Issue with Quantum Turbo Battery and Canon 580ex

[rockcanyonphotos]

Is anyone one aware of any special settings required when using a Quantum Turbo Battery pack with a Canon 580EX flash?? I have been using the 2 in combo lately and (a) the recycle time is not what I think it should be and (b) at the end of the football game (say 400 shots later) the battery pack still shows a full charge.

I read somewhere that you had to disable Cn.01 on a 580ex II when working with a Quantum Turbo but I don't know if that applies to the 580ex as well.

regards, Kevin

[rockcanyonphotos]

Just got a return call from Quantum with the answer. In the event anyone else uses this combo.

There is an issue with the Canon 580ex. In order for it to use the Quantum external Battery pack you need to set Cn.07 to 1 (the 580ex manual indicates that a setting of 0 should allow it to work with both the internal batteries and external pack but that is not the case).

The 550ex is does not have this issue and the 580ex II apparently has 3 issues with an external battery (didn't get the details on this as I don't have one).

regards, Kevin

[i_worship_the_King]

Sounds complicated... did you also tell them to get it fixed? :deal

[pathfinder]

I use a Canon external battery pack ( CP3 I think ) without issues or custom settings with a 580ex and a 580ex II.:dunno I like it because recycling is almost instantaneous, as long as the capacitor is not completely drained with each shot.

[GJMPhoto]

I use a Canon external battery pack ( CP3 I think ) without issues or custom settings with a 580ex and a 580ex II.:dunno I like it because recycling is almost instantaneous, as long as the capacitor is not completely drained with each shot.

I use the CP3s also...but with those you HAVE to have 4 batteries in the flash chamber and they will be used in all cases. As I understand it (and I could be mistaken), with the CP3, you're trickle charging the 4 non-rechargable batteries by blasting them with 12 batteries worth of power...it's about recovery time, not power. It's still the 4 batteries in the chamber that power the flash.

If you set the Cn7 setting, I believe you're bypassing this behaviour and going straight to the external battery...which would be different. Can anyone confirm this?

- Gary.

[pathfinder]

The manual for my 580ex II, on page 27, Custom FUnction 12 - (0 = Flash and external power) (1 = External power source ).

No where does it say anything about internal batteries only.