Off-camera lighting with a canon EX420

[emilybriggs]

I'm probably going to get laughed at for this, but I really can't figure it out.

I use a Canon Rebel XS, and I borrowed a Canon EX420 flash from a friend. What I'm trying to do is have the external flash fire when it's not on the camera. I can do it manually, but I'm not super great with timing. I've read up on "slave" settings, but I just can't seem to figure it out without at least one other external flash...and I've just got one. And since it's borrowed, I don't have a manual for it, and I'm kind of in the dark (pun intended).

Is there any way to do it? Anyone know?

Thanks in advance...

[OsmosisStudios]

I'm not canon expert, but I'm 99% sure you're going to need some kind of trigger. Radio, optical, etc.

[natek313]

You can use the 420EX as a slave, but you'll need a flash/unit to act as the master, which can be done with the 550EX, 580EX, or ST-62 units. Those are pretty expensive options, though.

My suggestion is to look into radio triggers - Cactus V4's for starters. You can get a transmitter/receiver set for under $50, and that will enable you to fire your flash off-camera. But, you'll want a light stand and some sort of light modifier (soft box, umbrella, etc.).

EDIT: You can also look into getting a sync cord for the flash if you don't mind being tethered to the flash. You would need an adapter on the camera and flash hot shoes, though.

[inkista]

Best way to use it off camera would be to have a 550EX, 580EX, 580EXII, or ST-E2 on the hotshoe to be the master unit. Sorry.

You could use the usual tricks: hotshoe sync cord, radio trigger, etc. But with the 420EX, it's probably not worth it, because you have no way of controlling the power level of the flash once it's off the hotshoe. It's a TTL-only flash, and that requires that it talks to the camera via more than just the firing pin. That was the big "upgrade" feature on the 430EX--having Manual mode so you could dial in the flash output power when it was off the camera.

You can always find a PDF for the manual on the Canon website.

[TheMoons678]

Don't mean to hijack the thread with my own question, but I just wanted to clarify my situation before making a purchase.

I have a Nikon D80 and a Bower SFD926N Nikon dedicated flash that can operate as an optical slave and adjusted manually. I never thought I would use it as an off camera flash, but am wondering what I need to trigger it wireless in commander mode with my D80.

Since I have commander mode, do I only need a receiver like a cactus v4 or an RF-602RX receiver to mount to and trigger the flash? If I got the RF-602RX, are they all specific to certain camera models as advertised on ebay, or is it a generic receiver?
Sorry if these seem like dumb questions.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by TheMoons678

Don't mean to hijack the thread with my own question,

But you did it, anyway.

The slave in the Bower is a simple optical slave. You don't need commander mode or radio triggers or any of that malarkey. Just put your pop-up flash into Manual mode (so there's no i-TTL preflash), put the Bower into slave mode, and it'll fire when the pop-up fires. Or any random stranger walking by with a P&S fires their flash.

If you are going to use radio triggers, you need both the transmitter/receiver, and they have to match (i.e., Cactus won't work with RF602 and vice versa). They operate over radio. The slave in the Bower operates on visible light. The CLS system that the D80's pop-up can do is infrared-based (like a TV remote). Three different and incompatible methods.