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Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?

Started 4 months ago | Discussions
Bejersey
OP Bejersey Forum Pro • Posts: 15,383
Re: Yes.Photato

Thanks!! No I don't believe the 430 exii will work

Rick

Brian Slater Regular Member • Posts: 432
Re: Yes.Photato

I don’t think that flash or most Canon flashes will work this way. You need a flash with a basic optical mode or at least an optical trigger to attach to the flash Hotshoe. But, I have read that not all of these work with Canon flashes because … Canon.

To summarize: if you want to use flash and EVF at the same time, invest in a flash that has the basic optical mode. I recommend Godox and Meike flashes with specified Canon compatability. In my case that includes the tiny Meike flash I mentioned, which is a perfect fit for the M6ii way of life, and the Godox AD200, for just about any off-camera use. But there are other Godox and Meike units that are equivalent to your 430, and they are relatively inexpensive. For example Godox TT350 (small) or TT685.

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jim mij Senior Member • Posts: 1,035
Re: Yes.Photato
1

Brian Slater wrote:

I don’t think that flash or most Canon flashes will work this way. You need a flash with a basic optical mode or at least an optical trigger to attach to the flash Hotshoe. But, I have read that not all of these work with Canon flashes because … Canon.

To summarize: if you want to use flash and EVF at the same time, invest in a flash that has the basic optical mode. I recommend Godox and Meike flashes with specified Canon compatability. In my case that includes the tiny Meike flash I mentioned, which is a perfect fit for the M6ii way of life, and the Godox AD200, for just about any off-camera use. But there are other Godox and Meike units that are equivalent to your 430, and they are relatively inexpensive. For example Godox TT350 (small) or TT685.

Fyi I’ve had the tt350 working this way, comes in handy occasionally

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Jim

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Duncan Glendinning Regular Member • Posts: 281
Re: Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?

Bejersey wrote:

thanks

Rick

You eventually shared that you are using a 430EX flash, which makes the process fairly easy.

Starting with "Chapter 3: Wireless Flash" of the 430EX manual, you can learn how to place the 430EX in wireless slave mode. Then read the "External Flash Function Settings" section of the EOS-M6-MK2 manual.  In case it isn't obvious, the M6 popup flash is used to trigger the external flash.

Works for my EOS-M6-MK1 / 270EX combination - with TTL metering too.

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Brian Slater Regular Member • Posts: 432
Re: Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?
1

Duncan Glendinning wrote:

Bejersey wrote:

thanks

Rick

You eventually shared that you are using a 430EX flash, which makes the process fairly easy.

Starting with "Chapter 3: Wireless Flash" of the 430EX manual, you can learn how to place the 430EX in wireless slave mode. Then read the "External Flash Function Settings" section of the EOS-M6-MK2 manual. In case it isn't obvious, the M6 popup flash is used to trigger the external flash.

Works for my EOS-M6-MK1 / 270EX combination - with TTL metering too.

I believe that you are mistaken. The M6ii pop up flash does not have smart optical control or triggering capabilities. The only way to trigger an external flash with the EVF mounted as attested by multiple threads on this site is to use a third party flash with optical slave mode or a flash hotshoe mounted optical trigger receiver. Manual mode all around.

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kli
kli Veteran Member • Posts: 4,587
Re: Yes.Photato
2

Bejersey wrote:

I have the 430 ex II. I will try it

Won't work.

The 430EX II (and all the Canon EX speedlites, afaik) do not have "dumb" optical slave modes (like Nikon's SU-4, or Godox's S1/S2 modes) that work the way that Photato described.

AND there's YA issue, that simple optical triggers like the one picturedtend not to play well with Canon's EX circuitry. Something like a good ol' Wein peanut simply doesn't work with Canon EX speedlites, which drove any Canon readers of the Strobist insane back when Hobby was writing about this stuff from his Nikonian POV. He'd airily assure you your speedlight would have a PC sync port, have a dumb optical slave mode (or you could plug in a Wein peanut), or use the autothyristor mode, and the 580EX had/did none of these things and was a top-of-the-line $400 speedlite.

Also, a lot of add-on optical slaves attach to a PC sync port, which the 430EX II doesn't have (the 580EX II does; it has the Ext. metering modes as well, which kinda/sorta reinstated the autothyristor). And of those, the only optical slaves that worked reliably where the Sonia green-based ones, that flashzebra sells.

