New 580exII Not Firing

[murph1]

I just received my new 580exII and put it on my Canon 40d to test it out and it is not firing!! It has power and brand new batteries, but when I try to take a picture...nothing. When I press the Pilot button...nothing.

Any ideas?

Thanks!!

 

[JamieR]

Have you checked the flash settings in the menu?

 

[murph1]

Not to sound too stupid But I have taken a look at them, but not quite sure which settings they should be on...

 

[JamieR]

Nor me.

I have a 40D, but no flash yet, so i can't access that menu. Best bet is to read your manual.

 

[inTempus]

When you hit the test button does it fire?

 

[murph1]

When you hit the test button does it fire?

It doesn't fire when I push the test button either. I know it has power, because the menu lights up, but nothing fires when I press the test button

 

[Samanax]

Is the pilot lamp red?

 

[murph1]

Is the pilot lamp red?

It is not red. The rest of the menu is lit up and working - but the pilot lamp has not turned red at all.

 

[harleyrider]

maybe the batterys are not charged

 

[Samanax]

It is not red. The rest of the menu is lit up and working - but the pilot lamp has not turned red at all.

Pilot lamp has to be red before you can fire the flash.

Is it green?

Have you tried a different set of batteries yet?

What kind of batteries are you using? Alkalines or NiMH rechargeables?

 

[murph1]

It is not red. The rest of the menu is lit up and working - but the pilot lamp has not turned red at all.

Pilot lamp has to be red before you can fire the flash.

Is it green?

Have you tried a different set of batteries yet?

What kind of batteries are you using? Alkalines or NiMH rechargeables?

It is not green either. I haven't tried a different set of batteries since the menu was lit up, I didn't think to. I did put the same batteries in my 430ex immediately after and it flashed with no problem.

They are NiMH rechargables.

 

[Samanax]

I have a 580EX II and when the batteries are weak the LCD will display but the pilot lamp won't be lit up. Fresh set of batteries and everything is good again.

Try another set of batteries.

 

[murph1]

I have a 580EX II and when the batteries are weak the LCD will display but the pilot lamp won't be lit up. Fresh set of batteries and everything is good again.

Try another set of batteries.

Thank you! Is it bad that it could be something so simple! I guess my brain is not firing either!

 

[murph1]

It works!!

So, does the 580ex just need a stronger charge than the 430ex to fire? The
batteries I initially tried in the 580ex did work in the 430ex. Either way, just happy it works!

Since I am so new to the 580ex...any tips? Does it run the batteries down quickly?

Thanks!

 

[Samanax]

So, does the 580ex just need a stronger charge than the 430ex to fire? The batteries I initially tried in the 580ex did work in the 430ex.

The 580EX II is more powerful than the 430EX and I'd imagine the capacitors need more juice to charge them up fully. So batteries with a charge that might work in the 430EX might not be able to charge up the capacitor in the 580EX II.

Since I am so new to the 580ex...any tips?

Read the manual. Play around with it to learn what it can do. Check out this web site: Flash Photography Techniques

Does it run the batteries down quickly?

I use Sanyo 2700 mAh NiMH rechargeables in my 580EX II and the run time is pretty good because I rarely use full power on the flash. If you use the higher power settings the batteries will drain quicker.