Canon 580EX bouncing issue

[Paul McGuckin]

Hi

I've been using the Canon 580EX flash for a couple of months now - using it daily in my job as a local newspaper snapper.

Problem is, I'm just using it on the basic ETTL setting and this seems to restrict me when I angle the flash to bounce it. Even where the ceiling is quite low, I struggle to force the flash to fire multiple times, to match the camera (1D IIn). Tried it on Multi setting but seems a bit hit and miss as I don't really understand the setting.

Anyone know of a good resource for using this flash unit properly?

[KrisCarnmarker]

Hi Paul,

First things first. The source of information on Canon EOS flash photography is this article here (http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/).

I'm not sure what you mean by "...force the flash to fire multiple times". Do you mean for each exposure, or do you mean fire multiple times for one exposure?

/Kris

[Will_Perlis]

Can I guess? You're using the camera on "motor" (high?) drive and the flash can't recycle fast enough to handle the burst lengths you need?

Don't forget that when bouncing the flash has to put out *lots* more power if you're keeping the aperture the same as for direct flash. You can try something like a Quantum or Canon high voltage supply for the 580 but there's a good chance you'll burn out the flash unit pretty quickly.

[KrisCarnmarker]

...high voltage supply for the 580 but there's a good chance you'll burn out the flash unit pretty quickly.

Yes. Be very aware of this. I have seen Nikon flash units literally melt. The external power supply should be seen more as a tool to help you use the flash unit for longer periods of time, not for allowing repeated flash bursts.

[Paul McGuckin]

Hi

Apologies for not replying sooner - the job is pretty full on at times.

Kris - thanks for the link, I've read this before but didn't find it gave me quite what I needed.

Will - your exactly right, working on high motor drive. I find that I'm lucky to get two flashes when bouncing. The strange thing is, I'm often on jobs with guys from the other local papers and their flashes seem to perform better. I've tried putting the flash onto the Multi setting and by playing around with the settings I can sometimes get the flash to respond better, but I really don't understand what I'm doing (and the manual doesn't seem to explain this very well).

[Will_Perlis]

Paul,

What kind of AA batteries are you using in the 580? If you're not already using them try some fresh high-capacity NiMH cells. Also, what happens if you use a wider aperture on the lens? That will require less light and you should see more shots working with the flash.

Unless the other guys are using the same gear at the same settings you really don't have a valid way to know if your flash is defective. If one of them is using a 580 it might be worth buying him a drink and seeing what happens when you use his flash on your camera.

The multiple flash setting is to get a multiple "strobe" effect on one frame. It won't do you any good in "motor drive" shooting of the kind you're doing.

[Nill Toulme]

Those guys might be using external battery packs, higher ISOs, wider apertures or some combination of those...

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

[René Damkot]

If you use NiMh cells, the 580EX will keep up with 8 fps. for about 5 shots, as long as it doesn't have to put out more then 1/16 to 1/8 of it's power per shot...
Either use higher ISO, or use a wider aperture. Or both.
Don't go to high, since HighSpeed Sync will also cost you flash power (about a stop).

[Steve Saunders]

Rene is right. I don't know what Canon call it, but it's FP on the Nikon units and the most common setting is 1/8 power. So you will need to open up the aperture or shoot at higher ISO for indoors to get a chance of a decent exposure. Outdoor it doesn't really matter as the flash will only really be used for fill and FP will be fine for that.

[Paul McGuckin]

Thanks again

Batteries could have something to do with it, just using regular rechargeables now. On the aperture, I'm usually around 5.6/6.3, should I go wider?

Also, anyone know what the Canon equivalent of FP that Steve mentioned?

And anyone know of any good resources for Canon flash info - would like to really get to know my flash so I know how to adjust it quickly.

[Nill Toulme]

This link (http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/) is the bible for EOS flash.

Nill
~~
www.toulme.net

[Asher Kelman]

This site is one of the best resources for Eos Photography. Does the man N.K. Guty have this a hobby or what? Certainly he seems to be a great reiviewer.

Asher

[René Damkot]

Canons equivalent of FP is HSS (High Speed Sync). Loses you about a stop of range.
f/ 5.6 gives you a range of about 9 meters at ISO 100. At ISO 1600 you have way more rang obviously... If you bounce the flash, you'll loose range, depending on what you bounce off.
So there are a few more things that determine whether f/5.6 is 'wide enough'

On Eos flashes: There is a stickie at another forum (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138907) that could be usefull, and if you don't want another forum, this (http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/) should be helpfull... (edit: Oops, missed the second page...)

[Ben Rubinstein]

You can get a 1 second recycle time from full pop using the canon battery pack, however you are of course voiding your warranty and probably going to fry your flash very fast using it like that (8fps), they are not designed to fire that fast.