EOS 1D w/540EZ?

Saw in some EOS literature Canon sent me a couple of months back where the 540EZ flash is compatable with the new EOS 1D SLR according to the camera-accessories-etc. diagram in the back. It was a surprise to me because I know it's not compatable with a D30 (gotta buy a Canon 550EX or 420 EX unit) and, I guess, it won't be with the forthcoming D60.

Will my 540 EZ work well enough with a 1D or is the purchase of an "EX" flash unit really necessary? What would be the primary difference between the two other than the price tag?--EOS GUY

The 540 won't work with the 1D except in manual mode. The 1D supports E-TTL and manual mode only. The 540 does not support E-TTL, just TTL and A-TTL.

Mitch Deaver said:

Saw in some EOS literature Canon sent me a couple of months back
where the 540EZ flash is compatable with the new EOS 1D SLR
according to the camera-accessories-etc. diagram in the back. It
was a surprise to me because I know it's not compatable with a D30
(gotta buy a Canon 550EX or 420 EX unit) and, I guess, it won't be
with the forthcoming D60.

Will my 540 EZ work well enough with a 1D or is the purchase of an
"EX" flash unit really necessary? What would be the primary
difference between the two other than the price tag?
--
EOS GUY

Click to expand...

Back when I bought the 540EZ over 2 years ago, I was "advised" by the dealer that I had no need for purchasing the 550EX to use with my A2E...would've been a few bucks ahead if I had went ahead and spent the extra $$$ then, but I didn't know that 2 years later I'd be attempting to make to move to digital and the things would be useless for the most part.

Who'd use a flash unit that only works in manual mode with a $5,000-plus camera body?

Andrew Grant said:

Mitch Deaver said:

Saw in some EOS literature Canon sent me a couple of months back
where the 540EZ flash is compatable with the new EOS 1D SLR
according to the camera-accessories-etc. diagram in the back. It
was a surprise to me because I know it's not compatable with a D30
(gotta buy a Canon 550EX or 420 EX unit) and, I guess, it won't be
with the forthcoming D60.

Will my 540 EZ work well enough with a 1D or is the purchase of an
"EX" flash unit really necessary? What would be the primary
difference between the two other than the price tag?
--
EOS GUY

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The A2E did not support E-TTL and couldn't use many of the 550EX features which is probably why the salesman advised you to buy it. The 550EX supports both E-TTL and TTL so it definitely would have been a better long term purchase.

You should be able to sell the 540 to a film body user since it will work on the newer film bodies that also support E-TTL. TTL works by reflecting light off the film. Since digital cameras do not have film, TTL is not available on any of the digital EOS bodies. The D2000/DCS520 which is based on the EOS 1n uses E-TTL even though a standard EOS 1n does not.

Mitch Deaver said:

Andrew Grant said:

Mitch Deaver said:

Saw in some EOS literature Canon sent me a couple of months back
where the 540EZ flash is compatable with the new EOS 1D SLR
according to the camera-accessories-etc. diagram in the back. It
was a surprise to me because I know it's not compatable with a D30
(gotta buy a Canon 550EX or 420 EX unit) and, I guess, it won't be
with the forthcoming D60.

Will my 540 EZ work well enough with a 1D or is the purchase of an
"EX" flash unit really necessary? What would be the primary
difference between the two other than the price tag?
--
EOS GUY

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

A less expensive alternative to the 550EX would be the sunpak 5000AF which can be purchased for around $150. See these threads:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=2205468

and my personal favorite thread
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=2391358

The sunpak can only be used in "A" mode (not TTL) with the 1D and you have to set the apeture manually on the flash to match the 1D but it's pretty consistent and accurate otherwise. May be used with tilt, swivel, and diffusers without much fuss.

I've tried the Stoffen diffuser and a lumiquest mini-softbox and they're pretty close for portraits (nice soft effect) but I think I prefer the lumiquest (lose about 1.5 stops of power though).

Cheers!

Don't cut corners and shell out the $270 for a NEW 550EX and have the flash that was designated and designed for the NEW EOS series cameras without limitations. If you are gonna shell out the $$$ 1D you should do NOTHING less....

Join the club. The 540EZ makes a nice paperweight though. ;-)

Mitch Deaver said:

Back when I bought the 540EZ over 2 years ago, I was "advised" by
the dealer that I had no need for purchasing the 550EX to use with
my A2E...would've been a few bucks ahead if I had went ahead and
spent the extra $$$ then, but I didn't know that 2 years later I'd
be attempting to make to move to digital and the things would be
useless for the most part.
Who'd use a flash unit that only works in manual mode with a
$5,000-plus camera body?

Click to expand...