580ex2 and pw plus II

FM Forums \| Lighting & Studio Techniques \| Join Upload & Sell	Search Used
end

Archive 2008 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

j0hnd0e
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #1 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

anyone have any idea why sometimes when i point my 580ex2 in a certain direction, mostly darker areas in the room it doesnt fire via pw when hit the test button on the attached pw connected via included sync cable.

i been reading the maual to try and see if the 580 was doing some kind of auto sensing or whatever but i couldnt find anything. I set the 580ex2 to M mode and just choose the power output. is there something im doing wrong?

if i point the flash in another directiong usually towards more light it fires. I dont have any problems with it shooting attached to the camera hotshoe. Just trying to mess around with these pws

Dec 08, 2008 at 02:06 AM

shoebox9
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

Very stange. I'd replace the cord first. If moving/twisting it changes the result, it's a likely candidate for the bin. Mine work flawlessly, unless I've done something stupid like allowing a flash to go to sleep.

If wiggling the sync cord doesn't help, I'd be trying a different flash. A growing number of people are reporting strange things happening with their heavily used 580II's, as they age.

Dec 08, 2008 at 04:36 AM

Garry Burton
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

The Dodgy female sync' on the 580 is probaly the culprit. I "GENTLY" squeezed the male connections (long nose pliers) on the pc leads I use to offer some sort of friction to make a better contact and also use a couple of elastic bands to keep it snug against the flash.

The longer PW coiled sync' cable works better as well. It's called PC5 PC to mini 5' colied cable, US CAT #804-302 or intl # PC5

I've tried all the other cheapo leads but the PW stuff seems to work best.

The Nikon PC with the screwed fitting is a far better solution except that it's not on our Camera .....

Yes, flash on manual, set the power to suit. NO master/slave or TTL.

My 2c worth

Cheers Gaz

Dec 08, 2008 at 09:52 AM

j0hnd0e
Offline
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #4 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

you guys are abosolutely right! it didnt fire as i pressed the test button but after i held the cord against the 580 with slight pressure it fired.

weird, i just could figure this out. i have some more cords ill try later. maybe ill pinch this cord alittle more to make it more snug.

thanks guys, took me 2 days trying to figure out why this was happening. tried 4 diffferent pw's. The Flash is new.

Johnny

Dec 08, 2008 at 12:26 PM

cgardner
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #5 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

The PC connector is the most poorly designed electrical connector in the history of man. Two bare wires and spit work better.

If that indeed is your culprit (it seems the likely suspect) going at it with a pair of problems can make problem - lack of contact by the collar - worse. If you use PC cords buy a tip conditioner tool: not cheap but they pay for themselves over time.

The better approach is not to use PC cords at all. You need to mount the flash on a stand anyway, no? That being the case a generic hot shoe extender with a 1/8" phone plug will do both jobs with one piece of gear and eliminate the problem of dodgy PC connections.

In a dark indoor room the Canon wireless system should also work fine if the slave sensor is oriented in the general direction of the Master. I use them that way all the time with ETTL ratios without any problems:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

FYI for Garry: Canon does not advertise the fact but the PC sockets on its camera bodies are in fact compatible with the Nikon screw-lock PC cords. Not sure if that is the case with the 580exII flash.

Chuck

Dec 08, 2008 at 12:41 PM

Garry Burton
Offline
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · 580ex2 and pw plus II

HI j0hnd0e,

The PW's are great but expensive, build is a bit dodgy and finicky lead issue on strobes is a bit annoying.
These are Aussie prices, quoting Ebay - retail.
$600 - $900 for a speedlite, $250 - $400 for a battery pack, $210 - $700 for a PW, won't work properly unless you use an elastic band you found on the ground, priceless !!!!

Hi Chuck,

The Nikon leads work fine except that you can't screw lead to the flash nice and secure.

I've stayed with the Canon strobes as I do love being able to effortlessly adjust settings with the Cameras' flash menu. (I'm on a 40D) BUT, 'line of sight' is an issue with my work. Brollies/boxes/flags/etc all get in the way of the signal. I also mix studio strobes with the Canon strobes which is an issue if you use the Canon wireless system as the signals set off the studio gear prematurely.

Anyhoot, I've hijacked the thread. Thanks for the chat.

Cheers Gaz

PS. any Aussie buyers, these people are great and I haven't had an issue. I 'm not affliated in any way, just spreading the love ...

Ebay dudes now with a seperate web cart, pick up in Melbourne http://www.urgalaxyau.com/

Not as cheap but they have shop fronts in Sydney + Melbourne http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/

Dec 09, 2008 at 07:51 AM


FM Forums \| Lighting & Studio Techniques \| Join Upload & Sell end