My Canon Speedlite Wishlist
As a lifelong Canon shooter, I’ve been witness again and again to the power of Nikon’s CLS Speedlight system. In fact, most of the inspiration I found to explore the potential of Canon’s Speedlites came to me while assisting on a variety of shoots for Nikon’s leading CLS demo-man, Joe McNally. [If you're thinking "Joe Who?", let me be the first to welcome you to the planet and suggest that you check out his books on small-flash here and his blog here.]
What types of small-flash inspiration? Let’s see. There was the elephant-with-the-slinky-model in the dry lake bed followed by the silk acrobat hanging from the crane at sunset. There was the ballerina hoisted above the field of sunflowers and the bride in the desert gale. There was the girl holding the pool cue in the smokey bar. There was the leathery guy with the full-sleeve tats. And, of course, the Shining-esque model in the bay windows. Most recently, I spent the better part of two weeks in McNallyland a guest instructor at Joe’s One-Day Lighting Workshops in NY (read my review here and check out Joe’s workshop pix here, here and here.) It’s impossible to be witness to the making of so many great photographs and not be inspired.
Now, don’t get me wrong. For the most-part, I’m a happy Canonista. My first Canon, an A-1 purchased nearly 30 years ago, sits in a place of prominence atop the bookcase next to my bed – meaning it’s one of the first and last things I see every day. I think that the 5D Mark II is an amazing value in the DSLR market and praise the brilliance of adding 1080P video to it. There are a lot of lenses for the Canon system that Nikon has yet to make or only recently introduced. So, as I said, I’m a relatively happy Canonista.
But, there is no doubt, after working on location and in the studio with Joe over several years, that Nikon’s CLS Speedlight system is much more intuitive to use. Why does this matter to me? Well, as a creative, I rely upon my intuition a lot. The more intuitive a process is, the more creative I become. The more creative I am, the more interesting my pictures become.
So here’s my wishlist of features that I hope Canon will incorporate into a new generation of Speedlites.
Syl Arena’s Wishlist For Canon Speedlites
1. Put the wireless switch back on the outside. 90% of my Speedlite photography is multi-unit wireless. I still use a 580EX (which was discontinued in 2007) as my master because it takes too long to switch in and out of wireless mode on Canon’s flagship model – the 580EXII. Virtually all of my event photography uses a Speedlite carried aloft on a stand or boom. This remote unit is controlled by the master parked on top of my camera. Of course, because I want to create interesting light, I program the master so that it talks to the remote but doesn’t actually flash during the exposure. When something interesting happens right in front of me that the remote can’t cover, I want to flick a switch and get the shot with the camera-mounted Speedlite before the opportunity disappears. With the 580EXII, to go from master to solo mode, I have to hold down a button, turn a dial and then press another button – meaning that I miss the spontaneous shot in front of me every time.
2. Design the external wireless switch with four options. Canon, when you re-engineer the wireless switch and put it back on the outside, give me four options – solo, master with flash, master without flash and slave. I’m fine with having to hunt for functions through menus as long as I don’t want to change them very often – like the disabling the sleep/power saving options in Custom Functions. But, I want options that I change frequently to be right at my fingertips. So, I want to choose whether the master contributes to the exposure or not via an external switch rather than an a menu item. Also, “Off” means off — as in the unit is powered down completely. Use “solo” or some other descriptive term to describe a unit that’s working by itself.
3. Come to understand that not everyone lights from the front. Canon’s E-TTL II assumes that Speedlite remote groups A and B are lighting the subject from the front. It’s built upon the classic (think “outdated”) notion that a portrait must be lit with a key and fill at 45º in front of the subject. What if I want to use window light as the key, the A-flash as fill at 90º and the B-flash on the background? I’m not following Canon’s rules when I shoot like this. Don’t worry, the system can actually handle my errant behavior. For the future of creative photography, it would be helpful if Canon would abandon the “must light from the front” attitude.
