Question: Flash for Rebel 300D: FEC???

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Hi, all.

I'm looking for a flash for my Rebel 300D; it's currently down to the
Canon 420EX, the 550EX and the Sigma EF500 DG Super.

FEC is a feature that I think would be very useful for indoor
portraiture, as I plan to use the 100mm f1.8 lens and will likely be
quite close to the subject: I fear overexposed shots, and hopefully FEC
will deal with that, if perhaps coupled with a diffuser.

One thing I don't quite 'get' yet - I have the Undutchables hack in my
Rebel, which enables FEC in the camera. I also understand that the
420EX does not have in-flash FEC, but the 550 does; what I'm unclear on
is whether FEC will work for a 'hacked' Rebel and the 420EX, or whether
I'd still need the 550 or the Sigma??? Is it the case that with the
hack, the metering is done in-camera, so the compensation is done with
the camera 'driving the boat' as it were? I'm kind of on the upslope of
the learning curve, so all I can really ask is pretty basic questions.

Also - does anyone know offhane whether this particular Sigma model has
infrared focus assist? I plan to check them all out thoroughly, but
thought maybe some kind soul might fill in that particular gap in my
knowledge...

Thanks!

BD.
 
G

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I was just talking to a friend, and he thought he'd read somewhere that
the 550 had issues when used with the Rebel.

Anyone know about that? Or is it a solid combination??
 
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Sounds likely, but I understand little enough about FEC to be compelled
to ask some pretty basic questions concerning on-camera and on-flash
FEC - does one require the other? Will you get the functionality so
long as it's on either your flash or body? Etc...
 
G

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I gather that the 580 is the 'new variant' of the 550; so I expect all
functionality of the 550 was retained.

Thanks for that confirmation; now I just have to compare the feature
sets.

Having said that, I recently came across a deal on a 550 which would
cost me roughly the same as a new 420; likely a no-brainer, unless the
550 has been abused in some form.

Do you use the 550/rebel combination yourself? I'm just curious about
any potential issues with the combination. I've seen posts discussing
exposure issues, but it sounds as if with many of these, the remedy is
to select a specific point on the subject which is slightly darker, so
the metering works correctly for the image. I'm just wondering if it's
a composition issue, or some 'shortfall' in the hardware.

Cheers,

BD
 
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"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123013274.791517.322940@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>I was just talking to a friend, and he thought he'd read somewhere that
> the 550 had issues when used with the Rebel.
>
> Anyone know about that? Or is it a solid combination??

The 550 works fine with the 300D. If your hacked software offers FEC, then
the 420 should work with that (I am guessing, as I don't use the hack).
 
G

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Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough - I just bought it. Thankfully,
I have a good friend who has worked with portrait photography and
manual flashes for years, so he'll be a very good guide.

Thanks!
 
G

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"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123014592.880834.202750@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Sounds likely, but I understand little enough about FEC to be compelled
> to ask some pretty basic questions concerning on-camera and on-flash
> FEC - does one require the other? Will you get the functionality so
> long as it's on either your flash or body? Etc...

Yes, FEC can be accomplished by either the camera or the flash. FEC set
with the 550EX overrides any FEC setting in the camera, by the way. I
assume the 580EX is the same and know nothing about the Sigma flashes.
 
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"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123016401.379484.319080@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>I gather that the 580 is the 'new variant' of the 550; so I expect all
> functionality of the 550 was retained.
>
> Thanks for that confirmation; now I just have to compare the feature
> sets.
>
> Having said that, I recently came across a deal on a 550 which would
> cost me roughly the same as a new 420; likely a no-brainer, unless the
> 550 has been abused in some form.
>
> Do you use the 550/rebel combination yourself? I'm just curious about
> any potential issues with the combination. I've seen posts discussing
> exposure issues, but it sounds as if with many of these, the remedy is
> to select a specific point on the subject which is slightly darker, so
> the metering works correctly for the image. I'm just wondering if it's
> a composition issue, or some 'shortfall' in the hardware.

