Off Shoe with 580ex alternatives help needed.

hey guys,

I need some help here. I want to use my 580ex off-shoe with an umbrella. Now the fact of the matter is I dont really want to go out and buy the st-e2 transmitter just yet.

I understand that my alternatives are direct sync cable connection or a hotshoe>pc sync adapter.

With that in mind, I wanted to know a few things. What is the trigger voltage for the 580ex? I wanted to know if it is all that neccessary to go buy the safe-sync device over a standard adapter which is much much cheaper. is it still safe if i just buy a standard adapter?

Secondly is it even safe to do a direct sync cable connection between the camera and the flash unit? I know ill lose all e-ttl which somewhat defeats the purpose.

So what are my alternatives to an st-e2 transmitter?

The tigger voltage for the 580 EX is less than 6v. That flash is safe for the camera, so it safe to use through a sync cord.

Tha alternative to the ST-E2 are Ebay wirelss triggers--though less reliable from what I read, or get the Canon Off Shoe Cord II, make a extension yourself and still maintain ETTL automation.