580EX and 50D

u8myufo

u8myufo

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Rich
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As I have never used the flash on the 50D since purchasing it I thought I would run a few test shots off. Problem, for whatever reason the flash will only fire when the camera is set on auto :thinking::thinking: Whatever I seem to do nothing works. So could somebody be so kind to give me a checklist so I can use it on manual or even shutter priority? I had no problem when it was used with the 400D. any help would be great thanks. :)
 
andrewc said:
check that the flash control is set to enabled in the cameras menu when in one of the manual or semi-manual modes.
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Cheers Andrew, that is already set to enabled. If I press the shutter halfway when in auto, the pilot light comes on straight away on the flash, and you get the little lcd bars come up on the distance scale. as soon as you change to AV,M,TV on the camera and press the shutter, nothing happens. :suspect::suspect:
 
have you pressed the little flash button on the side of the camera :p
 
mart77 said:
have you pressed the little flash button on the side of the camera :p
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No I have not, but then thats for the built in flash not an external :cuckoo:
 
Is it possible that the auto shutoff feature is enabled ???

Not sure on the Custom Function for it, have a look in the manual for the flash
 
Well after speaking to a rather helpful person at Canon, they informed me that the 50D being Class "A" means I loose most of the manual functions on the 580ex. Stinks really but seems thats the way it is.
 
oh dear, I hope thats rectified with the 580ex II as i just bought one...
 
Stev said:
oh dear, I hope thats rectified with the 580ex II as i just bought one...
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Your fine that is fully functional through all modes :thumbs:
 
thank jesus christ and his hairy sideburns for that, £280 for a flash I can barely use would have really frustrated me :P
 
Stev said:
thank jesus christ and his hairy sideburns for that, £280 for a flash I can barely use would have really frustrated me :P
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:lol::lol: Well that aint exactly how i feel at the mo if I was to be honest, i cannot see why a firmware update could not rectify that, other than the spend more money reason :(
 
What do you get then in the External Flash Func Setting or External Flash C.Fn Setting ?

According to the manual the 50D is a Type A camera that can use all the features of the EX-series Speedlites.
 
Byker28i said:
What do you get then in the External Flash Func Setting or External Flash C.Fn Setting ?

According to the manual the 50D is a Type A camera that can use all the features of the EX-series Speedlites.
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Well thats the impression I got. Now for the weird and wonderful stuff. I had to go and shoot some pics at a cider farm and shop today, which is why I was wanting to use the flash as I did not know what I was going to be presented with. However after coupling up the flash again just a moment ago to answer your questions, the frigging thing roared into life and works fine in all manual modes :shrug::shrug: I did do a reset on the external flash as advised by Canon, but at the time it made no difference. Anyway in flash external setting it still shows E-TTL II, that along with shutter sync and FEB is not highlighted, so that cannot be changed within camera. As regards to External Flash C.Fn Setting, it reads cannot display information wrong flash fitted or switched off.
Only when the flash is set to E-TTL will it work, if I set the flash to Multi or manual then it dont. Oh well i got half the functions I suppose, maybe i will sell it and get a 430ex II flash :naughty:
s7eve.c said:
Sorry to hop in here, but is the 430EX II 50D friendly? Getting one at the weekend and don't wanna be splashing out if it's not :thumbs:
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You will be fine with that s7eve :thumbs:
 
Set the flash to ETTL and it doesn't matter which mode you're in -including Manual Mode on the camera. It will also give you a pretty good result in most situations - you might just have to adjust the power output a little depending on your test exposure.
 
CT said:
Set the flash to ETTL and it doesn't matter which mode you're in -including Manual Mode on the camera. It will also give you a pretty good result in most situations - you might just have to adjust the power output a little depending on your test exposure.
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Thanks Cedric. surely though only having E-TTL on the flash, as its the only mode things will work in, I would be unable to change the power output, or use on strobe if needed. :shrug: :thumbs:
 
u8myufo said:
Thanks Cedric. surely though only having E-TTL on the flash, as its the only mode things will work in, I would be unable to change the power output, or use on strobe if needed. :shrug: :thumbs:
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Well Rich -I'm sure ETTL isn't the only mode the flash will work on - that's going to be down to something daft you're doing wrong, like possibly not noticing that your shutter speed has risen above the max flash sync speed in which case it wont fire.There's always the possibility that there's something amiss with the gun, but I doubt it. :D

But sure - you can dial the power output down or up in ETTL mode.

Strobe is indeed a Manual Mode option, but it's of use in fairly limited situations - usually quite close -up and at largish apertures to be effective. Strobe shooting isn't something you want to be doing for real anyway without lots of practice beforehand.

My honest advice is keep things simple initially - start experimenting with the settings when you're getting consistent results and you feel you want to move on.
 
Okey Dokey :) :thumbs:
 
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