4. Adopt a better icon for wireless mode. Virtually every Canon shooter to whom I’ve taught wireless flash has had the same reaction I did when I figured out that Canon’s icon for the wireless menu is a lightening bolt / sync arrow tipped on its side (yes, the one to the right of “Zoom”). The reaction to this little insight is always amusement mixed equally with confusion. So, please Canon, find a better icon for wireless. How about an old-fashioned radio tower with those circle lines around the top?
5. Ditch the “Master / Slave” language. Maybe “Master” and “Slave” don’t have the same connotation in Canon’s native tongue as they do in English. But here in the U.S., it’s time to ditch “Master/Slave” for more acceptable terms. Blame it on the era of PC if you must. Nikon already uses “Commander/Remote” – which I think is great. If not that, how about calling it “Tx-mode” and “Rx-mode”?
6. Call groups what they are – “groups”. Canon uses the term “Slave ID” for groups. Yet the LCD on a 580 says just “Slave”. It also says “Slave” to mean a unit set in remote mode. Since we’re going to ditch the word “Slave” for “Remote” or “Rx-mode” anyway, let’s get a label on the screen that matches what we actually say anyway – “Group”.
7. Get rid of the ratios. You have to be really old-school to be comfortable with ratios (which I am, actually). Ratios are an archaic way of controlling light levels among different groups of Speedlites. Who wants to remember that 8:1 really means that there’s 3-stops more light on the A-side than the B-side? Dump this approach and jump into the 21st-century. There’s a huge market of Canon shooters who want to be able to control multiple Speedlites without having to do the math of how the light level from one relates to another. Nikon shooters have the ability to control the EV level of each group independently. I want this same ease-of-use. Dumping the ratios in favor of an EV approach will also enable Canon shooters to turn individual groups on and off – which is a huge feature when checking the quality and quantity of light coming from a specific group.
8. Create a true 3- or (better yet) 4-group control system. Those of us who have taken the time to get our heads around ratios (which only work for two groups), still struggle with the logic of using flash-exposure-compensation to control a C-group. There is so much to remember these days, having to remember that C-group works differently just adds to my burden. Canon, if you offer a 4-group system, then you’ll sell more Speedlites because shooters like me will come up with crazy shots that absolutely need Speedlites in four different groups. Heaven forbid that the Canon engineers think of a Speedlite system that could handle five groups…
9. Offer a digital control unit. Our ST-E2 wireless controller is an anachronism when compared to the functionality of Nikon’s SU-800 commander unit. If all you want to do is control a key light and a fill light, then the ratio slider on the ST-E2 gets the job done. But, I want to have digital (not slider) control the output of all my groups and to handle each group independently and to be able to switch a single group or multiple groups from E-TTL to Manual and to turn specific groups on/off and to do all these things without having to dig down deep into a menu hierarchy on the back of my camera.
10. Add a built-in optical trigger. It won’t take up much room. It won’t require a lot of circuity. Heck, it would probably fit right in where the relatively-useless thyristor photo-eye sits right now. An optical trigger solves a load of problems when mixing Speedlites with studio strobes. Studio shooters often want to a just a splash of light on set or to conceal a light within the frame. (Canon, consider this to be a perfect opportunity to sell more Speedlites to guys who are used to using lots of lights.) An optical trigger would also make a Speedlite more friendly in the midst of lights from other companies. Again, ease-of-use will drive users to the Canon system. Making the whole system proprietary means that few outsiders will want to change jerseys.
11. License the RadioPopper technology. The gateway to selling more Speedlites is not to find more people to buy their first unit. Rather it’s to add functionality that makes it really easy for existing owners to want to add more lights to their shoots. Wireless E-TTL is good. Radio-controlled E-TTL is great. Free me of the need for line-of-sight communication and I’ll likely put 3 Speedlites in a softbox or stuff them in small spaces on a set where a studio heads won’t fit. Wedding and event shooters totally understand the limitations of line-of-sight. I want to be able to stop worrying abut the position of the remotes relative to my master unit. Over half the size of a RadioPopper is dedicated to the battery and getting the TTL code out of or into a Speedlite. There’s got to be a bit of space inside a Speedlite for the actual circuits that make a RadioPopper work. I’m convinced that the first company to add radio-transmitted TTL to their flash units will leave their competitor in the dust for a long while.
