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Transmitter problems. :(
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Hello!
Its been a while since I’ve posted up on here so I hope this is the right section…I’m thinking of ordering a 2 light strobist kit so I dug out my modelling light to have a look at the gold/silver umbrella to see what size it is. I also tried the wired transmitter again (even though I said it wasn’t firing when I got it) and it works on the film camera! I put it on and fired a few shots, it fires fine, the test button on the transmitter works as well as the test button on the modelling light. But put it on the 20d and it doesn’t work anymore.. it wont fire on any mode and neither test buttons will fire it. But switch it back to the film camera and it fires away! So I know the modelling light/transmitter works.
There is only one contact on the transmitter so it should just be a single pulse to fire the flash. Do digital cameras’ hotshoes work differently?
The modelling light/wired transmitter is an old-ish Courtney 1000c and the film camera is a canon 500n.
This wouldn’t be to do with the voltage levels between film and digital would it? It hasn’t fried the 20d yet as everything seems to be working.. I don’t want to order the strobist kit if I cant use it! :shock::?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!! :)
I can think of Three reasons why it may not work on the 20D:
The Camera could have a faulty hotshoe (Unlikely)
Some Canons had a “Reverse polarity” hotshoe (Meaning that they were deliberatly wired the wrong way around) – Detail on the link below
Or your hotshoe may just need a squeeze to tighten it up (Some get a little splayed from use / abuse)
Have a look Here: http://www.photographers.co.uk/html/photographers-forum-1.cfm?ForumNumber=430&Title=courtney%20flash%20lights for some infothanks BP!
When I got the 20d it had no signs of use at all so the only use its got would be me taking the transmitter on and off a max of about 6 times so that sort of rules out cause 1 and 3.
This reversed polarity thing is a bit worrying though, would it be my cameras hot shoe or the transmitter thats wired wrongly?I’m know nothing about these things but here’s me twopence worth. Is there a setting on the 20D for wireless flash? Is the camera set so that the flash will adjust power based on an initial flash to assess lighting?
Ignore me if these seem thick questions…other people do all the time!!
lol, join the club! :)
afaik it doesn’t have a power adjust feature or require a master ETTL flash. I think it just fires with a fixed power and lets your distance/apeture control the amount of light that reaches the sensor.. I’m prob wrong though. The head of the wired transmitter has 3 distance settings on the top with a switch that you can use to change between them (see picture):
You then just choose your iso and set your apeture to what it says it should be (well thats what I think its for)
There is a hole on the front with what seems to be a light meter inside. Maybe thats what it uses to adjust its power in ‘auto’ mode. There is a manual mode but no switch/knob to manually adjust power.. but thats still no good if I cant fire it in
the first place!
this is the back of the head:No there isn’t an IR feature on the 20d.
I have enough money in the debit card now to buy the strobist kit but I don’t want to buy them and find when they arrive that I cant use them!! :shock:
Would it have anything to do with canon’s EOS cameras being reversed polarity? I don’t really understand it but I heard it on other articles/forums. :?
Borrow another flash if you can find one and test it on your camera.
Is there a test button on the transmitter?
If both work fine, then its probably just old and new compatibility issues.
yea, that would be the little white button.
With the film camera connected both test buttons work.
With the 20d neither buttons will fire the flash, the camera recognises there is something in the shoe because it wont let the pop-up flash come up but the pulse given out must be that weak that the transmitter cant pick it up :(
There was a guy from a printer came yesterday to show my dad some samples for the new business cards and he had his camera kit with him (including a flash) I just didn’t think of asking him at the time :roll: we’re getting the cards printed pretty soon so I might get another chance. But other than that I know no-one who has any big or small strobes I can borrow/test except loyd toal- my local pro :?
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