Flash Not Firing with 5DMarkII

I am not sure what forum to post this in, so please move this if you think it fits better elsewhere...

I recently upgraded from a 40D to a 5DMark II and have noticed that a significant portion of the time, my 580EXII Flash is not firing properly when on my 5DMarkII.

Here is my setup: The 580EXII is connected via a hot shoe cable(OC3) in ETTL mode (which worked with my 40d) and seems to recognize that it is connected as it shows the distance reading, zooms with the camera, and the pilot light is on. It seems like if I focus on something close (i.e 5-8 feet away) it will not fire. If I focus on something a little further (~10feet) and am zoomed in, it will flash, but if I zoom all the way out it will not flash.

I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and or if perhaps I am doing something wrong.

Thanks!
Erin

Does it work OK without using the off-camera cord?

Well, you know, I thought I had tried that, but I guess not... It works fine when mounted directly without the flash cord.

OCF chords can be problematic, very frustrating. What OCF chord do you have, Canon, aftermarket?

It is a Canon. I have it mounted to a Flash Bracket, so perhaps it has gotten stressed due to that? I am just glad to know there isn't something wrong with my 5DMII!

You'll probably find that the screws that hold the shoe together have come loose - It's a common problem with the canon cord. Tighten them up again (using a bit of loctite will help) and there's a good chance that will solve it.

ekrizo wrote in post #10184487
It is a Canon. I have it mounted to a Flash Bracket, so perhaps it has gotten stressed due to that? I am just glad to know there isn't something wrong with my 5DMII!

Keep an eye on things .. the Canon cords are known to break off at the flash mount with very little pressure, when this happens your flash can hit the ground!

I've had better success with Yongnuo cords .. reliable and I've not broken one yet.

mmahoney wrote in post #10184597
Keep an eye on things .. the Canon cords are known to break off at the flash mount with very little pressure, when this happens your flash can hit the ground!

I've had better success with Yongnuo cords .. reliable and I've not broken one yet.

I had a yongnuo cord break the first time I attached a flash to it.The screws used were to short and didn't go completely into the base portion.

The Promaster cord is considered to be much more robust than Canon's.

As recommended by Arthur Morris:http://www.birdsasart.​com/accs.html

I have had to replace two ETTL cords already in less then 1 year of having the 580.. Nothing appeared to be broke on either one..they just quite firing everytime they should have.... now I carry three with me...just in case!

mmahoney wrote in post #10184597
Keep an eye on things .. the Canon cords are known to break off at the flash mount with very little pressure, when this happens your flash can hit the ground!

I've had better success with Yongnuo cords .. reliable and I've not broken one yet.

How many Canon cords did you break before you switched brands?

harcosparky wrote in post #10945482
How many Canon cords did you break before you switched brands?

There are no other brands to switch from. I gave up and went with the ST-E2. Realize that it's not just the contacts going south, but I had a brand new chord fall apart in my hand the first time I slid a flash into it.

windpig wrote in post #10946095
There are no other brands to switch from. I gave up and went with the ST-E2. Realize that it's not just the contacts going south, but I had a brand new chord fall apart in my hand the first time I slid a flash into it.

That's odd, I've had mine for a few years and no issues, of course I do not stretch the cord to its fullest, I use it when I have the camera and flash on the strobe-o-frame or whatever the name is.

I did break one in the past, but do not confuse that with having one break, I did something stupid and caused the damage myself. Even though it was damaged it was still useable up until the day it was stolen.

Of course now that I have the 7D I can go cordless and fire off the 550 and 580 remotely and not need to cord.

I have an OC2 that I've stretched to the limit, soldered, and dropped on the ground and it still works great.