12. Add a couple more stops of Flash Exposure Compensation. There are many instances where I want just a breath of light from my Speedlite and bump up against the minus-3-stop FEC limit on the 580EXs. If a Speedlite has a 7-stop power range, how about giving me 7-stops of FEC so that I don’t have to jump over to manual in challenging situations? Jumping over to manual means that I have to keep more factoids in my head while I’m trying to concentrate of the light and subject in front of me.
13. Stretch out the Zoom. I’m hard-pressed to think of a situation where I was shooting long lens and wanted to zoom a single Speedlite to illuminate a distant subject. Yet, I routinely use the Zoom button to restrict the cone of light so that I can place a tighter pool of light right where I want it. Detach yourself from thinking that the Speedlite zoom was made to match the focal length of the shot and you’ll see the greater logic of using the zoom as a built-in light modifier. For me, “Snoot” would be more descriptive than “Zoom”. So, you could say that I want a longer snoot on the next generation of Speedlites.
14. Include a dome diffuser. I’m sure the guys at Stofen are really happy with the status quo. I’m not. In my world, a dome diffuser is a must-have for every Speedlite. Just as I use the Zoom button as a snoot, I use a dome diffuser to enhance the effectiveness of Speedlites when shooting through umbrellas or panel diffusers. So, every time I buy a Speedlite, I also buy another StoFen. It would cost just a few nickles if a dome diffuser were packaged with every Speedlite. If Canon did this, the quality of light for the average shooter would go way up (and they’d like their photos more and tell their friends about their great camera and…).
15. Include a gel holder. The use of gels for color-correction and color effects has become commonplace. I’m not asking for a computer-chip solution – largely because I’ll continue to cut my own gels from larger stock to save money. What I’d really like though, is a way to hold a gel in place without the use of gaffer’s tape or a LiveStrong braclet. As with the dome diffuser, if every Speedlite came with one, then they’d cost just a few pennies each.
16. Ditch the penguin. There has to be a better way to diagram the use of wireless flash in the manual. Seriously.
17. Give me a breath of hope that Canon actually cares about their Speedlite system. As I said at the top, I’ve been a Canon-shooter for nearly 30 years. I’ve also been pulled into the orbit of Joe McNally’s amazing lighting style – a style that pushes his Speedlights into situations never dreamed of by the guys who write the manuals. One only need to read Strobist for a while to understand that there’s a revolution underway in the world of small-flash. Canon dominated the DSLR market for so many years, I truly worry that they just don’t care about their Speedlites.
Speedlite Features That I Don’t Want To Lose
1. Keep the High-Speed Sync Button on the outside. I use high-speed sync frequently (which I wrote about here, here and here). Being able to jump in and out of HSS at the push of a button is very helpful.
2. Continue to have incremental control between full and half-power. Canon gives us 1/3-stop control all the way from full-power to 1/128. Nikon lacks this ability to fine tune until you’re under half-power.
3. Keep the wireless sensor on the front. It’s easy for me to figure out where the sensor is if it’s on the front. If it’s on the side (like a Nikon), then I have to remember which side.
4. Keep the new battery door. Heaven help us if the guy who designed the door on the 580EX gets his job back. I’m perfectly happy with the design of the door on the 580EXII.
5. Keep the lever-lock as it is on the 580EXII. Give me a round disk (as on the 580EX) and I’ll over-tighten it again and again. The lever-lock on the 580EXII was made for simpletons like me. It gets the job done and stops me from over-doing it.
Why I’m Sticking With Canon – For Now
Honest. I didn’t plan on this article growing to manifesto proportions. But it did. So, it’s fair to ask why I don’t just jump over to Nikon and get what I want right now. After all, most of the items listed above are already standard issue with Nikon Speedlights.
