Using two 580's off camera

Just wondering if with one cybersync reciever, you can fire two flashes.
I was thinking of two ways.
1-get a splitter for the sync cable
2-not sure if you can, but a 580 in master mode and manual, and the other in slave and manual.

Not sure if you can put a 580 in master or slave while in manual.
Sorry I didn't look it up, but I don't have a manual with me.

Thanks guys, Dave

I think an issue is that if you are using cybersyncs, then both 580's are slaves to the cybersync transmitter.

If you have 580 as a master, then your camera can control whether it is manual or eTTL mode. As long as the slave is in slave mode (duh!), it will do whatever the master tells it to do. Thus if master is in manual mode, slave is in manual mode and if master is in eTTL mode, then slave is in eTTL mode. With cybersyncs, you ain't got eTTL mode.

For a 580ex to be a master, doesn't it have to be attached to your camera (hotshoe or hotshoe cord)?

bmynbr wrote in post #6908807
Just wondering if with one cybersync reciever, you can fire two flashes.
I was thinking of two ways.
1-get a splitter for the sync cable
2-not sure if you can, but a 580 in master mode and manual, and the other in slave and manual.

Not sure if you can put a 580 in master or slave while in manual.
Sorry I didn't look it up, but I don't have a manual with me.

Thanks guys, Dave

1 is doable although, if you're going to be using a splitter and a long sync cable to connect the flashes to the receiver, you could just as well connect the flashes directly to the camera, too.

2 is also doable as long as the master, as you said, is in manual master mode. The slave can be either in manual mode, in which case, its power level is set on the slave, or it can be in ETTL mode, in which case, its power level will need to be set via the master using the ratio feature on the master. Since the two flashes are going to be talking to each other using IR, this setup will not be very effective outdoors in bright sunlight.

One other caveat with this setup is that the usable max sync speed will need to be dropped by one Ev, e.g. from 1/250 to 1/125.

PacAce wrote in post #6910105
2 is also doable as long as the master, as you said, is in manual master mode. The slave can be either in manual mode, in which case, its power level is set on the slave, or it can be in ETTL mode, in which case, its power level will need to be set via the master using the ratio feature on the master. Since the two flashes are going to be talking to each other using IR, this setup will not be very effective outdoors in bright sunlight.

That is exactly what I was wondering. I wasn't sure if I could use it as a master and a slave in manual off camera. I do not want to use ettl, so this makes me happy
Thanks, Dave

FWIW, I took my 580EXII off-camera and left it in master mode. I used the controls and LCD to adjust its settings (manual mode) and the setting my slave flash. I pressed the "test" button and both flashes work as expected. Hence it appears that the 580EXII will work as an off-camera flash. Note, the slave flash was in eTTL mode, so that it would accept and use the manual mode settings made for it by the master flash.

40dude, thanks for trying it out. Glad to hear that it works.
Dave

Actually, why don't you try it out with your cybersyncs and let us know what worked? Or is all that kit in your signature line just a wish list?

bmynbr wrote in post #6915308
40dude, thanks for trying it out. Glad to hear that it works.
Dave

There's no question that it'll work since this method is "old hat" that's been discussed lots of times in this forum and is referred to as "hybrid triggering", a term coined by Lon, the FlashZebra man.

However, I should note that in order to use this triggering method, you will need a hotshoe adapter to connect the flash to your remote receiver as the PC port of the 580EX II, assuming that's what you have, is disabled in master-manual mode.