Can I use a Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI off the hot shoe on a 5D Mark IV?
Asked 6/11/2018
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I use a top handle on my Canon 5D Mark IV for video, so the camera hot shoe is often occupied. I’m considering the Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI and want to know if I can trigger it with a cable instead of mounting it directly on the hot shoe. If so, what kind of connection would work, and are there any feature limitations compared with using the flash on the hot shoe?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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I was wondering if it is possible to trigger the flash via a cable that I could plug into the camera rather than via the hot shoe?
Not unless you are willing to use the 470EX-AI strictly in manual mode. You'll have to make any settings changes directly on the flash. Also, without the communication capability provided by the contacts on your camera's hot shoe, the self-adjusting bounce capability of the new 470EX-AI will be rendered inoperative.
In short, you'll be able to tell the flash to "fire" via the 5D Mark IV's PC port, but you'll do so at the expense of reducing the 470EX-AI to the same capability as a $50, manual only, no frills flash. To use most of the capability of the 470EX-AI either the flash itself, a wired hot shoe cable, or a TTL capable remote wireless trigger needs to be attached to the camera's hot shoe so that the data contacts located around the standard "fire" contact can be used for two-way communication between the camera and flash.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
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Yes, but only with major limitations. The 5D Mark IV’s PC sync port can trigger the flash to fire, but that only provides a basic fire signal. With that setup, the 470EX-AI would effectively be reduced to manual flash operation: you’d need to set adjustments on the flash itself, and advanced communication with the camera would be lost.
That means key features of the 470EX-AI, including its automatic bounce/self-adjusting functions, would not work through a simple sync cable.
If you want to keep most of the flash’s capabilities, you need a connection that preserves the hot-shoe communication, such as:
- a wired hot shoe extension/off-camera TTL cord, or
- a TTL-capable wireless flash trigger system.
So: a PC sync cable can trigger it, but only as a basic manual flash. For full or near-full functionality, use a TTL hot-shoe cable or TTL wireless trigger instead.
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