IR control for flashes - Cross Brand possible?

08/02/2006 09:46:24 AM · #1

Ok, here's the ultimate question....

Can a Sigma 500DG Super control a Canon 580EX (or other EX flash)?

Likewise, can a Canon 580EX control a Sigma flash?

I'm just curious to see if things are standardized or proprietary.

It's getting darned close to time for me to get a flash.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

08/03/2006 08:24:38 AM · #2

Woo... quiet around here...

Any ideas?

PhantomEWO

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

08/03/2006 10:00:21 AM · #3

hummmmm, yup pretty quiet still. My Canon 580EX can control my Alien Bees so there is compatibility with them.

08/03/2006 11:37:15 AM · #4

Cool. Great news.

I wonder if the Alien Bees setup is also controllable by the IR control with the Nikon system...

Of course, the Alien Bees is a bit of a different purpose, being more along the lines of studio lighting, intended to work with the big name brands...

What about competitor brands?

For example, can a Nikon or Sigma flash be controlled by a Canon?

What about a Nikon or Sigma controlling a Canon?

Thanks for the info!

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

08/06/2006 08:02:47 AM · #5

bump for the last few questions

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm f/4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

08/06/2006 08:06:40 AM · #6

I would have ASSUMED that the different brands would have different "codes" just so everyone's not triggering each others' slaves all the time; like garage door openers or something. But I suspect that assumption would prove wrong, so I won't make it :-)

R.

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

08/06/2006 09:31:10 AM · #7

Same here bear... that's why I'm so curious...

On one hand, I can see that the makers of Alien Bees would naturally make them cross-compatible.

BUT, recent playings around with PC Sync cables have led me to wonder if there may indeed be more in common than one would assume...

Would a Metz unit be able to be controlled?

A friend of mine has some rather expensive Metz gear as well as an older 550EZ for sale. I don't think he's ever tried it as a controlled unit though...

I'm still trying to get my hands on his 50mm f/1.8 Mark I though... ;)

To clarify (and possibly put my foot in my mouth ;), I would be curious as to whether the cross-branded flashes could control each other for the basic function (just a simple 'fire') and possibly also the Commander mode, which would involve two-way IR communication.

Additionally, some wireless devices are channel specific (garage door openers are low band FM I thought), whereas other devices are IR and are quite cross-compatible... For example, Remote Controls for TVs in-brand, and Air Conditioning units (often cross-brand compatible).

Message edited by author 2006-08-06 09:32:48.

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm f/4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

08/06/2006 12:45:48 PM · #8

Originally posted by eschelar:

Additionally, some wireless devices are channel specific (garage door openers are low band FM I thought), whereas other devices are IR and are quite cross-compatible... For example, Remote Controls for TVs in-brand, and Air Conditioning units (often cross-brand compatible).

My programmable remote for my Cable box is an IR device, and it has in the instructions a full 3 pages of different codes for different specific brands and devices, so it is programmable to activate up to 3 devices... This was what my assumption was based on, actually. You're right the garage door openers are radio devices.

R.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

08/06/2006 09:16:04 PM · #9

When I have my Pentax flash on wireless any flash will set it off.

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

08/06/2006 11:53:33 PM · #10

Interesting. Which Pentax flash do you use?

Are you referring to using it to activate from the slave flash or from the IR control?

Have you tried it with an IR unit operating in commander mode (sends a signal to fire the flash, but does not actually fire the flash itself... might fire the pre-flashes, but if your flash unit responds to that, you aren't going to get a very well exposed pic)...

Bear - while I've used some IR controllers that use different channels (probably an init string of some sort?), my experience in Taiwan is that most companies that are diligent about this will make them non-cross compatible (usually internationally available brands), but companies that are just creating copies and knockoffs aren't always so diligent and sometimes have more than one brand that can control them...

Air Conditioners are often cross-brand compatible here... I work in a couple of schools that have several multiple brands, but often one or two controllers covers 4-5 brands of AC units... The function of an AC unit makes sense that it would be cross compatible...

I could see some reasoning that would make flashes cross-compatible, and other reasons that would not...

I seem to recall reading that the 580EX has the ability to control a couple of different channels as a commander. This would indicate to me that there are specific channels that they paid attention to as they were making them.

On the other hand, Sigma may or may not have this... It may be that without the proper Canon signatures, the Sigma cannot control the Canon flash...

However, it may also be that the Canon can control a Sigma which may ignore the identification string...

Don't know until someone who owns both lets us all in on this.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

08/07/2006 12:13:40 AM · #11

Originally posted by eschelar:

Interesting. Which Pentax flash do you use?

Slave flash mode :j

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/09/2006 10:30:14 AM · #12

I want to bring this one back up as it seems relevant and has not yet been answered.

Mr_Pants

SiPix Blink

10/09/2006 10:49:26 AM · #13

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Sigma flashes can, indeed, speak "Canon" in IR wireless ETTL mode.

Try here

or here

Telehubbie

Canon EOS-40D

10/09/2006 11:00:24 AM · #14

One option would be an optical slave trigger that you'd mount a flash on so when your master flash goes off, the slave "sees" the flash and triggers the flash mounted to it, much like how slave strobes work without connecting them all via p/c cords. But, you'd have to manually set the output of your flash. I've never used these, so I can't speak from experience on how well they work.

Mr_Pants

SiPix Blink

10/09/2006 12:02:01 PM · #15

Originally posted by Telehubbie:

One of the potential problems with that is that the ETTL pre-flash can set off all the slaves.