Using the 430EXII flash off-camera

[TenaciousTins]

Is it possible to use my 430EXII flash off camera? I have the Rebel T1i for reference. There is no way on God's green earth that I can afford a 580EXII flash or I totally would. So with that in mind, is there a way that I can use my current flash off camera via a wire or some sort of hunky dory setup? I am wondering if that would help me with inside photos. I have someone who just offered to let me photograph her and her little girl for experience and for fun and while that is all fine and good, I'll have to do an inside shoot because it is so cold. So I want to maximize my abilities with what I have. I nearly reckon I could shoot into an umbrella (I do have several) and have a reflector on the other side to get some better lighting. But that's me thinking aloud and wanting to practice.

I tried to look it up but there's so much confusing info and you guys are great at dumbing it down for someone new like me :mrgreen::thumbup:

 

[KmH]

You can use inexpensive radio triggers. A transmitter goes on your T1i hot shoe and a receiver goes on the foot of your 430 EX II.

You then use the 430 EX II in manual mode.

StudioHut 4 channel Wireless Radio Hot Shoe Flash Trigger Kit for Canon EOS, Nikon, Olympus & Pentax Flashes with 2 Receivers

 

[radiorickm]

Radio Triggers are certainly an option, and are cheap. More expensive triggers will enable full ttl compatibility. ALSO, Don't forget about a simple TTL extension cord.

 

[TenaciousTins]

Ok this might sound dumb but what is TTL and how does it affect my shooting/flash? I have seen the ETTL setting on my flash but not known what it was for. I read the manual but it all seemed greek to me and I haven't used it a TON cause I do mostly outside stuff so this is a new area to venture into!

Thanks so much!

 

[Big Mike]

TTL stands for Through The Lens...it basically means auto flash metering. How is works is that flash sends out a pre-flash right before the photo is taken. The light bounces off the subject and the camera reads how much light comes back through the lens. It uses that information to determine what power setting to use for the actual flash when the shutter is open. This all happens very fast, most people don't even realize that the flash went off more than once.
This is easy when the flash is attached to the camera because there are multiple electrical contacts between the camera and the flash.

So when you take the flash off-camera and fire it with a regular (cheaper) radio trigger, there is no communication between the flash and camera, just the signal to fire. So that means that you don't get E-TTL. That means that the flash must be used in manual mode, which means that you have to choose the power setting on the flash. This also means that the camera should be in manual mode and you have to figure out what camera settings to use, as well as what flash power setting to use. It can be somewhat complex, but once you have a decent understanding of it, it's actually a pretty good way to work.

As mentioned, you can get a TTL cord, so that you can take the flash off the camera and still keep TTL...but the standard cord is only a couple feet long, so not all that useful for quality 'off camera' lighting.
There are some wireless TTL options, but they are not cheap. One would be to buy a Canon 'Master' unit...which is either a 580EX or an ST-E2.
Another option would be something like the Pocket Wizard TL units...but they certainly aren't cheap either.

My suggestion, if you budget is tight, would be to get a cheap radio trigger and start playing around with it.

 

[Edsport]

I have a 10 meter cord. They come in different lengths and you can find some here - canon ttl cord | eBay

 

[TenaciousTins]

Thanks Big Mike and Edsport...I will definitely be looking into these options!

 

[Big Mike]

I have a 10 meter cord. They come in different lengths and you can find some here - canon ttl cord | eBay

Do you find that the cord works well? I've heard that things tend not to work so well at longer cord lengths...which may be one reason why Canon doesn't make longer cords.

Also, these off shoe cords (even the Canon ones) are notorious for breaking down. But at $33 for a 10m cord, it may be worth a shot.

Personally, I'd rather work with manual flash anyway.

 

[Edsport]

I have a 10 meter cord. They come in different lengths and you can find some here - canon ttl cord | eBay

Do you find that the cord works well? I've heard that things tend not to work so well at longer cord lengths...which may be one reason why Canon doesn't make longer cords.

Also, these off shoe cords (even the Canon ones) are notorious for breaking down. But at $33 for a 10m cord, it may be worth a shot.

Personally, I'd rather work with manual flash anyway.

Haven't really gave it a good test yet to see how good it is, sorry Mike...

 

[Village Idiot]

When shooting with off camera flashes manual mode is generally the best way to go. It gives you more control over the lighting. TTL is better suited for if you're moving around a lot and the environment is changing.

There's a lighting forum on here that has some good threads and links about using OCF.

 

[TenaciousTins]

Thanks guys. I always shoot in manual mode anyway (if you're talking about the camera's mode) so that will work fine for me.

 

[Dao]

One additional note. Your Canon flash may go to sleeping mode when it is idle for a short period of time. When the flash is mounted on the camera or with a TTL cable, the camera can wake it up. However, if you are using a regular radio or optical trigger, you may need to wake up the flash by pressing some buttons on the flash (or power cycle the flash).

If you like to learn off camera flash, I agree with VI that using a cheap radio trigger with a flash that can change flash power manually. (i.e. Vivitar 285 HV)

 

[Village Idiot]

Thanks guys. I always shoot in manual mode anyway (if you're talking about the camera's mode) so that will work fine for me.

Manual mode on the flash. There's auto and manual on the flash as well as the camera. E-TTL is the auto mode. It's great for when you're moving around a lot, like an event or some place where you need a flash on the camera, not so much for stationary subjects like portrait models. The flash adjusts exposure metering off your camera and could change exposure from frame to frame depending on where you meter.

One additional note. Your Canon flash may go to sleeping mode when it is idle for a short period of time. When the flash is mounted on the camera or with a TTL cable, the camera can wake it up. However, if you are using a regular radio or optical trigger, you may need to wake up the flash by pressing some buttons on the flash (or power cycle the flash).

If you like to learn off camera flash, I agree with VI that using a cheap radio trigger with a flash that can change flash power manually. (i.e. Vivitar 285 HV)

Canon flashes have custom functions that can be set, one of which turns off the sleep mode. I have that enable on all of mine.

 

[TenaciousTins]

Ok thanks for that explanation. I have always used it in E-TTL since I did not know what TTL and all that were. Time to learn more about my flash, me thinks.