Can a Canon 580EX reliably trigger a 430EX II as a wireless slave?
Asked 7/24/2013
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I have a Canon 580EX (original version, not the 580EX II) and want to add a second Speedlite as an off-camera slave. A salesperson told me that the newer EX II flashes use a different communication protocol and that my 580EX would not reliably trigger a 430EX II or other EX II slave units.
From what I can tell, Canon's optical wireless E-TTL system should still be compatible, and the newer protocol may only affect flash-to-camera menu control on supported camera bodies.
Will a 580EX work dependably as a wireless master with a 430EX II slave, including optical wireless E-TTL?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Were you at BestBuy by any chance? It sounds like the guy wanted to sell 600EX-RTs. As far as I know, the optical sync system has never changed, at least in a compatibility breaking way. The new RT system supports some features that the optical system didn't support, but it only works between RT units which are currently only the 600EX-RT.
I don't have an older unit to test with, but I would expect that at worst, some control features that the newer flash supports might not be available, but I believe the basic firing protocol has been the same since the start of the system.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. A Canon 580EX can reliably act as an optical wireless master for a 430EX II slave.
The salesperson appears to have confused two different things:
- The newer EX II flashes added improved flash-to-camera communication for menu-based flash control on supported bodies.
- Canon’s optical wireless E-TTL slave/master signaling remains compatible and is not broken by the EX vs. EX II change.
So a 580EX should trigger a 430EX II dependably in Canon’s optical wireless system, including wireless E-TTL functionality.
What did change is Canon’s later RT radio system, which is separate from the older optical wireless system. RT features only work between RT-capable units such as the 600EX-RT; that does not mean older optical master/slave support stopped working.
In short: 580EX + 430EX II is a normal, compatible optical wireless setup. The main limitation is that some newer convenience features may not be available, but basic wireless triggering and E-TTL should work fine.
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