Help w/ wireless flash (Canon Speedlite EX's)?

[photobug]

I have a new-ish Canon 580EX and an older 420EX. I've tried to get the 420EX to fire as a wireless slave to the 580, without luck. What the heck could I be doing wrong?

I turn them both on. I set the 580 to "Master" and the 420 to "Slave". The channels match. If I fire the 580 eiither manually (pop the button) or via the camera shutter release, the 580 fires but the 420 does not.

Any suggestions what could be wrong, or what to try? Muchas gracias...

= Dave

[Mongrel]

I'm not absolutely sure why your setup isn't working. I have the same two flashes and they communicate just fine.

One thing that came to mind was whether or not the 420EX's front panel is positioned to receive the signal to fire from the 580EX. If you look at the diagram in the 580EX manual it will show you how to orient the flashes in respect to one another.

I'm at work atm but when I get home I'll do a quick perusal at the manual and the units to see if anything else comes to mind.

BTW-the remote release works great! I did leave positive feedback for you here. Sorry I didn't contact you sooner to let you know I received it.

Take care,

Mongrel

[pathfinder]

I have a new-ish Canon 580EX and an older 420EX. I've tried to get the 420EX to fire as a wireless slave to the 580, without luck. What the heck could I be doing wrong?

I turn them both on. I set the 580 to "Master" and the 420 to "Slave". The channels match. If I fire the 580 eiither manually (pop the button) or via the camera shutter release, the 580 fires but the 420 does not.

Any suggestions what could be wrong, or what to try? Muchas gracias...

= Dave

Sounds like the settings are correct. How close are the flashes? How bright is the surrounding environment? Light synching only works at modest ranges and modest light levels.

[Red Baron]

Did you check to make sure the master unit (580EX in your case) is set to ETTL as noted on page 32 of the manual? Is the wireless slave unit's sensor facing the master unit? Are there any obstructions between the master and slave? Try reducing the distance between the master and slave. Have you tested the slave recently to make sure it's working properly? Are you sure the batteries in the slave are charged? Just some thoughts.