Just saying. Might be easiest to simply blow $65 ona Godox TT600, put it in S1 mode (if your pop-up is in M) or S2 (if your pop-up is in TTL) and use that instead. It is manual only, and you won't have any remote control over its settings or TTL/HSS, but you wouldn't have those with "dumb" optical slaving anyway, and it's only $65.

And now you know why when it came time for me to go mirrorless back in the day, I went for a Panasonic G3 instead of an EOS M, because I was already a Strobist. I wanted an EVF and off-camera flash over radio at the same time. (Well, that and the lack of a mode dial on the EOS M).

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Photato
Photato Veteran Member • Posts: 3,152
Re: Yes.Photato

Bejersey wrote:

Thanks!! No I don't believe the 430 exii will work

Rick

Did you try with the Popup flash set to ETTL mode instead of manual ?
For one of my Metz flash that is a requirement. It could be for 430 Canon too.

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Duncan Glendinning Regular Member • Posts: 281
Re: Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?

Brian Slater wrote:

Duncan Glendinning wrote:

Bejersey wrote:

thanks

Rick

You eventually shared that you are using a 430EX flash, which makes the process fairly easy.

Starting with "Chapter 3: Wireless Flash" of the 430EX manual, you can learn how to place the 430EX in wireless slave mode. Then read the "External Flash Function Settings" section of the EOS-M6-MK2 manual. In case it isn't obvious, the M6 popup flash is used to trigger the external flash.

Works for my EOS-M6-MK1 / 270EX combination - with TTL metering too.

I believe that you are mistaken. The M6ii pop up flash does not have smart optical control or triggering capabilities. The only way to trigger an external flash with the EVF mounted as attested by multiple threads on this site is to use a third party flash with optical slave mode or a flash hotshoe mounted optical trigger receiver. Manual mode all around.

You are correct and I apologise - the internal flash can not be activated with the EVF in place.  I was confusing one of my other camera systems with my EOS M cameras.  When ever I want to use a TTL flash system, I use a 90EX on my M{3|6} in optical wireless trigger mode to fire my 270EX-2.  For manual mode, any flash on / in the camera will be used to trigger other flashes.

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R2D2 Forum Pro • Posts: 26,528
Re: Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?

Duncan Glendinning wrote:

the internal flash can not be activated with the EVF in place.

Not sure what you're saying here.  The M6ii's pop-up flash can indeed be activated when the EVF is being used.  Or were you thinking of some other combination?

R2

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Bejersey
OP Bejersey Forum Pro • Posts: 15,383
Re: Yes.Photato

Thank you so very much

Rick

R2D2 Forum Pro • Posts: 26,528
Re: Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?
1

Bejersey wrote:

Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?

My two favorite (compact) flash units for using with the M Series are the Nissin i40c, and the Godox TT350c (aka Adorama Flashpoint Zoom Mini R2).  Perfect size.  Tilt and swivel, AA batteries, great external controls.

They both will work in S1 and S2 optical slave mode when triggered by the built-in flash on the Camera body.  Flash power (of the remote flash) is full Manual.

The larger 3rd party flashes will work this way too (I have the Godox V860IIIc and the Yongnuo YN560Li).

One of the nice things about the Godox flashes is that many of them have built-in radio receivers for when you want to graduate to a wireless radio-controlled system.  I also have some Godox battery-powered portable and A/C powered "studio" strobes that work on the same system.  Very handy to be able to control them all together.

My Canon flashes I mostly use directly on the hotshoe.

R2

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Rock and Rollei Senior Member • Posts: 2,899
Re: Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?
2

R2D2 wrote:

Bejersey wrote:

Is there any way to use the EVF on the M6 II while using off camera Flash?

My two favorite (compact) flash units for using with the M Series are the Nissin i40c, and the Godox TT350c (aka Adorama Flashpoint Zoom Mini R2). Perfect size. Tilt and swivel, AA batteries, great external controls.

They both will work in S1 and S2 optical slave mode when triggered by the built-in flash on the Camera body. Flash power (of the remote flash) is full Manual.

The larger 3rd party flashes will work this way too (I have the Godox V860IIIc and the Yongnuo YN560Li).

One of the nice things about the Godox flashes is that many of them have built-in radio receivers for when you want to graduate to a wireless radio-controlled system. I also have some Godox battery-powered portable and A/C powered "studio" strobes that work on the same system. Very handy to be able to control them all together.

My Canon flashes I mostly use directly on the hotshoe.

R2

This has been a very useful thread - I hadn't actually realised that my Godox TT350C actually had an optical slave mode, believe it or not, so that's opened up new possibilities for flash work with the Ms.

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