420ex questions

[MediaMagic]

I bought a used 420ex to use as a slave. Of course, I don't have the manual. When in slave mode, there is a flashing red indicator.

My questions are:
1) does this indicator change flashing patterns on low battery? Does it just represent that the unit is on and functioning or does it have more useful indications via multiple emission patterns?

2) is it possible to disable the indicator?

The flash itself appears to be functioning flawlessly.

Thanks,
David

[robertwgross]

First of all, on the left is the Pilot light, and it should be lit when the unit is powered on.

You should be able to push the Pilot light (as a button) to fire a test flash.

If the flash was communicating with the camera and if a correct flash exposure was obtained, then the flash exposure confirmation light (just to the right of the Pilot) will light up for three seconds after the flash fires. If it does not confirm, then look into the Master/Slave mode, group, channel number, etc.

When it is set as a slave unit, then the AF assist beam on the front should be blinking once per second continuously.

If the 420EX is the slave, then what is its master? What camera is being used (Type A or B)? For that matter, what shutter speed is set (to assure sync)?

---Bob Gross---

[MediaMagic]

robertwgross wrote:

When it is set as a slave unit, then the AF assist beam on the front should be blinking once per second continuously.


---Bob Gross---

That's what it is. It's the AF assist. I mistook it as a function indicator due to the consistency of the interval, the rotational possibilities of the head (which would flash an AF assist off on a useless vector), and, I didn't realize that the assist would operate while not attached to the hot shoe or off camera cable. Perhaps it's good advice for the clueless to purchase new items, or at least used w/ manual, to ensure the availability of pertinent documentation.

Here's the deal, I've set up to take some shots of an awards ceremony. This is my first attempt at "ratio" flash with the 550/420 combination, so I've gotten permission to practice a bit in the room. I've angled the 420 base so that the receiver is facing my position, with the head rotated to face the area where the handshake will take place. The shots look fine despite the ignorance. The problem is that the AF assist is now flashing directly into a white tablecloth which is clearly noticeable from anywhere in the auditorium.

Can the AF assist be disabled? or, is it safe (function wise) to just put a piece of tape over it? I can't imagine it trying to measure the bounceback considering the rotational head feature, but I suppose anything is possible.

The camera is a 10D with 550ex master on a bracket, shutter speed 1/60

Thanks,
David

[DaveG]

-- The problem is that the AF assist is now flashing directly into a white tablecloth which is clearly noticeable from anywhere in the auditorium. ---

I don't understand. Where is the white tablecloth? On a table? Why would this be a bother? The red light on my 420 (which I'm not sure IS for AF help) isn't bright enough to light up anything, although the pulse might be a bit distracting to people in the room, at least at first.

[MediaMagic]

DaveG wrote:
-- The problem is that the AF assist is now flashing directly into a white tablecloth which is clearly noticeable from anywhere in the auditorium. ---

I don't understand. Where is the white tablecloth? On a table? Why would this be a bother? The red light on my 420 (which I'm not sure IS for AF help) isn't bright enough to light up anything, although the pulse might be a bit distracting to people in the room, at least at first.


Okay, the distraction is what I was trying to eliminate. It certainly doesn't bother me, it's just that the pulse is noticeable.

My assignment for this event is to capture the presentation of the individual awards, the handshake moment so to speak. So I'm setting up to specifically cover that situation.

The podium is near the front of a raised stage and the handshake will take place in a narrow corridor between the edge of the stage and the podium. The table cloths are gaffed on the floor of the stage draping down to the auditorium floor for aesthetic reasons I would imagine. The stage is lit, but the main floor area is dark. The position of the podium, however, puts the handshake position/subject in an area where the hotlights of the stage create a bit of a backlit situation. The "handshake corridor" is just forward of the angle of the stage lights.
The 420 is on a stand on the lower floor with the base at about a 35-45 degree angle to the wall/front of the stage and about 18 inches distance from it. I am limited to the 18inch distance because of a series of connecting tables along the front which appear to be for decorations, so my choices seem to be 18 inches, or 4-5 feet (on the other side of the front tables). This also may become a non issue after these tables are decorated. There may be flowers/etc that will be placed on the table that can be arranged to obstruct the view of the pulse altogether.

