Help with Compatability Question

[sstinman]

Could I get some help on this post please.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19450

I would like to know is the Speedlite 420EX is compatable with an S45? Meaning does the e-TTL fully function? If so, doea anyone have experiance with it, does it do a good job of lighting pictures?

[slin100]

The S45 has neither a hot-shoe nor a sync connector, so I don't see how you could use it with a 420EX.

[sstinman]

That was my thought on it as well. But at the time of my conversation with the photo guy I wasn't sure of my facts.

One last idea, just to make sure, can the flash and S45 talk (communicate) via IR. Meaning when the shutter release button is pressed half way and the camera sends a signal out to meter the shot, can the flash read the signal and let the camera know its there and can add light to the shot. Please don't laugh at this question (I'm trying not to). Before I go back and tell the camera guy that his facts are wrong I want to be sure.

FYI the Vivitar DF200 is around $70-80US while the Canon Speedlite 420EX is $150-250US. Also, the vivitar incudes the flash mounting bracket. So I think this guy was trying to up sell me on the more expensive flash that would not do anything different the the Vivitar flash.

[slin100]

The sales person is, indeed, trying to sell you a bridge. AFAIK, the S45 cannot communicate via IR. Why don't you ask the sales person to demonstrate the setup to you? The person is going to be pretty red-faced admitting that it won't work.

FWIW, there is one way to use an off-camera flash. You can buy an optical trigger, like this Wein (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=263024&is=REG) unit and mount a hot-shoe flash on it. Alternatively, there are all-in-one flashes with built-in optical triggers. The optical trigger must be the type that ignores the E-TTL preflash emitted by Canons.

With either setup, the flash on the S45 can be used to trigger the other flash. You will want to turn down the power on the S45's flash or cover the tube so that it puts out the minimal amount of light; you just want it to trigger the off-camera flash, not illuminate the subject.

The downside of this is that you lose any TTL flash capabilities that you would get with the more sophisticated setups, like Canon's ST-E2 infrared trigger used with a 420EX. With this, you get full E-TTL. If you decide to do this, I wouldn't get a 420EX. It doesn't have any manual controls, so it'll likely fire at full power when triggered off-camera. You'll probably be better off buying a generic flash that has manual power control. The Vivitar 283 or 285HV are two popular choices. Sunpak has a few good models, too.