1. Nikon is no more perfect than Canon. It just happens that, when it comes to flash, Nikon has been the innovator. On the other hand, it’s only since the introduction of the D3 less than two years ago, that Nikon has had truly competitive DLSR technology. I’m quite happy that Nikon’s back in the pro-camera game again. Regardless of our brand-preference, all photographers benefit from vigorous competition among the manufacturers.
2. It’s not all about the flash. Bodies and flashes may come. Bodies and flashes may go. Good glass can hang around for a long time. I’ve a good selection of Canon lenses. I’m very happy with the quality. Every photograph I make requires a lens. Not every photograph I make requires a Speedlite. To jump over to Nikon for their Speedlight technology would mean a complete liquidation of my Canon lens inventory – at a hefty price to reacquire comparable Nikon glass.
3. Canon is likely to remain the leader in DSLR-based video. There’s no doubt that the convergence of still and motion is upon us. I’m convinced that still shooters will have to morph into the world of motion or watch their skills become technologically obsolete. Given that Canon has been in the business of making broadcast television equipment for some time, I’m willing to bet that it will remain on the leading edge of dual-purpose (still-motion) cameras.
Tell Canon What You Think – Add A Comment, Then Tweet!
I can’t guarantee that Canon will even read what I’ve written. Eyes at Canon are watching the comments. Nevertheless, So, if you are a Canon shooter, I encourage you to lend your thoughts, wishes and gripes about the Speedlite system via the comment section below. Hopefully, if enough of us share our experiences, Canon will hear about this and take a look incorporate our ideas into a new generation of Speedlites (someday). [ NOTE: Keep your comments constructive. All blatant Canon and Nikon bashing will be discarded by the grumpy moderator.]
I agree entirely with this list.
I have the 580EXII, and have missed so many shots, while fiddling around, trying to turn the wireless mode on or off, or trying switch between the master firing or not firing.
It is infuriating!
My (now broken) 580EX was quicker and easier to use for wireless flash, because of the manual switch, but still had all the other problems on the list.
The 580EXII flashes are such over-priced junk. I have recently decided that unless the problems with the Canon flash system are addressed, I will give up on Canon flashes altogether, and invest in the new Elinchrom Ranger Quadra AX system.
These are available in a two-light kit, which includes full wireless control, for the same price as two 580EXIIs.
Losing the automatic ETTL, is no problem for me. Guessing the flash exposures, and setting the power manually, is easier and more reliable than the ETTL ratio system anyway!
er, ummm, this may have been covered somewhere else, but where’s the leash? (aka remote sync cord for off camera brackets with no hot shoe connection?) I don’t yet have a 580EXII but can’t find on Canon’s website or anywhere (Google) that one is supplied or available.
Couldn’t agree more. Thanks for sharing the list.
Give me “beep” or a “honk” or the first bar of freebird when the flash is recycled. I don’t really care, I just need a way to know when my flash is ready to fire again with out putting down my camera.
Very, enlightening…
It worries me, as a relative newcomer to photography, that this is not the first time I hear these complaints. And it makes me wonder if I should jump to Nikon before I start investing in strobes, which I feel is the next logical step in my ‘evolution’.
YES! PLEASE! I am on my way out with Canon, preparing to ditch all my gear and go Nikon just for the CLS! I’m not exactly working with ridiculously expensive lenses and a 40D But i would have rather not have to switch if I can avoid it, but working with the canon lighting system is just to frustrating I’ve given up and have decided I can live with Nikon glass if all the Napp & mcnally and whatnot guys can. I recently went on a trip where I was loaned a D300 with an SU commander and an SB900, and after having TTL at my fingertips it was a horrfying pain to go back to my PW attached 580/430EX System (and I’m using the mark one so there’s not even a PC Slot, i’ve had to go out and purchase hotshoe to pc cables to make use of the PW’s), meaning I’m working via wireless radio and fully manual. Something incredibly frustrating especially when I’m at events as I’m constantly having to adjust the flash. I’d love to be able to shoot and let the camera and flash do the thinking for me. I realise that now there are radio triggers with TTL capability but that would require more spending when I’ve got the PW’s. I’d rather sell all my canon gear for Nikon gear knowing that my flash requirements are sorted. So Unless I hear anything from Canon announcing improvements in their flash system I’m going Nikon!
