EOS3, 420EX and Sigma 500

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Hi

I have a Canon EOS3 with 420EX. Now I am planning to go for a flash unit with little more power to use as my main source. Planning to get Sigma 500(Mainly becuase of its features for its less price comparing to 550EX). Here are my questions related to this. Some one who uses it please answer.

1. Can I use this flash as a main source and use my 420EX for fill? Will my 420EX trigger automatically with Sigma 500? What is required for a 420EX to trigger? Any light source is enough or we need another Canon Flash unit? Does it trigger with the flash of any other brand?

2. Do I get E-TTL with Sigma 500?

3. What is the set up that I need to use these flash units in an umbrella? I mean what additional equipments should I buy other than light stand? I heard about off camera flash chord to move the flash out side hot shoe. But I am confused wheather I can fix this to an umbrella or not? If not what else should I buy? I want some thing which connects my flash to camera also holds the same in a light stand along with my umbrella.

4. How is the modelling light works in Sigma? How can I activate it? Is it by using depth of field button? What if I want to work with two flashes and see the modelling light of both (Main and fill)? Does it work if I use both Sigma 500?

Regards

-- John Peter (eosquestions@yahoo.com), March 13, 2002

Answers

Be careful - Sigma has two units with 500 in their names (EF-500 Super and EF-500 ST) and very different feature sets. The EF-500 ST lacks all the E-TTL stuff; the EF-500 Super has it.

1. I'm not sure - I've heard that this flash can act as a master and I've heard that it can only act as a slave. Check with Sigma (http://www.sigmaphoto.com/). If it can be a wireless E-TTL master, then it will trigger the 420EX; if it can only be a slave, then you'll need a Canon master (550EX, MR-14EX, or ST-E2).

2. Yes with the super, no with the ST.

3. If you're putting the master in an umbrella, you'll need the off-camera shoe cord 2. If it's the slave, then as long as it can see the master, it will fire.

4. Should be same as Canon - DOF button should cause all of the flash units in your wireless E-TTL group to fire their modelling flashes.

-- Steve Dunn (steved@ussinc.com), March 13, 2002.


Thanks Steve!

Does this modelling stuff is a continuous light or a flash? Flash means it discharge once for a short duration where as if it is a continuous light it helps a lot to adjust the main-fill ratio. What is it actually?

-- John Peter (eosquestions@yahoo.com), March 13, 2002.


Modelling flash is not a continuous incandescent lamp - the flash unit pulses the flash tube at a high frequency, simulating constant output.

My article on EOS flash.

Comparison between the Sigma ET-500 Super and the Canon 550EX.

-- NK Guy (tela@tela.bc.ca), March 13, 2002.


I've heard that the Sigma 500 Super's AF assist light will only cover the center AF sensor of the EOS 3. You might want to check that out before buying (the 550Ex will cover all 45).

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), March 13, 2002.

The Sigma EF-500 Super will act as a master to the 420EX in slave mode. The 420EX will not fire with any flash that is not acting as an E-TTL master. It's tripped by the pre-flash communication pulses.

The Sigma EF-500 Super's AF assist light coveers the central AF point only. On my Elan IIe, if I use a side AF sensor, the flash AF assist light deactivates and the camera's built-in AF assisst light takes over. That should be fine for the EOS 3 since it has a good AF assist light, unless your lens is very large (I use a 28-135 USM IS most of the time w/o problems), but if you have a Rebel or an Elan 7, this could become anoying real fast.

To use the umbrellas, you will want light stands and umbrella/flash holders that will allow you to point them up or down. Also, Canon's Off Camera Shoe Adapter 2 is only 2-3 feet long & this becomes a problem with umbrellas on stands. You could use two of these short cords together even though Canon recommends not to. Or you could use another Sigma EF-500 Super as a non flashing master, or get a Canon ST-E2 to do the same thing.

-- Jim Strutz (j.strutz@gci.net), March 13, 2002.



"That should be fine for the EOS 3 since it has a good AF assist light."

The EOS 3, like the 1V, lacks an AF assist light. I wish it had one! I use the EOS 3 with a ST-E2 in situations where an AF assist light is needed but I don't want flash.

Aloha,

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), March 13, 2002.


Thanks a lot!

I have another question, I think it is totally a dumb question. Still let me ask....

Is there any other alternatives other than ST-E2 to use 550EX and 420EX combo as main and fill with out using a chord?

Can I keep 420EX on camera hot shoe serving as a fill flash while 550EX/Sigma500 Super at 45 degree angle serving as main (remotely)? Does it work this way?

Here is a different question...What do you think about a Sto-fen Omni bounce?

Regards

-- John Peter (eosquestions@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.


Nope, the 420 can only function as a slave, not a master.

-- Dick Tope (RTope@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.

Puppy Face said, "The EOS 3, like the 1V, lacks an AF assist light."

Wow. How did I miss that?

I hate getting old. Too many data leaks.

-- Jim Strutz (j.strutz@gci.net), March 15, 2002.


1) Is there any other alternatives other than ST- E2 to use 550EX and 420EX combo as main and fill with out using a chord?
2) Can I keep 420EX on camera hot shoe serving as a fill flash while 550EX/Sigma500 Super at 45 degree angle serving as main (remotely)? Does it work this way?

1) Yes. Use a hotshoe optical slave trigger, triggered by the camera popup flash. Since I have used this technique with several cameras, including my Elan 7E, and a number of different battery-powered slave flash units, here are my tips on technique:
• Gel the master with some developed unexposed slide film.
• Exposure is controlled by aperture and flash-to-subject distance (use GN calculations or a flash meter).
• Use slaves like the 420EX or Achiever 630 that fire at full power as the main light. Use slaves like 550EX, 430EZ that have manual power control as the fill.
• Some slaves (e.g. 550EX) will block after the first flash, and need to be reset by turning on and off. Just a nuisance, but it does not prevent the technique from working.
• Apart from the sound of the flashes charging, there is no music produced: neither chords or melodies.

2) Yes. See answer #1

Look for more tips at the EOS documentation Project

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), March 17, 2002.



A qualification for #2. The Sigma EF 500 Super is specified to have a built-in optical slave trigger. However, the 420EX will fire in single E-TTL mode, so the pre-flash will confuse the optical slave trigger in the EF 500 Super.

The method is to disable E-TTL in the 420EX by a technique described by Rodrigo Gimenez and Vinicius Matangrano. See:
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id= 0014oo

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), March 17, 2002.


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