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12/09/2005 09:57:50 PM · #1 |
This may be an elementary question but I don't want to make a monumental mistake. I have a Canon 20D & a 580EX flash (plus two old flashes: Pro-Master & Vivitar, from my film days). I'd like to move a flash some distance off the camera for some occasional pictures (example silhouettes). I don't need fully dedicated TTL functionality for what I'm thinking. Also, I'd prefer not to sink hundreds of dollars if I can avoid it. Any thoughts on whether I can use a generic flash cable to trigger either the 580EX or one of the old flashes without somehow doing damage to the 20D. Also has anyone tried it?
Also note, Canon makes a cable but its pricy and a whopping two feet long (I suspect it is intended to be used with a flash bracket e.g., wedding photographs).
Thanks in advance for your time & thoughts.
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12/09/2005 10:32:18 PM · #2 |
Also interested (so consider this a tag). What I was intending to do was use one of the no-name 15 foot PC fem to PC male connectors and hook into a PC to hotshoe adaptor (also no-name have already from an old konica).
Only issue I know of is that the metal PC->hotshoe adaptor will short out the ettl pins on the flash so it will require some tape on those pins or the metal adaptor. |
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12/09/2005 10:44:35 PM · #3 |
I'm looking for the same, but munny is all being saved for Christmas :) What you need is a trigger for the camera and slave units for the other flash units.
The trigger can be a flash attached to the camera. When it fires, the slaves fire all the other guns. You have to be careful using the in-camera flash as most of them are set for re-eye which sends out a pre-flash which will fire the slaves before the shutter is open.
almost all flashes have a syc-cord attachement |
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12/11/2005 03:44:16 AM · #4 |
If you don't need ttl, damn near any cord should work. But I cannot guarantee that the voltage from an older flash won't fry your camera. If you want to do it safely, get a Wein Safe Sync. If anything fries, it's that, and it's 30 bucks or less
Also, most flashes do NOT come with a sync cord. Find a sync on a canon, cause I don't.
Just use the off camera cord. Since there's no TTL information to pass on, any cord (even the wrong brand, like Nikon on Canon) should work.
sync cords would need to go to the pc input on the camera. That's a different beast altogether.
Max |
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12/11/2005 05:23:26 AM · #5 |
Hi-ho,
You can use a generic 'PC' cable from your 20D to the 580ex without any problems...
Get a PC-hotshoe adaptor, and a longish PC cable and you're in business. That's the setup I use for my staged portrait work.
I also use Vivitar 285's and a Nikon SB24 with PC cables, or on generic optical slaves.
Put the flash in manual mode, and chimp the histogram or use a light meter and you're in business.
Cheers, Me.
Forgot, if you need more detail I can find some links or take some snaps of my gear...
Message edited by author 2005-12-11 05:23:56.
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12/12/2005 01:21:49 AM · #6 |
Thanks to all. I appreciate your input.
KiwiChris, what specifically do you use as the PC-Hot shoe adaptor for the 580EX?
Pshizzy, not sure I understand,,, the “Wein Safe Sync” is hot shoe to hot shoe? Also, if I use the setup - generic PC cable to hot shoe adaptor to Promaster (Promatic FTD 4000) to the PC connection on the 20D is there, or how do I limit, the risk of damaging the 20D?
All thoughts are appreciated.
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12/12/2005 01:44:53 AM · #7 |
I do this all the time. Get a wein safe sync, and a cheap old pc cord. your canon flash should have a pc in, and the wien a pc out. whole set up costs like 50 bucks for that. If you wanna fire your old flashes get some 20$ wien peanut slaves and u can fire off 3 flashes at a time, unless you're in daylight...then youd benefit a lot more from radio slaves. (pocket wizards or quantums)
wein safe sync mounts on top of your hot shoe. It has a hot shoe and a pc out, so you can do both or either.
Message edited by author 2005-12-12 01:45:40. |
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12/12/2005 01:59:12 AM · #8 |
To be safe on teh voltage to the hotshoe, get the flash ready to fire (tunred on, charged) and measure the voltage with a meter in DC volts on the two contacts on teh PC cord or the center pin and rail contact of the hotshoe on the flash.
The rebel is limited to 6 volts..the 20D i think can take more..but make sure!
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12/12/2005 05:44:59 AM · #9 |
'Urro..
Here's (a very small part of) the gear I lug with me for set-up indoor portrait work:
(The Nikon SB-24 is missing from this shot, I used it to take the photo! :-) ).
Stick the pc cable into the PC out on your 20D, the PC-hotshoe into the other end of the PC cable, the flash in the hotshoe, and the adaptor on top of a light stand/tripod, and fire away.
I use photoflex universal flash/brolly brackets:
Which have served me very well.
The 20D PC out is good for 250V, so you wont have any problems with 99.9% of flashes via the PC port. I've seen varying claims for the hotshoe, but it's not an issue for what you want to do, that's what the PC connector is for.... Rebel/D70/D50 etc users have to be more careful as they do not have a PC port, and the hotshoes are only rated for low voltages, around 6V or so. The Safe-sync is to protect such cameras...
Cheers, Me. |
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12/12/2005 05:56:55 AM · #10 |
FYI...
This is the smaller adaptor in my photo above.
And This is very similar to the optical slaves I use..
And... This is the Bracket I use.
I got my brollies from Ebay, and light stands from a local camera shop...
Cheers, Me. |
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12/12/2005 11:40:54 PM · #11 |
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