Canon Speedlite 580 ex ii question

[Jedison]

This is probably a silly question, but I just got my new 580 ex ii flash today for my 40D. Took about 5 shots outdoor in ETTL mode and the pilot light began to turn off and it would not flash again. I took the batteries out then put them back in again and the light comes back on. Does anyone know why this is happening? Is the flash cooling down because it used too much power outdoor? I took many shots in door and everything is great so far. Thanks for any advice in advance!

[Keith B]

Sounds like the batteries are just run down. I've never had an issue of my any of my 580EXIIs getting to hot.


If you took pics outside you were probably pushing it close to full power and that on top of the many indoor shots I say it is just weak batteries.

[Jedison]

Oh I see, I am glad to hear that. I was worried that I got a bad copy of the flash. May I ask what kind of batteries do you use for the flash? I am using a rechargeable Energizer 2500mah ni-mh.

[EdN]

Oh I see, I am glad to hear that. I was worried that I got a bad copy of the flash. May I ask what kind of batteries do you use for the flash? I am using a rechargeable Energizer 2500mah ni-mh.
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Congratulations on your new 580EX II! I have the 580EX and started out using the same batteries you are using and was NOT impressed with their performance. Here's the post I started and it has great advice on Sanyo Eneloops batteries.


http://community.the-digital-picture.com/forums/t/363.aspx ("/forums/t/363.aspx)

[Jedison]

Thanks for the thread! Looks like the Sanyo 2,700 NiMh is the best so far. Let me see if I can get it asap. I don't like changing batteries for the flash every 30 shots or so...

[Keith B]

I am currently using the new Duracel 2000mah pre-charged. I was using the Energizer 2500. I thought they were ok. They seemed better than the previous Duracel equivalent.


I don't have any but the Sanyo Eneloop are supposed to be as good as it gets, but the Duracel pre-charged are doing pretty well.


Just some food for thought, you want to prolong battery life, move closer to your subject and increase ISO. This will keep you flash from pumping out at full power which will save battery and make for faster recycle times.

[peety3]

As others have said, choose good batteries for your flash. Consider the CP-E4 external battery pack for your flash; it's a game changer in my opinion. I just (casually) shot a wedding on Saturday, and I've got a set of 16 shots during the cake eating in a span of 6 seconds, at f/4 and ISO 1600. Every shot has bounce flash, and except for one they all seem to have fairly consistent white balance (a typical problem with anything but the finest studio flashes). No way would that be possible without the CP-E4.

[crosbyharbison]

As others have said, choose good batteries for your flash. Consider the CP-E4 external battery pack for your flash; it's a game changer in my opinion. I just (casually) shot a wedding on Saturday, and I've got a set of 16 shots during the cake eating in a span of 6 seconds, at f/4 and ISO 1600. Every shot has bounce flash, and except for one they all seem to have fairly consistent white balance (a typical problem with anything but the finest studio flashes). No way would that be possible without the CP-E4.
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Does the cp-e4 add to the 4 batteries already in the flash unit or does it just bypass them?

[ShutterbugJohan]

Does the cp-e4 add to the 4 batteries already in the flash unit or does it just bypass them?


You can set it to work either way in the flash's custom functions. The flash must have batteries in the flash unit at all times for flash control functions, though. Hope that's clear. :-)

[crosbyharbison]

That sounds good but $150 for a battery holder? Come on canon. $50 would be expensive for what it is.

[lculpin]

The Nikon one is $200, though that one comes with a fancy leatheresque holder :P ... and the third party ones (though they're actual batteries, not glorified holders) are WAY more expensive....


(Though I'm not disagreeing, kinda seems like they're charging that much for it because they can :P)

[peety3]

If you don't want it, don't buy it. Once you try it, I think you'll see the light. It's weather-sealed, so you can feel safe with your voltages amongst the water molecules. It's plug&amp;play, so a little engineering went into it. It's got mounting options.


To clarify the battery selection questions earlier, a set of batteries must be in the flash regardless of menu options, to supply power to the circuit boards that manage the flash. If the CP-E4 is plugged into the flash, you can choose to create bursts of light via 8 batteries in the CP-E4 or all 12 batteries (CP-E4 plus the four in the flash). If you use all 12, it's likely that the flash's internal set would go dead first; in which case you'd better be ready to change four important batteries fast, and probably another 8 soon after. If you use just the external 8, you can disconnect the CP-E4 when you need to swap batteries in it and use the flash's internal set for a few shots, then go back to using the external batteries when they're swapped. I enjoyed using all 12 for a while, but now use just the external 8, allowing me to fall back to a nearly fresh set of 4 when I need to.

[crosbyharbison]

are there any AC options for using the 580exII?