Canon 1DX and rear sync shooting

I recently decided to purchase a Paul Buff Einstein system. I have a 1D Mark IV and a 1DX that I use daily. I often shoot sports in the evening using a slow shutter speed and rear curtain sync with my 580 strobe. I couldn't find anything in the Paul Buff material about how to fire their products rear sync so I called Paul Buff tech support. They said it was a function of a camera setting. The Mark IV has a menu setting for "rear curtain sync". The 1DX does not have the same menu but it does have a section for "external speedlight control". If you go to this menu, the 1DX does not recognize anything but a Canon speedlight (as far as I can figure). So I called Canon Professional Services. They got out a 1DX and confirmed that there is no menu ability to set a non-Canon light to rear sync. The guy I spoke to was amazed that this feature was missing from their flagship camera but was available on the previous model. He entered a memo to those that address customer concerns with the hope it will be resolved with an upcoming firmware update. He agreed that this should be a feature on this camera. He also said that the best way to get the attention of Canon was to have other 1DX owners call or write to Canon Professional Services and let them know that you want the ability to set your camera to rear curtain sync for use with non-Canon lighting systems.

So my plea is that any of you 1DX owners (or potential owners) call Canon Professional Services and ask that this oversight be corrected. Here is the number for CPS and thanks for your help: 1-888-CPS-4540

BTW if you need a workaround just use a canon flash in the hotshoe to trigger the optical slaves on the bees. Actually this option might be preferable as you dont have to rely on the delay built into certain wireless triggering systems.

Thanks. Yes I can do that when shooting manually. Kind of defeats the purpose of purchasing the Buff Cybercommand system though.

shamguess wrote in post #16532165
Thanks. Yes I can do that when shooting manually. Kind of defeats the purpose of purchasing the Buff Cybercommand system though.

The cybercommander doesnt have to be connected to the camera to be useful. Many users use it off the camera to control the power of the lights and use a regular cybersync in the hotshoe as the actual trigger. Your usage would be similar. I think the lack of a consist timing of the various brands of triggers is likely the reason that its left off of the 1DX and most other canon cameras. Your IDX has no idea how much lag time to leave the Unknown triggering system and unknown strobe to do their work before the shutter closes.

Not sure about "most other Canon cameras" but the 1DMarkIII and 1DMarkIV both have a rear curtain sync custom function setting and it works with non-Canon systems. Just trying to get that function added to the 1DX so I don't have to do all the workarounds described. Thanks.

I think what you've discovered is that Canon marketing has lost sight of sports photography as a feature sub-set for its professional cameras. Kind of hard to figure out why they did when one sees all the white lenses at sporting events.
Personally, it seems that SCS should be a camera selectable feature for the fire pin and PC connection. Then have the speedlite override it when its attached.

It is as is described in this thread. I use Canon's 600 EX-RT flashes, and then it doesn't matter.

apersson850 wrote in post #16540716
It is as is described in this thread. I use Canon's 600 EX-RT flashes, and then it doesn't matter.

Should also work with the new YN-E3-RT in M mode. I'll give it a try to see if it will permit SCS from PC Port when the YN-E3-ST in in the hot shoe set to M mode.

Unfortunately it is useless.
On The center pin of the hot shoe and PC-sync port of camera will be 1st curtain sync only

Easiest to use YN-622C, combining Cyber Sync Transmitter (SCT) with YN-622C receiver using a cable. Cyber Commander use as a remote.
Then you will have the second shutter curtain.
I synchronize my cameras just so.

Canon have never been and never will be the 2nd curtain on sync contacts
According Canon Protocol
Second curtain sync is available for the Canon system flashes only
provided wireless control is off and the shutter speed is not shorter than 1/30s

It has nothing to do with the technical aspect of this question, but I would be interested in seeing a few of these images that don't come out good unless they use 2nd curtain sync. I rarely see the need myself, you see, so I'm afraid there's something I'm missing.

850, you could just google image search "second curtain sync". There's plenty of shots where the second curtain flash is critical to making the shot.
At the middle of this linked page is a shot from a POTN member of a bicycle in motion: http://photo.stackexch​ange.com …ot-still-motion-portraits

I am hoping this is fixed in January with the new 2.0 firmware update. I switch to my 1DS when in studio.