Flash Photography without Shadows

[Hartmonstr]

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Sean, unlike a Pocket Wizard or other RF sender, the ST-E2 uses infrared light to trip the 580EX, which requires a clear line-of-sight from the camera to the flash. The bottom half of the 580EX (which contains the sensor) can rotate in any direction, but you do have to remember to do it or the flash may not trigger. I use a fairly long Canon 135mmL f/2 on almost all my outdoor portraits, and yet I find I have very few misfires.

 

William, you can fire the 580EX with any RF trigger by fixing the sensor to a hot shoe with a PC or RCA plug, whichever is reuired for your type of trigger (the MicroSync can be fitted with either). When using RF, remember that the high speed sync capabilities of the 580EX are no available. On the M8 this is a moot point.

 

John

[sean_reid]

Sean, unlike a Pocket Wizard or other RF sender, the ST-E2 uses infrared light to trip the 580EX, which requires a clear line-of-sight from the camera to the flash. The bottom half of the 580EX (which contains the sensor) can rotate in any direction, but you do have to remember to do it or the flash may not trigger. I use a fairly long Canon 135mmL f/2 on almost all my outdoor portraits, and yet I find I have very few misfires.

John

 

Thanks John, that's what I thought but I've never used one (same triggering system as the 550, 580, etc.). I move my flash in so many directions (often not line of site to the camera at all) that I imagine the ST-E2 often would not be able to see it. So, I guess that I remain a cable guy.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Line of sight triggering can have a lot of issues sometimes. I always tried to avoid that type of setup and went PW or the Microsync since it is RF it can be pretty far off line of sight and hundreds of feet away

[sean_reid]

Line of sight triggering can have a lot of issues sometimes. I always tried to avoid that type of setup and went PW or the Microsync since it is RF it can be pretty far off line of sight and hundreds of feet away

 

For handheld work, the coiled cable is plenty long enough and that way I *know* the flash will fire. Old school tech once again.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Hartmonstr]

"Line of sight triggering can have a lot of issues sometimes."

 

Yes it can, and were it not for ther high-speed sync feature I would be using RF. But for the type of photography I do, misfires are very infrequent, and if I get one, I can just shoot the picture again. The ability to shoot wide open in virtually any lighting condition is far more important in my work than worrying about the possibility of a misfire. One you get hooked on high speed sync, it's tough to go back.

 

In many ways it's like shooting with the M8. It's not perfect, but there are no equal or better alternatives, and you learn to live with the imperfections. More importantly, you have to shoot as if there were no problems and deal with them only if they arise, instead of worrying about what could happen, or what might happen, or what happened to someone else.

 

Again, this is a non-issue with Leicas, and I apologize for straying off-topic.

 

John