Can I connect a Canon 550EX to an EOS XTi with a PC sync cord?
Asked 11/24/2012
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I want to fire a Canon 550EX Speedlite off-camera from an EOS XTi using a PC sync cord. I found Hama and SC2 adapters, but I’m not sure whether either will work. The Hama adapter looks like it may not have the necessary electrical contacts, and the 550EX also has a 3-pin socket on the side—can that be used for sync? If I want to keep E-TTL, what kind of cord or adapter do I need?
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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The three pin socket on the side of the 580ex is the external power socket, not a sync socket. The Hama product you linked to does look like it has no data connection to the flash, but this one does. I've used it on a 430 EX II to connect to Elinchrom Skyport radio triggers successfully. It worked well, but mounting can be an issue depending on where/how you are holding the flash, as it has no tripod style screw fitting in the bottom of it. I solved that issue by mounting it into a Canon OC-E3 cable which then mounted on a tripod/lightstand easily.
Originally by user13812. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user13812
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The 3-pin socket on the side of the 550EX/580EX is for external power, not PC sync, so it can’t be used as a sync connection.
If you only need the flash to fire manually, you need a hot-shoe-to-PC adapter that has the proper electrical contact to trigger the flash. A simple adapter without a working center contact won’t do it. The SC2 is a Nikon-style TTL cord, so it will not provide Canon E-TTL and isn’t the right choice for this setup.
If you want to retain Canon E-TTL off-camera, use a Canon-compatible E-TTL off-camera shoe cord, such as the Canon OC-E3 or an equivalent Canon-dedicated TTL cord.
So:
- for manual triggering: use a proper hot-shoe/PC sync adapter with center contact
- for E-TTL: use a Canon-dedicated off-camera TTL cord
- the side 3-pin port is not a sync port
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