Canon® EOS Digital Photography Photo Workshop

8.6. USING MULTIPLE WIRELESS SPEEDLITES

You can use the 430EX or 580EX II wirelessly to create a multilighting effect much like you would have in a professional studio lighting setup. To do so, you need to set a single flash attached to your camera as the master unit and set the receiving flash(es) as slave units. The master flash utilizes ETTL to obtain the best-possible image. This capability should help you be able to extend flash range, and, if configured properly, overcome some of the limitations caused by the Inverse Square law.

The 580EX II is the only unit that can be used as a master or slave device, while the 430EX can be used as a slave only. The 220EX cannot be used as either. The Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX, and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 can also be used as master devices.

You can use virtually any flash exposure capability in this manner, including FP flash, FE lock, FEB, manual flash, and even the stroboscopic settings. All settings are automatically transmitted from the master to the slave units, meaning you only have to change settings on your master.

To turn a Speedlite into a master unit, you either flip a switch at the base of the flash that you manually switch from normal to master or slave settings, or in the case of the 580EX II, you use the Speedlite's LCD panel by holding down the Zoom button for two seconds for access. In all cases, you need to have your master flash set to the ETTL setting.

NOTE

If you are using an on-camera flash ...