420EX question

[acrephoto]

I have the Canon Digital Rebel 300D and I also have the 420EX flash. Can I use the 420 as a slave with the flash built in to the rebel to trigger it? If so then how?

[GenDEM]

No, you can't.

[acrephoto]

thanks, just wondering.

[DaveG]

acrephoto wrote:
I have the Canon Digital Rebel 300D and I also have the 420EX flash. Can I use the 420 as a slave with the flash built in to the rebel to trigger it? If so then how?

You need a 550EX or the ST-E2 transmitter to act as the flash MASTER. The you can use a 420 or another 550 as slaves.

[robertwgross]

Yes, you can, but it is not elegant.

You can add a digital peanut to the 420EX. That will allow it to ignore the pre-flash and trigger on the main flash from the camera. The product is made by Wein.

The older non-digital peanut is not smart enough to ignore the pre-flash, so it will not work.

Metering is probably going to be imperfect, so experiment with different flash modes.

---Bob Gross---

[DonCoon]

robertwgross wrote:
Yes, you can, but it is not elegant.

You can add a digital peanut to the 420EX. That will allow it to ignore the pre-flash and trigger on the main flash from the camera. The product is made by Wein.

The older non-digital peanut is not smart enough to ignore the pre-flash, so it will not work.

Metering is probably going to be imperfect, so experiment with different flash modes.

---Bob Gross---

Hey Bob,

Can you give us a little more info re where to find details re this peanut? Sounds very interesting!

Thanks

[slin100]

Wein Digital Peanut (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=263022&is=REG). You will also need a PC cord to hot shoe adapter because the 420EX doesn't have a PC socket.

You will lose E-TTL for sure. I'm not sure if the 420EX can function as an auto-thyristor flash, so you may only get full output. The 420EX doesn't have manual output control, so the usefulness of this setup would be really limited.

[robertwgross]

slin100 wrote:
The 420EX doesn't have manual output control, so the usefulness of this setup would be really limited.

That is why I said that it is not elegant.

Of course, I get really worried when somebody says that he has come up with a really elegant solution. It typically means over-engineered and expensive.

---Bob Gross---

[scottbergerphoto]

slin100 wrote:
Wein Digital Peanut (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=263022&is=REG). You will also need a PC cord to hot shoe adapter because the 420EX doesn't have a PC socket.

You will lose E-TTL for sure. I'm not sure if the 420EX can function as an auto-thyristor flash, so you may only get full output. The 420EX doesn't have manual output control, so the usefulness of this setup would be really limited.
The 420 Ex doesn't have an Auto Thyristor mode and you can't adjust it's output manually on the flash. You can however adjust its effective output by moving it further from the subject. Each time you double its distance from the subject you reduce its intensity at the subject by 4 (inverse square law).
Scott

[DaveG]

scottbergerphoto wrote:
slin100 wrote:
Wein Digital Peanut (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=263022&is=REG). You will also need a PC cord to hot shoe adapter because the 420EX doesn't have a PC socket.

You will lose E-TTL for sure. I'm not sure if the 420EX can function as an auto-thyristor flash, so you may only get full output. The 420EX doesn't have manual output control, so the usefulness of this setup would be really limited.
The 420 Ex doesn't have an Auto Thyristor mode and you can't adjust it's output manually on the flash. You can however adjust its effective output by moving it further from the subject. Each time you double its distance from the subject you reduce its intensity at the subject by 4 (inverse square law).
Scott

Head out to a local photo store and have a look in their used stock. Find a little cheap flash plus a Vivitar 283/285. Then buy a new slave of some kind - Wein, Vivitar or whatever.

You use the little flash in the hotshoe and set up the 283/285 wherever you want it. If it's a 283/285 you can set it up on automatic, or select one of the manual power settings if it's a 285. This approach will cost you half what the 420 will cost and it will work better.

But be careful with this whole approach. Remember that anyone with a flash is going to pop your slaved flash too. If you are alone then this doesn't matter but if it's at a wedding ...

One of the strengths of the Canon Wireless TTL flash slave system is that Aunt Gertrude's point and shoot flash WILL NOT trigger your slaved flash.