I haven't ever used remote controlled flash, and I would like to start. I really don't know where to, nor how to. What do you recommend for transmitters and receivers? What about light stands, and ways to attach a 550 EX or 580 EX to the light stand? I am sure there will be a lot more questions, but these are enough for now.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Mike
www.mikespinak.com
Hi Mike,
Entering the realms of off camera flash can be daunting, but it will be very rewarding. I'll answer your questions quickly before passing you on to an excellent resource.
There are several options for remote triggering of off camera flashes. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and you may end up using all of them at some point:
a) If uses simple flashes (and the 580EX doesn't come under this category), place your flashes in manual mode and set the slave flashes to trigger whenever they see another flash go off. This method can be done with almost any flash, and it's cheap. The main disadvantages are that distance is limited and remote control of the flash is lost (that is, the ability to change its settings from a distance). ETTL is also not possible. Also, if there are other photographers about, their flashes will set of yours.
b) Since you mention the 580EX, you can go one step further and control you flashes using the 580EX or 550 EX as a master. As long as you have other Canon flashes that can act as slaves, you now have the possibility to actually control your remote flashes from your master. Furthermore, ETTL metering will continue to function. The control signals are send as encoded flashes of light, so the same problem occurs with respect to maximum distance; reliability outside is significantly reduced. The 580EX offer several channels, reducing the possibility of clashing with set ups from other photographers.
c) You can use some cheap ebay radio triggers. These work fairly well, both indoors and outdoors. You'll lose ETTL, but you'll no longer need a direct line of sight between the flashes. Don't expect perfection however, you may get occasional mis-fires and other such oddities. Distance will still be limited (although better than using coded flashes).
d) You can buy a professional grade radio triggers, such as those made by PocketWizard. With a system like this you can trigger your flashes very reliably from great distances. ETTL is still lost however.
Don't get put off by the loss of ETTL in most of the above case. Off-camera flash normally works best with the flash set manually.
To learn about off-camera flash, spend some time here:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/
Click the "Lighting 101" link on the right hand side. This site will also show you how to connect your 580EX to a lightstand.
Best of luck.
Tim
