Why are my off-camera flash photos dark when using wireless triggers on a Canon T5?
Asked 9/16/2015
3 views
2 answers
0
I’m using a Canon EOS Rebel T5 with an Altura AP-C1001 flash and Altura wireless flash triggers. The flash works and exposes properly when mounted directly on the camera hot shoe, but when I fire it off-camera with the radio triggers, images are very dark or underexposed even at 1/200s, full flash power, and close subject distance. I’m not using the built-in flash. What settings or setup issues should I check, and could the triggers be the cause?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
There may be several factors at work. Here's a checklist I'd go through:
Are the batteries in everything: the camera, the flash, the triggers, fully charged and in good health?
Are any of your camera's internal flash control menu set to use a wireless mode? Turn that off. The external flash selection should be greyed out if the Tx unit is properly seated on the hotshoe.
Is your Tx unit properly seated on the hotshoe?
Is your flash set to a wireless slave mode [S1/S2]? If so, get it out of those modes. They tell the flash to listen to the red sensor panel on the front, not the foot. Your radio trigger is on the foot.
Is your flash in M mode? The triggers you have are manual-only and cannot be used with eTTL, HSS, 2nd curtain, etc. etc. They only do manual firing.
The T5's sync speed is 1/200s, but some radio triggers may add a propagation delay, and might not achieve 1/200s sync, so you'd see a dark band at the top and/or bottom of the image. Try a slower shutter speed.
Are the Tx and Rx units of the triggers all set to use the same channel?
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Most likely this is a trigger/setup issue, not a flash-power issue.
A good checklist:
- Make sure camera, flash, transmitter, and receiver batteries are all fresh.
- Confirm the transmitter is fully seated on the camera hot shoe.
- Turn off any camera wireless flash settings.
- If the flash is in optical slave mode (S1/S2), disable that—radio triggers fire the flash through the foot, not the front sensor.
- Use manual flash mode. Basic radio triggers are often manual-only and do not support TTL, HSS, or other advanced modes.
- Start with a simple baseline: Manual exposure mode, 1/200s, ISO 200, around f/8, and flash power around 1/4, then adjust aperture, power, and distance.
Since the flash works correctly on-camera but not with the wireless set, the community troubleshooting points to the triggers misfiring or not communicating reliably. In the reported fix, replacing the transmitter/receiver set solved the problem.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI10y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How can I remotely trigger and control Canon 320EX/430EX II flashes with a Canon 6D?
Why do I get a black band at 1/200s when using wireless flash triggers?
Why do my Yongnuo off-camera flashes fire from the trigger test button but not from the camera shutter?
Can any non-TTL wireless trigger fire a manual flash from another brand?
Can the Canon EOS M6 built-in flash wirelessly control off-camera Canon flashes?