I just received a new 430ex ii for my birthday. I put in fresh batteries, put it on my camera and I get no flash. The pilot is lit but I don't get slash when pressing the pilot either. The camera recognizes the flash. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!
Well Electrablu, first I assume it will test fire. If not check the batteries that they are in the right orientation. If it will test fire but not fire from the camera check to see if it is locked in place. Also make sure your flash is not turned off in the settings. Also the manual should be helpful in troubleshooting most of the common problems. See below. The Speedlite does not fire. The batteries are installed in the wrong orientation. Install the batteries in the correct orientation. (p.8) The Speedlite’s internal batteries are exhausted. If the flash recycling time takes 30 sec. or longer, replace the batteries. (p.8) The Speedlite is not attached securely to the camera. Attach the Speedlite’s mounting foot securely to the camera. (p.9) The electrical contacts of the Speedlite and camera are dirty. Clean the contacts.
Thanks for the reply. It won't test fire and I've checked all of the settings. I've put in fresh batteries and cleaned the contacts and nada. I just packed it up and will be sending it back for replacement. Thanks again for the help.
That's quite surprising... the 430EX II has a reputation for being one of the most reliable work-horse speedlites. I own several different speedlites (all Canon) including a 430EX II. There was a known issue with the 580EX II's which could cause a failure, but the 430EX II's had a better reputation for reliability. What type of batteries are you using? If you're not using disposable AA alkaline batteries then I'd suggest using Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries (they're the best rechargeable batteries I've ever used and quite reliable in the speedlites.) Because it is possible to control the speedlite settings using on-camera menu settings, it's actually possible to (via the on-camera menu) configure the speedlite to NOT fire (e.g. it has a built-in focus-assist beam so if you wanted to use it as a focusing aid in the dark but not fire the flash... you can do that.) If the flash is not on the camera then this shouldn't be an issue. HOWEVER... you should be able to press the "pilot" button and get it to fire. When powering up the flash, the pilot may be green (meaning it's on, but not yet ready to fire) and should go red when ready to fire. Does it go red for you (meaning the batteries were able to charge up the capacitors)? I think the flash should _always_ fire for you as long as it's "on" and the pilot lamp is "red" (not green... green is NOT ready to fire. Why Canon used "green" for on, but not ready and "red" for ready... I think is just confusing. Most people would intuitively think of a "green" light as meaning you're good to go. You may have a lemon, but in the case of the 430EX II that is exceptionally rare... this flash is typically one of the more solid performers (the 580EX II -- technically a bit more "pro" and higher power -- actually has a higher failure rate than the 430EX II.)
I never could get it to fire using the pilot even though it was red (on or off the camera). I'm going to get a replacement and hope to have better luck with it.
Got my replacement flash from Amazon yesterday and this one works. So bottom line was that the first unit was defective. I was pleased with the turnaround time by Amazon - 4 days.
Hello everyone, I have a sort of similar issue. I was taking lots of images of my model. I had my 430ex 2 attatched to my Canon 450D with Kit lens. I was finding after some time that while the flash would fire it was not doing it all the the time. So I ended up with several blackish images. I use recyclable batteries and so charged them up a bit so i could finish my shoot. I charged them for 10 minutes and it seemed to work then the problem started again. Is this a flashgun problem or just batteries getting weak. It seemed at times that the flash was struggling to charge quick enough. Simon
It sounds like you batteries were running out of charge. As the batteries get low, they take longer and longer to charge up the flash....in other words, the recycle time gets longer and longer. You pretty much figured this out when it started to work better after charging the batteries "for 10 minutes". But you must realize that 10 minutes isn't enough to charge up the batteries. Depending on the charger, you need at least one hour....many chargers & batteries require 4-8 hours for a full charge.
OP - I had one of my 430 exII flashes do the same thing, had to send it away to canon. Took about a month to get it back and i never could find out from them what they did to fix it.
