Flash Control. (arrgghh)

[Dale.]

Hi troops.

Being completely honest here, when it comes to flash, I am an utter numpty. It's something I've never really got into but I am keen now to give it a try as with the weather the way it is at the moment here in Scotland, dull, grey misery and a 6 week old 5Dmkiv that hasn't taken 200 images yet and also time commitments preventing me getting out there, I'm wanting to do some more indoors work.

2 things I would like to try,

1, portraits, especially of my almost 6 year old Daughter, she's gowring up fast and I wouldn't mind recording her progress in a nice way.
2, I have a small lightbox that I bought for taking pictures of my picture frames (I'm a picture framer), the type of box that your flash(es) sit outside of with the subject inside the box.

I've tried both the above with my Fuji X-T10 and 7D but with no real success.

Today, I decided I was going to try the softbox with 2 flashes set up and firing them remotely, using my 5Div. I use Yonguo triggers and 1 Nissin and 1 Yonguo external flashes. I test fire the flashes with the triggers and they fire fine, albeit staggered but I'm sure that's a setting on the Nissin somewhere. The Yongnou flash test fires everytime, without fail, the Nissin fires a second later with a burst. Bear with me, I'm still trying to get my head around remotely firing two flashes together. However, when I put the trigger onto my camera, it doesn't seem as if the camera is talking to the trigger. I've looked in flash settings on the camera, and flash firing is enabled but the other settings are telling me that the flash is off or incompatible.

I'm wondering if with the 5Div being relatively new, it's only been out a year or so and my triggers being a little older by about a year, the camera isn't recognising the trigger on the shoe. I'm still thinking it might be a setting somewhere though. I've checked all the channels on the triggers and they are the same.

Any advice and opinions would be good, I am a complete flash novice and am more than willing to listen.

ta muchly.

 

[TimHughes]

Which triggers and flashes are you using? Might help diagnose.

One possibility is the need for a minimum distance for some triggers to work, eg for godox it’s about 30cm.

As a workaround would it work to have one flash in the hotshoe and set the other in slave mode to avoid the need for triggers? Or if you have a popup flash on camera use that with both flashes in slave mode.

 

[Dale.]

Thanks Newb.

Flashes are a Nissin Di866mkii and a Yongnuo YN565EXii, both for Canon. Triggers are 3x Yongnuo RF-603Cii, one on each flash unit set to TRX (receive) and the trigger on the camera is set to TX.

5Dmkiv has no pop up flash. I can trigger them both with my 7D at the same time with it's pop up. I'm wondering now if it's a compatibilty issue with the trigger and camera. I can also trigger both with my Fuji X-T10 with a trigger on it although only with the flash units in manual mode as they are compatible with Canon only.

I just can't seem to get the 5D to talk to the trigger when mounted on the camera. I will try a flash unit on the 5D later on and see if I can trigger the other remotely that way.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Thanks Newb.

Flashes are a Nissin Di866mkii and a Yongnuo YN565EXii, both for Canon. Triggers are 3x Yongnuo RF-603Cii, one on each flash unit set to TRX (receive) and the trigger on the camera is set to TX.

5Dmkiv has no pop up flash. I can trigger them both with my 7D at the same time with it's pop up. I'm wondering now if it's a compatibilty issue with the trigger and camera. I can also trigger both with my Fuji X-T10 with a trigger on it although only with the flash units in manual mode as they are compatible with Canon only.

I just can't seem to get the 5D to talk to the trigger when mounted on the camera. I will try a flash unit on the 5D later on and see if I can trigger the other remotely that way.

Stupid question, but does the trigger work if you press the button on the transmitter, rather than when it's mounted on the camera?
If so, then it's odds on that you've got it back to front on your camera

 

[TimHughes]

@Dale. Just tried with 5DMIV and yongnuo 603Ciis set to TX on the hot shoe and TRX on the flash and....it works. The triggers sometimes seem a bit sensitive to which order they are switched so maybe try the old “switch them off and back on again” fix, TRX first then TX. Good luck.

 

[TimHughes]

Stupid question, but does the trigger work if you press the button on the transmitter, rather than when it's mounted on the camera?
If so, then it's odds on that you've got it back to front on your camera

Definitely worth checking it should be pointing forward when mounted the correct way around.

@Garry Edwards thanks for the link in your signature, what an amazing resource !

 

[Dale.]

