[Tessa]

i resently i bought a Canon Speedlite 430EX flashgun buti'm having trouble understanding how to use it off my camera.
do i need a sync lead or something!?
or is it actually not possible?
cheers guyssss xx

[Dabhand16]

Welcome to Pixalo Tessa

Don't know much about Canon flashes, but unless there is built-in wireless facility you will need a dedicated sync lead to retain auto functions.

You can, of course, use it with a slave unit triggered by the camera flash, but you will have to use it in manual or semi-manual mode.

Someone with Canon gear will be along soon to give the definitive answer.

[Tessa]

ah so if i have triggers it'll work without a sync lead?
but i have to use it on manual?

[Dabhand16]

Pretty much. If it has some control built into the flash where it will measure the reflected light and cut the output to suit the ISO/aperture settings, you might find that this function could be used, but you might be better going manual.

You can buy slave units here (even in Jessops) for about £10-£15, or from e-bay for £5-£6.

If you decide on this you can now get ones that you can dial in the number of pre-flashes your camera does so it only triggers the flash on the full power camera flash which is sync'd with the shutter release. The alternative is to switch off the camera pre-flash if it is set.

[Tessa]

ah sweet, i guess a shopping trip is need now! cheers for the help

[Dabhand16]

Might be worth waiting for Canon users to have some input. I'm not familiar with this unit or Canon cameras in general, so there might be alternatives.

[spxxxx]

I thought the 430EX could be put in slave mode and fired with either another on camera flash (master) or STE2 .......

[Dave]

This might be of use :- Jessops TTL Off Camera Flash Cord For Canon - Jessops

[Larne]

The 430 EX does have a slave function but it is a wireless one. That means you either need a 530 EX on the camera or the ST on-camera transmitter.

If you don't have either of those then a cord is what you need.

[Rob Barron]

Yes, the EX units like the 430 and 580 can be set as master or slave so if you have one on your camera, you can set another off camera with no cord as a slave and that will fire at the same time and the lighting between the two will be balanced accordingly.

If you want to use just one flash unit but off camera, you must either buy the Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 (£99.99 on Onestop Digital) or use a synch cord which will be a lot cheaper but obviously isn't as convenient.

By the way, if you choose to buy from Onestop (many happy customers of theirs on here), click on the link advert at top of this page so that they know you came through this website.... that's how we get to enjoy this wonderful forum for free :o)

The ST-E2 is easy to use and can control multiple flash units so will 'grow' with you in the future.

Cheers,
Rob

[Tessa]

looking into getting the Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2,
you;ve all been a great help... thanks!

[ChrisRabior]

The ST-E2 uses infrared. You'd be better off getting some wireless triggers. They give you a much better range, don't require a direct line of sight, and will also function with your studio strobes (should you ever decide to go that route).

I have some of the cheap ebay triggers, a hot shoe cord, and access to a 580EX. The cheap wireless triggers are the way to go if you're just starting out. I've yet to have any problems with them, and for the price, they're a lot softer on the bank than the transmitter or some of the more advanced wireless trigger systems.