HELP- synch issue!

[CatchingUp]

I'm having synch challenges here...hoping someone can help me out.

I have two AB800's set up and I am trying to use my 580ex cannon flash as a hairlight. (posted about the possibilities of this on another thread)

I have a ST-E2 transmitter to trigger my 580. When I did some test shots, the 580 was able to trigger both of my AB800's when the camera fires, but there is an obvious synch issue here because the pictures are extremely underexposed.

My only conclusion is that synch is off.

When I do the shoot without the use of the hairlight using my 580, everything works fine.

Suggestions?

[FlashZebra]

The ST-E2 is firing a pre/command flash before exposure. These pre exposure flashes are confounding the optical slave initiated flash on your AB units (the AB units are firing before the shutter is open).

Enjoy! Lon

[Napalm_fire]

It should work if you switch your 580EXII to manual mode. I use my 580EXII on manual mode w/ 1/128 power to trigger another off camera flash if I wish to use off camera lighting.

I just ordered 2 optical flashes from FlashZebra for use with my alienbee and two hotshoe flashes and they are fantastic! I'm going to be using the PC sync to my camera from the AB800 and then optical trigger the two hotshoe flashes.

[CatchingUp]

The ST-E2 is firing a pre/command flash before exposure. These pre exposure flashes are confounding the optical slave initiated flash on your AB units (the AB units are firing before the shutter is open).

Enjoy! Lon

Um...not sure if I follow your drift here. Is this resolved by a setting on my ST unit? I took your 'enjoy' comment as a hopeful conclusion that I was just a 'click of a button' away to resolving my problem???? :- )

I did go back and realized that my flash was still in ETTL mode, so I put it over in manual thinking I had solved my problem.

Not so. This time, I got just the flash synching which gave me the hair light effect, but the AB's didn't synch.

My next step was to hook up the synch cord from my camera to one of my AB's, while still using the ST unit to trigger my flash. But from best I can tell, the AB's fired on cue, but the flash seemed to get lost in the effect.

[FlashZebra]

Um...not sure if I follow your drift here. Is this resolved by a setting on my ST unit? I took your 'enjoy' comment as a hopeful conclusion that I was just a 'click of a button' away to resolving my problem???? :- )

I did go back and realized that my flash was still in ETTL mode, so I put it over in manual thinking I had solved my problem.

Not so. This time, I got just the flash synching which gave me the hair light effect, but the AB's didn't synch.

My next step was to hook up the synch cord from my camera to one of my AB's, while still using the ST unit to trigger my flash. But from best I can tell, the AB's fired on cue, but the flash seemed to get lost in the effect.
If you have the ST-E2 on your camera, it does not matter that you set the off camera 580EX to manual mode. The ST-E2 communicates with the off camera 580EX using a series of flash pulses before the exposure.

The pre/command flash bursts are firing the the Alien Bee units via their built in optical slaves before the shutter opens on the camera.

The Alien Bee attached with the cord will not fire early. When you plug something into the sync port on the AB units, it turns off the built in optical slave.

Enjoy! Lon

[CatchingUp]

If you have the ST-E2 on your camera, it does not matter that you set the off camera 580EX to manual mode. The ST-E2 communicates with the off camera 580EX using a series of flash pulses before the exposure.

The pre/command flash bursts are firing the the Alien Bee units via their built in optical slaves before the shutter opens on the camera.

The Alien Bee attached with the cord will not fire early. When you plug something into the sync port on the AB units, it turns off the built in optical slave.

Enjoy! Lon

So then what you are saying is I need to try something entirely different?

[Lotto]

What Lon says. Even setting the ST-E2 (or the master unit) and the slave 580 to manual modes, there are still sync issue with other none EX flashes on optical slaves.

I understand the benefit of master/slave setup for hair light is that one can remote control the flash's output. The only reliable way I know is to use the Canon wireless system in full ETTL mode and trigger the other light through the sync port. That being running sync cords with splitter to the ABs, or connect the radio trigger transmitter to the sync port of the camera and connect the strobes to its receivers.

Forgo the integration of the master/slave will save lots of headaches, but I like to tweak with the equipments that I already owned. Check out this trigger I am working on.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3158355078_8c1f91e1dc.jpg

[roman_t]

maybe abees cant follow hi-sync mode?

[Curtis N]

So then what you are saying is I need to try something entirely different?I would suggest a PC cord or radio system connected to the 580EX.

[jnels5681]

Get some Pocket Wizards, Problem solved...

[PacAce]

Forgo the integration of the master/slave will save lots of headaches

I would suggest a PC cord or radio system connected to the 580EX.

Get some Pocket Wizards, Problem solved...

Yes, what they all said. If I said this once, I've said it a million times, optical slave triggering of strobes and ETTL wireless do not work very well together, if at all! If you have to use ETTL wireless to trigger the EX flashes, then use a sync cable or RF remotes units to fire all the strobes.