Stupid question, but does the trigger work if you press the button on the transmitter, rather than when it's mounted on the camera?
If so, then it's odds on that you've got it back to front on your camera

Yip, trigger will fire both speedlights when pressing the button on the transmitter. I've tried it handheld and also whilst sitting on the hotshoe. It won't fire either flash via the shutter button though. I'm pretty sure the trigger is mounted the right way, pointing towards the lens.

@Dale. Just tried with 5DMIV and yongnuo 603Ciis set to TX on the hot shoe and TRX on the flash and....it works. The triggers sometimes seem a bit sensitive to which order they are switched so maybe try the old “switch them off and back on again” fix, TRX first then TX. Good luck.

Thanks, I wil try that. Mind me asking what in camera settings you have please?

 

[Garry Edwards]

Yip, trigger will fire both speedlights when pressing the button on the transmitter. I've tried it handheld and also whilst sitting on the hotshoe. It won't fire either flash via the shutter button though. I'm pretty sure the trigger is mounted the right way, pointing towards the lens.



Thanks, I wil try that. Mind me asking what in camera settings you have please?

Well, even if it is the right way round, a couple of other things that you could try....
1. Make sure that it's pushed fully home.
2. Check that you've tightened it properly - not too loose, where it may not make proper contact, not too tight, where the foot can distort and make bad contact. I've come across this problem many times with Canon cameras, yet another reason to use Nikon

 

[Dale.]

Ha,ha, Nikon, pffft.

Nothing against Nikon, I just happen to be Canon.

I will try that too and see how it goes.

PS, like the avvy, I don't always shoot with cameras myself either, sometimes indulging in a bit of 12 gaugeage.

 

[TimHughes]

Thanks, I wil try that. Mind me asking what in camera settings you have please?

In the external speedlight control menu, flash firing = enable, flash functions = this menu cannot be displayed. Incompatible flash or flash's power is turned off. Means you are restricted to manual flash.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Ha,ha, Nikon, pffft.

Nothing against Nikon, I just happen to be Canon.

I will try that too and see how it goes.

PS, like the avvy, I don't always shoot with cameras myself either, sometimes indulging in a bit of 12 gaugeage.

And I have nothing (much) against Canon, it's just that we all make a choice and stick with it because of the cost of changing.

My avetar is a bit out of date - since breaking a few ribs I've had to change to my Benelli M2 FAC, almost zero felt recoil

 

[Dale.]

And I have nothing (much) against Canon, it's just that we all make a choice and stick with it because of the cost of changing.

My avetar is a bit out of date - since breaking a few ribs I've had to change to my Benelli M2 FAC, almost zero felt recoil

SX3 Black Shadow here, you'll know what that means.

 

[Dale.]

In the external speedlight control menu, flash firing = enable, flash functions = this menu cannot be displayed. Incompatible flash or flash's power is turned off. Means you are restricted to manual flash.

Thanks.

I'm suprised though, not that I mind manual but my triggers and speedlights are all Canon compatible. I get that message on the screen though.

I'll try the suggestions tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

 

[Dale.]

@Garry Edwards thanks for the link in your signature, what an amazing resource !

This^, superb resource, I'll be spending time reading that tomorrow.

 

[TimHughes]

Thanks.

I'm suprised though, not that I mind manual but my triggers and speedlights are all Canon compatible. I get that message on the screen though.

I'll try the suggestions tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Problem is the YN 603 Cii's are not TTL....and with the flash functions error message means second curtain sync doesn't work either. This was the reason I changed to Godox. I've kept the YN triggers are they are quite reliable for remote shooting.

 

[Dale.]

Ahhh, right, OK, got that.

I'm pretty used to it as that's how they work with my Fuji gear.

 

[Dale.]

A (very) quick update on this, I put the Yongnuo flash on the camera tonight without the trigger between it and the camera and it worked fine, full control over everything, something not even my Nissin will do.

Obviously a trigger problem, I'm guessing connection.

 

[Phil V]

Simple things first, ensure both flashes are set to M and not in slave mode.

Ensure all triggers are on same channel

Ensure camera is set below sync speed.

I'd recommend 1/125, 200 ISO and f5.6 as a start point.

Only mentioned asits often the missing facts that are crucial, because people assume simple things are obviously right.

 

[Phil V]

Any further news @Dale. ?

 

[Dale.]

Any further news @Dale. ?

Hi Phil, thanks for asking. There's no news yet as I haven't had a chance to play as this thing called life keeps getting in the way. I will hopefully be able to try on the weekend, but it has to be raining.