420EX as a Slave

[pyterps]

My question is if I set my flash to slave and fire another flash will the 420 since the flash and fire? If not what is the cheapest way to get this to happen?

Thanks.....Dave

[tim]

If you use a 550EX or 580EX as a master, they can tell the 420EX when to go off. As for the cheapest other way I can't really help, sorry, but you could try the EOS flash sticky, there's lots of info in there.

[scottbergerphoto]

EX series flashes, including the 420EX do not function as simple optical slaves. They will not fire in response to a pulse of light. They need special codes emitted by a master flash like a 550EX or 580EX or the STE2.

[pyterps]

Thanks Scott and Tim as this was what I was looking for. May be fuel for a new flash.

If I picked up one of the above flashes would you make it the key light and leave the 420 on a bracket as fill?

Thanks again for the help.

Dave

[scottbergerphoto]

By bracket, do you mean flash bracket and use the 420 as the flash attached to the hotshoe? That won't work. The flash connected to the hot shoe directly or on a bracket with the Off The She Cord 2 must be a Master. I use a 550EX as master and a combination of two other 550's and a 420 as slaves on light stands.

[Titus213]

EX series flashes, including the 420EX do not function as simple optical slaves. They will not fire in response to a pulse of light. They need special codes emitted by a master flash like a 550EX or 580EX or the STE2.

Is it possible to trip a 420EX using an optical slave unit attached to the flash? I realize this cripples any auto camera communications but would it fire?

[scottbergerphoto]

If you could get it to fire, by shorting some of the pins, it would only fire on maximum. In addition, you will have to turn it off and on after each shot as it may not recycle with an optical slave as the 550 won't.

[Titus213]

If you could get it to fire, by shorting some of the pins, it would only fire on maximum. In addition, you will have to turn it off and on after each shot as it may not recycle with an optical slave as the 550 won't.

Thanks for the response. That is curious but good information to have. I won't try it. I use the optical slave on a Sunpak 555. Fortunately I have a 550EX due in today and it will hopefully help in my lighting considerably.

BTW - I really admire your work.

[pyterps]

Scott,

As always, thanks for the help.

Dave

[scottbergerphoto]

Scott,

As always, thanks for the help.

Dave
;) My Pleasure.

[DavidEB]

You can use the Sigma 500 DG Super this way - set as manual slave, trigger off the camera's built-in flash.

You have to work around this problem - E-TTL fires two flashes for each picture. The 500 will fire first on the modelling flash and then be out of juice for the main exposure flash. The work-around is the * flash exposure lock button - that separates the modeling and exposure flash by enough to recharge the slave. The camera trying to meter the modeling flash sees the on-camera flash as being more powerful than it really is (because the slave is added in), so dial in +2 exposure compensation on the camera, or just use the on-camera flash for catchlight.