Yes, I do use that combination and it works well. One must learn the
nuances, however. Some folks use FEC and a +2/3 setting. Others use flash
exposure lock. Others set the camera to manual mode and set the shutter
from 1/60 to 1/125 and an aperture as desired for DOF or lens optimization
and let the flash adjust its power accordingly. There are so many ways to
go!
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123010510.932347.64130@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi, all.
>
> I'm looking for a flash for my Rebel 300D; it's currently down to the
> Canon 420EX, the 550EX and the Sigma EF500 DG Super.
>
> FEC is a feature that I think would be very useful for indoor
> portraiture, as I plan to use the 100mm f1.8 lens and will likely be
> quite close to the subject: I fear overexposed shots, and hopefully FEC
> will deal with that, if perhaps coupled with a diffuser.
>
> One thing I don't quite 'get' yet - I have the Undutchables hack in my
> Rebel, which enables FEC in the camera. I also understand that the
> 420EX does not have in-flash FEC, but the 550 does; what I'm unclear on
> is whether FEC will work for a 'hacked' Rebel and the 420EX, or whether
> I'd still need the 550 or the Sigma??? Is it the case that with the
> hack, the metering is done in-camera, so the compensation is done with
> the camera 'driving the boat' as it were? I'm kind of on the upslope of
> the learning curve, so all I can really ask is pretty basic questions.
>
> Also - does anyone know offhane whether this particular Sigma model has
> infrared focus assist? I plan to check them all out thoroughly, but
> thought maybe some kind soul might fill in that particular gap in my
> knowledge...
>


FEC in the hacked firmware works just fine with the 420 and the 550.

--

Rob
 
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Guest
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Charles:

I ordered the 500EX flash. It's a secondhand unit and does not have a
manual, so I downloaded a PDF manual.

The PDF discusses certain features which are available in 'Type A'
cameras but not 'Type B' cameras - the list mentions high-speed sync
(FP or Focal-Plane flash), FE (Flash Exposure) lock, FEB (Flash
Exposure Bracketing), bounce flash and area AF-assist.

The list of Type A cameras is not entirely clear; it does not mention
the Rebel 300D per se, but lists "EOS-1D, 1V, 3, D60, D30, ELAN 7/7E,
30/33, 50/50 E, ELAN ll/ELAN ll E, 300/REBEL 2000, 500N/REBEL G,
3000N/66/REBEL XSN, IX, IX 7/IX Lite".

If the "300/REBEL 2000" is the Rebel 300D, then I interpret this to say
that the Rebel 300D is a Type A camera, and thereby supports all these
features. Can you confirm??

Thanks!!

BD
 
G

Guest

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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

I'm pretty sure the Type A / Type B distinction is the ETTL / TTL
distinction. I know my camera supports ETTL, so I expect it's all good.

Tx!
 
G

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In article <1123045945.023169.267500@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
BD <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>If the "300/REBEL 2000" is the Rebel 300D, then I interpret this to say
>that the Rebel 300D is a Type A camera, and thereby supports all these
>features. Can you confirm??

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/#aandb suggests so.

Darren
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> writes:
> I ordered the 500EX flash. It's a secondhand unit and does not have a
> manual, so I downloaded a PDF manual.
>
> The PDF discusses certain features which are available in 'Type A'
> cameras but not 'Type B' cameras - the list mentions high-speed sync
> (FP or Focal-Plane flash), FE (Flash Exposure) lock, FEB (Flash
> Exposure Bracketing), bounce flash and area AF-assist.
>
> The list of Type A cameras is not entirely clear; it does not mention
> the Rebel 300D per se, but lists "EOS-1D, 1V, 3, D60, D30, ELAN 7/7E,
> 30/33, 50/50 E, ELAN ll/ELAN ll E, 300/REBEL 2000, 500N/REBEL G,
> 3000N/66/REBEL XSN, IX, IX 7/IX Lite".
>
> If the "300/REBEL 2000" is the Rebel 300D, then I interpret this to say
> that the Rebel 300D is a Type A camera, and thereby supports all these
> features. Can you confirm??

The Canon 300/Rebel 2000 is an old film camera.

But your Digital Rebel/300D /is/ a "Type A" camera in Canonspeak
and will work with all the features you mention.

The reason it is not listed in the manual is because the 550EX
flash predates the Digital Rebel.
--
- gisle hannemyr [ gisle{at}hannemyr.no - http://folk.uio.no/gisle/ ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kodak DCS460, Canon Powershot G5, Olympus 2020Z
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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