Error betweem 10D and 550ex

[cmattdvc]

I have been shooting the D60 and have no problems with my 550ex flash communicating with it. However, I just started using a 10D with the same flash and they seem to have trouble communicating. Once the shutter is released the camera will not recognize that the flash is working and will act like the flash is set to off. After about 7 seconds the camera recognizes the flash is operating and will react accordingly. This makes it impossible to shoot action sports and wedding shots where action is involved (bouquet toss, etc).

[rdenney]

cmattdvc wrote:
I have been shooting the D60 and have no problems with my 550ex flash communicating with it. However, I just started using a 10D with the same flash and they seem to have trouble communicating. Once the shutter is released the camera will not recognize that the flash is working and will act like the flash is set to off. After about 7 seconds the camera recognizes the flash is operating and will react accordingly. This makes it impossible to shoot action sports and wedding shots where action is involved (bouquet toss, etc).

Make sure your flash batteries are fresh and the settings aren't requiring the full power of the flash. The 10D will act like the flash isn't there until it has recycled enough to light the ready light.

Rick "who uses ISO 400 to keep the required flash power and therefore recycle times low" Denney

[robertwgross]

Also make sure that you are not getting confused by the standard "low light autofocus problem". That will cause the camera to think about the shot for seconds before it goes, and that might act like a confusion with the flash.

---Bob Gross---

[robertwgross]

Also make sure that you are not getting confused by a second-curtain sync setting. I thought I was so smart to get that set one time, but then I forgot to turn it off. Then I was fouling myself up afterwards.

---Bob Gross---

[cmattdvc]

I am familiar with low light situations but I seem to be having this problem with well lighted outdoor situations as well. The camera does act like it does in low light. Can you tell me more about the 2nd curtain sync? It is possible that I have set the flash there accidentally. Can you assist me in checking for this?

[robertwgross]

cmattdvc wrote:
I am familiar with low light situations but I seem to be having this problem with well lighted outdoor situations as well. The camera does act like it does in low light. Can you tell me more about the 2nd curtain sync? It is possible that I have set the flash there accidentally. Can you assist me in checking for this?

Second curtain sync is in the menu, and it is a custom function. That is something that is set into the camera body, and the shutter specifically. Normally that is only used for non-flash medium slow shutter, to reduce mirror slap. I use this less than 1% of the time.

This is also documented in the manual.

---Bob Gross---

[Guillermo Freige]

Second courtain sync is used to trigger the flash at the second courtain and not at the first one. I've used second courtain flash as default for years in my EOS 5 and now in the S50 without problems. I'm using this mode because i want the flash "freezes" the scene at the end of the motion blur (second courtain) and not at the beginning, to get a more natural moving effect in slow shutter pictures. I've always used a "dumb" Metz flash or the internal EOS 5 and S50 ones, but I think "smart" ones, as Canon flashes, must have the same performance.