Flash Master/slave?

[agoodeye]

Dear All,

I have a Canon 5D MK2 which as many of you will know does not have an inbuilt flash. I bought a Canon 430 EX2 flash which has been fantastic, but as I get into photography more and more, I would love to start trying (wireless) off camera flash.

Does anyone have any advice how to do it? I have heard that the 430EX2 can't act as a master flash, only as a slave, and that I need to get myself a 580 EX2 (great flash but pretty pricey) Other wireless options seem to involve a host of senders and receivers which amount to same price.

My first question is pretty specific - with a Canon 5D MK2, would a 580EX2 be enough for me to achieve an off camera flash combo? (i.e. no other equipment required?) Is there enough technology built in for it to all work?

My second is, does anyone know a better/cheaper/more efficient way to achieve the same?

Best wishes to all,

Alex

[inkista]

I went Yongnuo, since I'm just a hobby shooter and my gear doesn't have to be 100% reliable. As you can see, I shoot with a 5Dii as well.

My favorite combo, right now, is simply to use a $70 YN-560 all-manual speedlite, and the Yongnuo RF-602 radio trigger (this year, the Cactus V5 triggers are probably a better buy). The transmitter sits on your hotshoe and triggers the receiver, which is connected to the flash's hotshoe.


YN-560 in 23cm softbox, held by forcibly recruited VALS (i.e., the closest poor shmoe I could get to hold the light the way I wanted), tripped with RF-602s.

You won't have eTTL. You won't have remote commanding (i.e., the ability to set the power level from the camera--you have to walk up to the flash and adjust the power level in on the flash's back), and you won't have high-speed sync (with the 5Dii, this means shutter speeds of 1/200 or 1/160--depending on the trigger delay you get) or lower only.

But for <$150, it's a pretty good setup. And (bonus!) the YN-560 has two slaves modes so that if you wanted, you can go off-camera-flash with a P&S or dRebel pop-up flash as the trigger, too (I do this with my S90 and G9 all the time). You can, of course, skip getting the YN-560 and just use your 430EX II in Manual, if you want.

Getting an ST-E2 / 580EX II / 580EX / 550EX as an on-camera master is only if you can a) use a light-based system [relatively limited on range and line-of-sight; works better for indoor use than outdoors], and b) need any of the three features above: eTTL, high-speed sync, or remote commanding, and c) can afford the gear.

The expensive Canon-proprietary system is more convenient for run'n'gun, and for jiggering the balance of power levels across groups of flashes, but it is expensive, and bridging the signals over radio for better range/reliability via TTL PocketWizards or RadioPopper PXs can become astronomically expensive.