Are Sigma EF-610 flashes compatible with Canon wireless flash systems on Canon cameras?
Asked 2/27/2014
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I use Canon Speedlites and am considering Sigma EF-610 DG ST or EF-610 DG Super flashes for more powerful off-camera lighting, including umbrellas outdoors. On Canon bodies, can these Sigma flashes be used together with Canon Speedlites? Specifically, will the EF-610 DG ST or EF-610 DG Super work with Canon wireless flash controllers such as the ST-E3-RT, Speedlite 90EX, or the built-in optical wireless flash control on cameras like the EOS 70D?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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It depends.
The Canon flashes you listed in your question use pulsed light from the Master unit to tell the Slave units when to fire and how much power to emit. This allows proprietary communication between the Master and Slave units and allows for use of Canon's E-TTL automatic exposure system as well as permits the photographer to set manual power levels for the Slave flashes right from the camera's menu (when using compatible Canon camera bodies). The sequence of events is shown in the diagram below.

The Sigma EF-610 DG ST is not compatible as either a wireless master or slave with the Canon wireless flash system used by the ST-E3-RT, the 90EX (or 580EX II), or the built in optical wireless flash control included in most Canon bodies since it was introduced with the 7D in 2009. To use it as a wireless flash using Canon's E-TTL system you would need to use something like a Pocket Wizard that allows the camera and flash(es) to communicate just as if they were connected to the camera's hot shoe. You could also use a generic wireless trigger to fire the flash manually but all adjustments to the flash would need to be made using the controls on the flash unit itself.
The Sigma EF-610 DG Super, on the other hand, is partially functional with a Canon external master flash. It can be used as a slave if the Canon camera has set the external master flash to TTL (but not E-TTL or E-TTL II) or Manual flash mode. It can also be used as a master, but only when the slave is also an EF-610 DG Super. It can not be triggered at all by any of the built in wireless flash controls on cameras such as the 7D, 70D, etc. See this compatibility chart from Sigma for more information.
Note that both the Sigma EF-610 DG ST and EF-610 DG Super are fully compatible with the EOS E-TTL II system on Canon camera bodies that are E-TTL II capable only when mounted directly to the camera's hot shoe or when connected via a wireless trigger such as a Pocket Wizard that allows the flash and camera to communicate as if the flash were directly attached to the hot shoe.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
12y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Compatibility depends on the specific Sigma model and the Canon wireless system.
Canon’s 90EX and the built-in wireless flash control on cameras like the 70D use Canon’s optical wireless system, which communicates via coded light pulses. The ST-E3-RT uses Canon’s separate radio RT system.
Based on the community answers, the Sigma EF-610 DG ST is not compatible as a wireless master or slave with Canon’s wireless flash system. So it will not work with the ST-E3-RT, the 90EX’s optical master mode, or Canon’s built-in optical wireless control.
The key point is that third-party flashes may support basic hot-shoe TTL on Canon cameras but still not support Canon’s proprietary wireless master/slave systems. Also, Canon optical wireless and Canon RT radio wireless are different systems, so support for one does not imply support for the other.
If you want to mix flashes reliably in Canon’s wireless ecosystem, confirm whether the exact flash supports Canon optical slave/master, Canon RT radio, or neither.
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