7D wireless flash trigger can't expose

To be honest, if it were me, by now I'd have decided my time was far to valuable to waste and that I'd either work around the problem or buy an ST-E2.

apersson850 wrote in post #10404808
I know the FEL icon will flash if the camera thinks it can't expose the subject properly. But that's not important here, because it can expose the subject properly. Actually, it overexposes several steps.

You've done so much testing, you haven't correlated this?

Not enough light from the pre-flash is hitting the subject. I.e., the subject is too dark in the 7D's opinion. So when it flashes, it instructs to flash to go full power. Play with the FEL and the range of the external flash to subject distance. Move closer or switch from bounce to direct gradually and you'll see that at one point it's going to start exposing better and better... Also shoot a darker target (ex. gray card) and have it fill most of the frame. I hope you'll see the pattern (no pun intended).

There is nothing to correlate. It works with the 580 EX II as a master. It does not with the built-in. There shouldn't be any difference. That's the problem, not the range or capability of the slaves.

I have worked around this problem. I tried to get it fixed in October-November last year, when the camera was new. But nobody, Canon included, knew what to do. So I put a 580 EX II on the camera as master, just like I had to do with my older cameras.

Thus I let it be until now, when one of my lenses broke down (something loose inside), so I needed to visit the repair center anyway. Since half a year has passed, I thought they would have found a solution by now for the camera as well.

Now I'm mainly wasting my valueable time by trying to make some of you understand why my opinion is that if I buy something, but it doesn't work, I want it fixed by the manufacturer/supplier, not by me buying another 580 EX II, which is what it takes to get the functionality the camera should provide.

apersson850 wrote in post #10405290
There is nothing to correlate. It works with the 580 EX II as a master. It does not with the built-in. There shouldn't be any difference. That's the problem, not the range or capability of the slaves.

I have worked around this problem. I tried to get it fixed in October-November last year, when the camera was new. But nobody, Canon included, knew what to do. So I put a 580 EX II on the camera as master, just like I had to do with my older cameras.

Thus I let it be until now, when one of my lenses broke down (something loose inside), so I needed to visit the repair center anyway. Since half a year has passed, I thought they would have found a solution by now for the camera as well.

Now I'm mainly wasting my valueable time by trying to make some of you understand why my opinion is that if I buy something, but it doesn't work, I want it fixed by the manufacturer/supplier, not by me buying another 580 EX II, which is what it takes to get the functionality the camera should provide.

I believe what windpig is saying is that since the built is is a GN 17 and the 580 is GN 58, there could be a difference in behavior. There is also the fact that the coverage from the 2 is likely very different as well. That is, the built-in is not strong enough to properly illuminate the subject with the preflash. It's an interesting idea, but I've no idea if it has merit. I don't think it does, but I don't know how close you were to the subject

I must be missing something here. With only the remote flash (no contribution by the built in), the preflash for exposure purposes is from the remote, the built in is only signaling the remote to fire a preflash to set exposure, then another signal for the actual shot.

After a few hours of doing a basic test of the wirless ETTL function with the flash commander (no FEL involve), I'm getting more non-triggering shots, something seems to be deteriorating. Set up is flash camera left 4 ft. from subject, aimed at subject, subject neutral color, 24-105mm F5.6, exposure -3 EV ambient, 12 X 16 room. Fresh batteries in all three speedlites I tried and camera, receiver sensor on flash aimed at camera. All works perfect with 580EXII as commander. If I take a series of shots, a lot of time the first is under exposed (doesn't trigger the flash, and no, the flash is not in sleep mode), then the next shot is overexposed, the next few shots are exposed well, then hit or miss. I wait 10 seconds between shots.

Anybody got a recommendation for which Canon Service Center to use? I'm in Seattle.

hollis_f wrote in post #10405061
To be honest, if it were me, by now I'd have decided my time was far to valuable to waste and that I'd either work around the problem or buy an ST-E2.

Personally, by now I would have told Canon to GIVE me a ST-E2. Their product doesn't work as advertised, and there is a simple fix that Canon can do to resolve the problem. That said, I would have no desire to carry another piece of gear when I was told that my camera would be able to do this by itself.

timberlakephoto wrote in post #10422498
Personally, by now I would have told Canon to GIVE me a ST-E2. Their product doesn't work as advertised, and there is a simple fix that Canon can do to resolve the problem. That said, I would have no desire to carry another piece of gear when I was told that my camera would be able to do this by itself.

If that's the worst thing that ever happened to you, you're doing pretty well.

Any electronic gadget with a bunch of new features crammed into it is not going to be perfect - if you don't accept that then you ought not to be buying electronics until long after they are first released.

timbop wrote in post #10422662
If that's the worst thing that ever happened to you, you're doing pretty well.

Any electronic gadget with a bunch of new features crammed into it is not going to be perfect - if you don't accept that then you ought not to be buying electronics until long after they are first released.

That's pretty much where I am on the issue. I just don't want the gear coming back with more issues than when I sent it. I've been in the electronic service business for 35 years, so I have an idea of what can take place.

I think i have the same problem here on my 7D. But w/ my 40D & 50D before, i get well exposed shot most of the time on my wedding coverage specially during processional, in which i rely heavily on ETTL. My set up is 580ex II on my hot shoe set as master & 580ex II on my left at about 4-6 metersset as slave w/ 1:2 ratio. Now w/ my 7D i get overexpose most of the time using the same set-up.

Does anyone have a solution to this?

will using the PW mini TT1 & flex TT5 will resolve this problem, since it will not be using the infrared system of canon?

I have the exact same problem. I have my 7D since launch and always had some problems with ETTL remotly. Just stopped using the feature, but this always bugged me. Did some testing tonight just to see. But now it is really worst. Nearly 99% of my images make the flash fire at 100% output power. I use the latest firmware, 1.2.5. I tried a hard reset of all the settings, didnt work. Tried to remove both batteries (the big and smaller one, didnt work. Tried my 7D with another flash, a Metz Mecablitz 50 AF-1 that supports ETTL II and it has the same problem. So this is really the 7D that send to the flash to output 100% power.

However, if I use ETTL Manual and sends 1/32, the flash will output 1/32 every time. Flash works great when wired also.

Also something really weird, if I use any other channel than channel 1, then the flash doesn't fire. Tested this with my 430EX II and my mecablitz and only channel 1 fire the flash (at 100% power all the time in ETTL wireless).