What is occuring, due the the base angle, is that the pulse is creating a red pattern on the stage cloth about 8-10 inches long and 3 inches wide comprised of 5 approx. quarter inch wide "lines". I could raise the stand so that the pulse is above the stage line, but that angle isn't as interesting to me as having the slave flash shooting from the lower angle, plus I wanted to keep the flash unit itself from being seen in the videographer's frame. The darkness of the main area makes the red pulse very noticeable on the white cloth.

I did a couple of tests since the first post, covering the pulse with a piece of tape and the unit seems to function properly. I don't know if the tape might interfere with something the unit might be trying to measure resulting at some point in the flash not firing at a critical moment.

David

[GenDEM]

The pulse is just there to indicate that the flash is in slave mode and is ready to fire. It is not used for focus assist when in slave mode.

[Cordell]

Bob, you say it is not the AF in slave mode, but isn't the slave trigger in slave mode?

[DaveG]

If it works it works so I guess that if you can successfully and safely tape over the red light then you've solved your problem.

You may have created one though. The 420 will "go to sleep" after it's been left unused for a while and one way to tell is that the red light has stopped blinking.

I recently spent three days at a bank's manager's conference and did many podium shots. I set up the 420 on a light stand about 10-15 degrees to the left of the speaker and about four to five meters away from the podium. This position allowed an in house TV crew to record the presentations without my flash and stand being in their shot.

I've placed Velcro strips on both sides of my 420 so I can flag the flash to prevent flare. In this case I flagged both sides of the 420, the flag nearest to me for the flare, and the other to prevent the flash from splashing light on to the background.

I was about 45 degrees off to the right side of the speaker and five to seven meters away, with a 550 in a Stroboframe Pro-T bracket, a 70-200 F2.8L on the 10D and the whole mess on a monopod. I varied the ratio's for some shots and shot with the flash tube on the 550 shut off on others. The lighting was dramatic and powerful and made a deadly dull shot much more interesting. But the flashing light out of the flash was pointed back at ME, not on the stage area at all. I'm sure that some patron's noticed it - just from the boredom that comes from listening to a speach - but there were no complaints.

The 420 did go to sleep at one point. I set it up during a lunch break and it was on for about 25 minutes before the meeting began again. I took a couple of shots and it didn't seem to work and the red light was not blinking. I snuck over to it, turned it off and then on again and I was back in business. After that I kept a close eye on the blinking red light to see that everything was go.

[DaveG]

I've re-read your last message and I'm not sure if you've turned the head of the flash to the subject while the body of the flash - and the blinking red light - is pointed back at you.

You should do this in any case since the wireless TTL requires that the 550's light be seen by the 420. In a small room with white ceilings and pastel walls this is probably a non issue since the line-of-sight rule is modified by all the happy reflections. But in a big auditorium you won't get any help at all and your 420 had better be able to "see" the 550.

[robertwgross]

cordell wrote:
Bob, you say it is not the AF in slave mode, but isn't the slave trigger in slave mode?

Your question is confusing. I said nothing of the kind.

---Bob Gross---

[MediaMagic]

DaveG wrote:
I've re-read your last message and I'm not sure if you've turned the head of the flash to the subject while the body of the flash - and the blinking red light - is pointed back at you.

You should do this in any case since the wireless TTL requires that the 550's light be seen by the 420. In a small room with white ceilings and pastel walls this is probably a non issue since the line-of-sight rule is modified by all the happy reflections. But in a big auditorium you won't get any help at all and your 420 had better be able to "see" the 550.

Dave, if I didn't feel like a complete flash idiot before today, I certainly do now. I'd love to be able to say something intelligent like, "From the camera position, the line of sight is blocked to the 420 so I'm using the white stage cloth to trigger the slave by bouncing light onto the sensor..."

The fact of the matter is, your assumption of the flash base positioning is correct. I had the 420 facing backwards, erroneously with the sensor aimed away from me, exactly as I am used to seeing it on top of the camera, and the only reason it was working was the lucky positioning of the stage shroud (which I, of course, thought was a problem because it was reflecting the assist beam into pretty little DeadHead patterns for all to see).

With the flash base oriented correctly, sensor aimed *toward* the 550, there is no problem with the assist light whatsoever. With the way the room is set up, I doubt anyone else will even notice it.

You ever get the feeling you're just too damn stupid to own a camera? That's my spades today...

Thanks for the help.

David