Canon Wireless problems.

[Clint_Smith]

When I use my 580EX as a master it will only fire my 430 and 550 when the 580 is in the vertical position. but it seams to flake out when it is turned on it's side.

anyone ever have this happen....or better yet anyone ever have this happen when using the off camera cord?

[Vance]

Hi Clint,

I've only got the 580 and 550, so I'd need to test this out. I'm getting a bit confused with the way you've worded your camera/light position.

I take it, the lights work when in the horizontal and not in vertical correct ?

It might be that your lens could possibly be blocking the IR signal to one of the lights.

Let me go and do some tests, and I'll try to get back to you.

[Vance]

Okay... I'm back.. and there's a danged blue dot where ever I look now. :(

I went and set up my 550 as slave, with the 580 as master on camera. Now I was only about 5-6 feet away, and both units fired in horizontal and vertical (both directions) hence the blue dot.

[Clint_Smith]

Ok let me rephrase. When I have my 580 on my flash bracket and I turn the camera to shoot vertical the flash is rotated to where it is on it side, but above the lens. The 580 will fire, but my slaves are intermittent. But when I hold the camera horizontal the slaves trigger every time The lens is not obstructing the master because it is on a flash bracket.

[Ahh!]

Clint, I am Nikonian, so pardon the dumb question. Are the remotes being controled by IR or RF? Is the 580 the broadcaster, or is it the camera?

[Clint_Smith]

The Canon Speedlites are wireless via RF. the 580EX is the master ( or can be set to slave) THe 430EX is only a slave in the wireless. I also have an older 550EX that can be a slave or master.

The problem occurs when I use either the 550 or 580 as the master and rotate the camera vertical, thus making the bracket move the speedlite over the lens.

[Ahh!]

OK...
I was reading thru all the withcraft on the eBay wireless stuff today, which causes me to hypothesize...is the different orientation of the camera body to the flash somehow causing interference? Can you take the body or flash off the bracket and vary the distances to get to a usable distance or orientation? If so, I would gripe to Canon or at least check out your specific equipment to see if they are possibily not sending out enough of a signal to overcome the EMI or sheilding is not in place where it needs to be.

Not a Canonista, but radio is radio...not matter what century we are in.

[Clint_Smith]

Peter I am researching it now, and it looks as though canon in the infinite wisdom decided to make the horizontal beam of light wider than the vertical...and that also the trigger is not exactly IR, it is a preflash of white light that actually does the commnuciation...

If there was some way for me to get ETTL through my Pocket Wizards I would use them in a heart beat.

[Ahh!]

Originally Posted by Clint_Smith

If there was some way for me to get ETTL through my Pocket Wizards I would use them in a heart beat.

Right on! Then, and only then, would I be willing to pay $200 per copy for those pocketwizzies. For now, I will be ordering the "ebay" units at the significant savings...and remain in the manual world. But, don't cry for me, Argentina. My studio is made up of powerpack and monolights which are ancient. They can't do the CLS or ETTL. In fact, they couldn't spell them.
I am using my SB800 as a fill with a short cord to trigger the rest optically until I get the remotes next week.

[Ahh!]

As I walked away for the night...it dawned on me...you might get a bracket with all the custom features to swivel the camera without changing the flash position. But the risk you run is no longer having the alignment of the flash aspect to that of the camera...yet another trade-off.

Like they asked me at the grocery store...Instead of asking "paper or plastic", they asked, "Kill a tree, or choke a fish?"