G3 and 420EX

[snguyen]

Hello,

I'm using my G3 with a couple of Sunpak DS20 slave flashes. This set-up is okay, but I hope to purchase the 420EX to trigger the slaves, in lieu of having the on-board flash as the trigger. My only concern is the 420EX pre-flashes, which will falsely trigger the slaves.

Is there a mode on the G3 that will make the 420EX fire without pre-flash?

Thanks.

[rangersvtsplash]

im not 100% suree but i think it can only be used as a slave and the 550 used to trigger but not sure.

[snguyen]

Thanks, Ranger.

I'm still interested hearing from others on whether or not the pre-flash can be disabled on the 420EX + G3 combo.

[PacAce]

Thanks, Ranger.

I'm still interested hearing from others on whether or not the pre-flash can be disabled on the 420EX + G3 combo.

Nope. The pre-flash is a must for E-TTL and the 420EX only works in that mode.

However, I'm not sure but I do know that the 420EX fires full blast when the camera is set to M mode so it may not need to fire a pre-flash since it's not doing E-TTL in M mode. Might be worth investigating.

[msvadi]

Yes, you can disable pre-flashes (and TTL on G2 and I believe on G3 and G5) ) if you switch to the M mode. You can adjust the flash output from the camera.

As far as I remember you cannot use 420EX to trigger other flashes, but you can use 550EX to trigger 420EX. Somebody correct me please if I'm wrong.

[snguyen]

Thank you, msvadi and PacAce. I went ahead and ordered the 420EX. It's good to know the camera can control the 420EX, which essentially has no manual mode.

In case anyone is interested, I've tried Sunpak's PZ5000AF (for Canon) with the G3 and found problems with this combo. The PZ does not communicate with the camera and only fires at full power.

[johnson]

Yes, you can disable pre-flashes (and TTL on G2 and I believe on G3 and G5) ) if you switch to the M mode. You can adjust the flash output from the camera.

You cannot adjust flash output (at least in the G2) if it is in "M" modle. It fires full power.

[s00pcan]

Do non-canon flashes only work in manual mode?

[sclamb]

I have used my G3 with studio flashes and a 420EX mounted on top. Just set the G3 to manual mode, set the flash power to the lowest setting (1/16th I think it is) and point the flash head at the ceiling.

It emits enough light to fire the main flashes and does not alter the exposure.

Simon

[nikee]

hi

today I went to my preferred photo store and wanted to try out some flashes for my G3. they said that because of delivery problems with the canon flashes they ordered some sunpak units. They showed me the sunpak pz40x, which has a big lcd, zooms, supports e-ttl and has a manual mode. see the website of the flash for more details: http://www.sunpak.jp/e/products/pz40x/main.html

I tried it with my G3 and it worked in both e-ttl and manual mode. e-ttl mode seemed to work well (I even noticed the pre-flash), the zoom worked as well.

regars
nicola

[s00pcan]

Wow that flash sounds like exactly what I want.. manual and e-ttl for a low price. I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip!

[nikee]

if being € 100.- cheaper than the 420ex means ''low price'' to you... :) what really makes the pz40x cool is first its weight and size, then its manual mode and big lcd screen with lots of information. downside is only that it's not canon and thus may not be compatible with future camera bodies and that its head does only tilt, but not swivel. being a bit less expensive than the 420ex is just a sweet addition to all that IMHO.

anyway, I am thinking myself of getting one, have to find out if other stores would give it to me for less than the € 230.- retail price.

regards
nicola

[Sailare]

The Sunpack is available at B&H for $ 149.95. $ 30 less than the 420EX with U.S. warranty.

You gain manual similar to the 550EX but give up a few feet in range as well as horizontal swivel.

Certainly worth considering... anyone had one for a while?

[nikee]

The Sunpack is available at B&H for $ 149.95. $ 30 less than the 420EX with U.S. warranty.
You gain manual similar to the 550EX but give up a few feet in range as well as horizontal swivel.
Agreed. But you lose as well the possibility to use it as a slave like you can with the 420ex (and with a 550ex or a ST-E2 as master). Though it may not be a real problem if you don't plan to do such things. Compatibility overall is also questionable, as the E-TTL procotol is not published by canon and Canon wouldn't be likely to license its use to Sunpak. Maybe someone knowledgeable could comment on this?

What still remains unclear to me is whether the Sunpak has all these nice FP flash etc. features the 550ex has.

regards
nicola

[s00pcan]

http://www.sunpak.jp/service/PZ40XNEOMENG.pdf

found this manual for it. I'm posting it because there's not a lot of info on this flash yet.

[nikee]

http://www.sunpak.jp/service/PZ40XNEOMENG.pdf

found this manual for it. I'm posting it because there's not a lot of info on this flash yet.

nice work! I wrote to info@sunpak.jp asking if there is also a manual for the canon version of the pz40x. strangely, there is not even a japanese manual of it on their site...

regards
nicola

[johnson]

I just purchased a Sunpak 383 Super and have read that this works great with the G series cameras. Doesnt support E-TTL but its half the price of the 420EX. I got mine for about $30 shipped on eBay. The unit should be getting here later this week.

[FlyingPete]

As far as I remember you cannot use 420EX to trigger other flashes, but you can use 550EX to trigger 420EX. Somebody correct me please if I'm wrong.

The 550EX can trigger other 420EX's (and other 550EX's I think?), not sure how many, I suspect three. This uses a wireless protcol though, not standard flash detection like slave units. Ever wondered what the buttons on the below the main panel on the 420EX? That is what they are for.

You can actually get a 'Master' unit as well that can trigger 420EX's although does not have a flash itself.

I believe it is full ETTL with all the flashes making this set up quite powerful (although quite expensive!).

[nikee]

[quote=s00pcan]nice work! I wrote to info@sunpak.jp asking if there is also a manual for the canon version of the pz40x. strangely, there is not even a japanese manual of it on their site...

well, I got a reply today and they were so kind and attached the PDF version of the canon manual of the sunpak PZ40X. you can get it here:
http://variant.ch/papers/40X-CA.pdf

unfortunately, it does not say how the flash behaves for fill flash etc. - however, it may be possible that these things are controlled by the camera (e.g. the 10D manual has a good description of how to use the 550EX with the 10D), rather than the flash unit.

regards
nicola[/url]