5D & 580EX ST-E2 Flash issues...

I'm having a 'mare with my 5D and ST-E2 with 2 580EX (MK1) flashes. Up until now I have been using this set up with my 40D's without any problems. Here's the beef...

The camera will not fire the flashes unless the ST-E2 is set in High speed Sync mode - even though the shutter speed (shot in AV or M) is well below 1/200th. I was at 1/80th at f10 at 200 iso (for an outdoor group photo), when I pressed the test fire on the ST-E2 both flashes fired as they should, but firing from the camera resulted in no flash at all - until I switched over to High speed sync on the speedlite transmitter - then they fired as normal...with the exception that it's over exposing everything by 2/3 to 1 stop! (using evaluative metering)

For your info the 5D firmware is V 1.1.1, all contacts have been cleaned and are fine, all batteries are fully charged / new and the 580's are set to slave on channel A and the 5D is set to second curtain with CF3 set to Auto (not 1/200 fixed).

Anyone got any ideas what's up...or have I made a school boy error?)

Cheers

If you replace the ST-E2 with one of the 580EX as the master, does the same thing happen? I'm wondering if your ST-E2 is defective.

Just as an FYI, 2nd curtain sync isn't available in ETTL wireless mode. And, when set on the camera, doesn't really do anything for you since 2nd curtain sync is controlled via the flash only if that feature is available on the flash. The on-camera 2nd curtain sync feature is only useful with the 420EX (and maybe the lower-line flash models).

PacAce wrote in post #5935349
If you replace the ST-E2 with one of the 580EX as the master, does the same thing happen? I'm wondering if your ST-E2 is defective.

Just as an FYI, 2nd curtain sync isn't available in ETTL wireless mode. And, when set on the camera, doesn't really do anything for you since 2nd curtain sync is controlled via the flash only if that feature is available on the flash. The on-camera 2nd curtain sync feature is only useful with the 420EX (and maybe the lower-line flash models).

Thank for your reply PacAce and sorry for the late reply, been busy snapping. That's a good idea, trying with the other flash as a slave. I tried it and it worked, although i'm still far from happy with the exposure metering. I am beginning to suspect a software bug in the system, I'll ask Canon PS and see what they say.

Thanks again.