Yet another 580ex + 580ex + ST-E2 thread

I have a 20D, and a 580Ex.

I am thinking about putting together a portable flash package.

ie, ST-E2 on the camera, 580ex main, 580ex fill, and possibly later on another 580 or 430 for back.

Two stands, two umbrellas.

I've done the searches, I've read the posts. I want to keep the ETTL-2... so that rules out the other various options people always mention.

Has anyone conistently used this (or a very similar) package in this fashion?

Thanx,

Mark

I'm interested as well. Thinking of getting a similar setup.

Imperium said:

I am thinking about putting together a portable flash package.

ie, ST-E2 on the camera, 580ex main, 580ex fill, and possibly later
on another 580 or 430 for back.

Click to expand...

Imperium said:

Has anyone conistently used this (or a very similar) package in
this fashion?

Click to expand...

Mark,

I've used that basic setup for a couple of months and it works quite
well.

You might also want to pickup a custom offcamera cord as there are times the
ST-E2 might not be seen by one of the lights. If you're handy you can build your
own (There's a thread here bout that) but Paramount cords in NYC can make
custom sizes as well.

It is very functional and portable and no wires or power cords on the floor which is nice.

This gives you the freedom to not have your camera connected to anything so you are free to walk around and try different angles.

Don't worry about the your speedlites not being able to see your ste2, rembmer you can move the heads of the speedlites so your umbrellas will face the necessary direction and the body of the speedlite can face towards your ste2.

Another good thing is once you have this system setup (purchased) you can take it with you very quickly. Or if you are going for a hike and might need a off camera light what I do is just throw my little, light weight ste2 in my camera bag with one speedlite and go hiking and if I spot a flower or insect that needs some fill flash tada I have all I need to get the shot.

A major con, and one that is making me want alien bees or white-lightnings, is the lack of a model light.

Yes you can hit your dof preview button on your camera but it does not last long enough to do critical focus and this will eat batteries quickly if you do it alot. So you have to have some other small light on near your studio subjec to get correct focus and posing. Thus you have introduced a secondary light source that can sometimes make white balance a pain and make more post production necessary.

Also I shoot my speedlites on full manual and my 20D on full manual I find that the ETTL results in this setup tend to underexpose. So just use the manual mode on your speedlites and you select the exact amount of light you want, photography is all about the control of light anyway. The ST-E2 has a ratio feature that you can quickly adjust control over each light as another method of balancing key and fill.

Good luck and here are a couple of my favorites from this setup. Not anywhere near pro quality but I have only been doing this for a short time and not really dedicated to any one aspect of photography like studio lighting. So good results can be had quickly in skilled hands.

http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/48225409



http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/48235171



http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/48546433



http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/46873735



http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/40731900



That was done with a Canon G5 (point and shoot) and this setup.

http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/42628561



See no wires!

http://www.pbase.com/lundy/image/42670384



A personal favorite.
--
Lundy

'Sometimes the best part of wanting something is not having it.' ME 1994

http://www.pbase.com/lundy

I put together a package a few months ago. Two 580ex, two 420ex, one 550ex, and an ST-E2. I have lots of stands and umbrellas, and a backdrop stand, all in portable zipper bags. I really like them. I am presently adding a couple of CP-E3 battery packs, Stoffen Omni's, Lumiquest FX Gel holder and a PhotoFlex mini softbox for flash. It is rather expensive for an amateur, but they are very compact, reliable and take the guesswork out of exposures. You only need to get the ratios correct and avoid dark/hot spots unless they are intentional. Also these canon speedlights really hold their value.

EXAMPLES using my setup. All done on location away from windows.

THank you all for the comments & samples... exactly what I was looking for.

Regards,

Mark

At least for me...

With the camera in portrait position, a flash positioned on the opposite side of the lens from the ST-E2 will not fire unless you are set-up indoors and can bounce the ST-E2 off of something so that the slave flash can see it.

I did endless testing with add on reflectors and diffusers (yes - even a periscope) to try and work around this problem and finally decided that it wasn't worth it.

One possible solution, put the ST-E2 on a flash bracket with the (inspirationally named) Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2. This can be a problem as well since most flip brackets will rotate the ST-E2 on its side which gives it a smaller side to side angle of transmission range.

The solution I have currently found effective is to use one 550EX on a flash bracket for fill light and one (or two on the same channel) fired into an umbrella as the key light.

I've found that in most cases having the fill on camera works just fine. Also, the 550EX (or 580EX) offers the same level of ratio control as the ST-E2 plus has the added benefit of greater range and the ability to be used as a flash. The greater range is due to the fact that the ST-E2 uses infra-red to communicate while the 550EX (and 580EX) use visible light.

good luck

how do you connect the 580 or 550 to the softbox? Does Photoflex offer a mounting ring, can't seem to find on on Adorama.com

thanks!