please help..

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rickyroo

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Erica
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i am having a very unlucky week :(

i dont know if its a big problem but i need to fix it asap.. i have a compatable cannon SLR camera and flash but suddenly they have stopped working together, my flash isnt broke as i did a test shot, but the camera isnt recognising that the external flash is there, ive cleaned both parts of the flash and camera where they connect but nothing is happening.. the thing is its happened to me twice now this week and as i work everyday doing home portraits my work just swapped my old camera for the same model.. but now its happened again.. is it something i am doing wrong? i havent dropped either of them.. and dose anyone know how much it would be to repair.. thanks for any help xx
 
Hi,

What model is the camera and flash? Sometimes, third party flashes do not sit right on the hotshoe. I used to own a Sunpak PF-30X on a Nikon D70s, it worked for a while until it developed a bad connection on the hotshoe. Flash became random, sometimes it would fire and sometimes it would not respond. Is this similar to your problem? I replaced mine with a Nikon SB600 and never had any problems again. Maybe it is a compatibilty issue.

Ray.
 
I know this doesn't sound like a battery problem, but the first thing I would do is go out and buy TWO brand new sets of batteries (from different sources) and see if that makes a difference.

Next I would check that it is locking securely on the hotshoe. If there IS any movement, give it a wiggle to see if the camera picks up a signal.

The last flash I had repaired was about £135, so explore all avenues before sending it to a repairer.

Chris.
 
hey,
i am using a cannon 450D and a cannon EOD speedlite 430EX flash, thing is i have used the same together for about 14months now but never had a problem untill this week on 2 cameras! i am not even getting random flashes which is very worrying.. i think its something to do with the hotshoe they both slot together nicely but during a photoshoot, the flash was stuck.. i managed to get it out but when i took it out and then slotted it back in thats when the connection stopped.
thanks ray x
 
arr i will try that thanks chris, there isnt any movement and i have pressed down hard to make sure it is 100% connected.. but still no joy.. its a company camera so at least it will be their bill.. just seems strange this happening with two camera this week.. just want to try and fix it before burdening them with another broken camera! x
 
When you say it was, "stuck", do you mean that the functions froze or do you mean that it was physically stuck/couldn't remove the flash from the hotshoe? If you mean the latter, then it may have caused some damage to the connection on the flash if you had to remove it by force. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the camera bodies that you are using.

Can anyone lend you a spare flash? That will help to confirm whether or not it is the flash or the body. But because you have tried your flash on 2 bodies already and it hasn't worked, I'm leaning towards a busted hotshoe connection on your flash. Hope that's helped.

But like Chris said, check prices first before deciding which root to go. £135.00 maybe worth the cost if you have the 580ex II. But £135.00 to fix a 430ex may not be the best root. A new one could be bought for around £180.00, cheaper still if you buy a used one.

Ray.
 
Look in the hotshoe, on one side there is a minute switch, it tells the camera there is an external flash.

Because we can't stick a little protector on it could have some dirt in it, holding the switch so it can't tell the flash is on.

I wouldn't normally say put compressed air duster anywhere near a camera but a couple of quick bursts may clear your problem.

Could be that the flash hotshoe has a tiny peice broken off too, check that.
 
hey,
thanks everyone.. ive managed to fix it! pheeew!, it was the little plastic thing on the hotshoe, it had bent.. i managed to straighten it and push it back in with tweezers.. oop.
come to think of it i think thats what happened with my old camera.. at least next time i know what to do.. cheers everyone. xx
 
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