires a split second later. There are a few ways around this:
1.) Use Odyssey's method. But you won't have to bother with tape to cover the pins if you're in manual mode, there won't be a preflash if in M.
2.) Press the star [*] button on your camera to trigger just the preflash. Then press the shutter release when the slave(s) have recharged and you're ready to take the picture.

Good luck!

brownsm

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/04/2008 03:27:37 PM · #20

Originally posted by SamDoe1:

if I understand the Op correctly, he is using only one flash. no slaves.

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

01/04/2008 03:58:18 PM · #21

Originally posted by brownsm:

if I understand the Op correctly, he is using only one flash. no slaves.

Oops, sorry. My mistake, must have misread.

01/04/2008 03:59:19 PM · #22

I've had to take a step backwards to diagnose the flash first, and then worry about the transmitter. I suspect that once the flash is sorted the wireless kit will work fine.

At the moment it's just a 380ex on a 30D...as vanilla as I can make it to work out what isn't happening (new batteries just to be sure).

pix-al

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

01/04/2008 04:33:20 PM · #23

Originally posted by brownsm:

you didn't dial in flash compensation of -2 stops on your camera, did you?

That is what I was thinkng...
You checked this out? You know how to work the flash compensation?

pix-al