Third Party Speedlite Transmitters

Does anyone know of any third party equivilants to the ST-E2? I'm asking because I'd like to do some shooting without having the flash on the camera, but the ST-E2 is a bit expensive for me right now. I'd prefer they have E-TTL support and all those goodies. Thanks.

Nothing that I know of.

There are some third party flash units that claim to be compatible with Canon's wireless E-TTL, but they would be at least as expensive as an ST-E2.

I think the cheapest and most versatile way to use a single E-TTL flash off-camera is to buy a Canon Off Camera Shoe Cord 2 and lengthen it. There's a thread up in the DIY sticky that explains how. This method would work outdoors as well as indoors.

Yeah, I have seen those tutorials on lengthening the shoe cords. However, I'm not terribly handy, especially with electronics (for which I have not done any modifications). I'd need to find someone whose in the know.

The tutorials are really well written, but for those who don't want to do it themselves, or who mess it up after trying it themsleves, I have been doing these and many other mods to the OCC's for some time now with many satisfied results.

Fine detail soldering is just like amy other skill...practice, practice, practice!

Be happy to help if you need it.

Michael
www.MichaelBassDesigns​.com

So how are these different from the ebay flash transmitters/receivers​?

kbreit wrote in post #2971522
So how are these different from the ebay flash transmitters/receivers​?

The E-Bay remotes are RF (radio) based and won't give you E-TTL. Manual flash only.

Manual flash is not necessarily a bad thing, but does require a bit of a learning curve.

Curtis - Thanks for the quick replies. I'm bored at work and need something to occupy my time. Looking forward to meeting you at the Chicago meetup!

The odd thing is that I find myself shooting in manual a lot on my 430. It seems as though E-TTL falls apart pretty quickly when you're not pointing directly at the subject. Is that true?

kbreit wrote in post #2971649
It seems as though E-TTL falls apart pretty quickly when you're not pointing directly at the subject. Is that true?

Well, E-TTL ain't perfect, and plenty of people (including me) have complained about it. But I don't think it's any worse when bouncing flash or using modifiers. It just needs a little tweaking.

Remember - What E-TTL (in Evaluative mode) tries to do is identify the subject. This isn't so hard outdoors, or with direct flash indoors. But when you bounce the light, it will brighten up the background more. Now this is pure conjecture on my part, but I think the E-TTL system has a more difficult time identifying the subject when it's getting light reflected from the background, too. The result is inconsistent exposure.

If you switch custom function 14 to 1 (Average) it takes its reading from an eliptical area in the center of the frame (basically where the AF points are), and averages the readings within that area. The result is more consistent exposure, provided that's where your subject is.

Well then, maybe I'll have to do some flash experimenting tonight.