I have been shooting Canon for some time now, but recently used my brother’s Nikon SB 800. What a joy! I completely agree with all of the above “wish list” except that I would rather have the Pocket Wizard integrated than Radio Popper. With the new TTL tech incorporated there, and the fact that so many of us have PW systems already, the incorporation of this technology into the body and flash would knock the socks off the Nikon CLS (not to mention interoperability with studio lights!)
As I am ready to dabble with additional off camera lights, I would like to have the ability to stick with Canon, but with their current line up, there is no way I can justify it.
In addition to 580EXIIs, I also own Nikon SB-80DXs.
I can access and change the custom functions on the SB-80DXs without the use of a manual. The use of graphics / symbols on the SB-80DX to depict what each Custom Function controls is god send.
Who the hell remembers what is CFn-01? even if you do, would you know if 1 is ON? or is 2 supposed to mean ‘ON’? Which moron designed this????????? PLEASE USE SOMETHING MORE INTUITIVE TO DESCRIBE WHAT EACH CUSTOM FUNCTION IS SUPPOSED TO CONTROL!!!!!!!!
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What a great article.
I’m a Canon shooter and not about to change but at a group shoot the other week one of the other photographers had the Nikon Commander Unit and I was thinking damn I wish Canon had that instead of the ST-E2!!!
I agree about the four option switch – it would make things quicker and easier.
And great idea about licensing Radio Popper technology.
In fact all ideas are excellent!
Let’s hope someone at Canon is listening and we see the brand new PIXSYLATED line of flashes out from Canon in the near future.
I’d love to see adjusting the manual power come with 1 push of a button rather than a 2 second button hold, then adjust to liking then another press of the “set” button.
a knob or a dedicated slider would be incredible.
I agree with everything in your wishlist.
I have the 580EX and just this week bought the 580EX II.
I can’t beleive the nonsense I have to go through to set it as a slave.
I’ve only recently got into the world of off camera flash and if I could turn the clock back, would go Nikon, just for the flashes.
It doesn’t really matter what I think in the big scheme of things, but all my research into the strobist world keeps coming back to Nikon.
It’s no co-incidence that the likes of Joe McNally, Zak Aria and David Hobby shoot Nikon.
Canon second curtain sync works only when genuine Canon flashgun is in hotshoe of the camera. It doesn’t work for off-camera flashes and any of the third party remotes neither PC sync. Nikon cameras doesn’t have this problem – flashgun or remote is triggered when needed (first or second curtain) on any flashgun or trigger.
This is another reason why I decided to sell all of my Canon gear and go for Nikon.
In futures cameras I would like to see the infra red focus detector as a standard on the camera without the need to carry heavy flashgun all the time on camera only to be able to use autofocus in the dark.
Man, you read my mind or something.
I am actually planning to go Nikon just for the speedlights!
Canon is truly, TRULY missing the boat on this one…Exposure compensation for group C – I mean, come on! Really??? +/- 3EV via Ratio…WTF??? Whose idea was that? Are they dead?
I hope Canon makes these changes.
One more thing…
PLEASE put the Optical sensor on BOTH sides of the light so when I move my main light from the right side to the left side I don’t have to keep spinning the head and body around 180 degrees.
I completely concur with these rants.
I sold all my Nikon gear and went Canon because of the glass but I instantly noticed that the Canon Wireless, though effective, was nowhere near as intuitive or flexible as the Nikon’s CLS. I was suprised and disappointed. Too late and too expensive now to turn back.
Both systems, as stated earlier, have excellent merit and nitpicking is irrelevant. I’m platform agnostic. But the defining point between the two systems is the wireless lighting control and the user interface.
The SB-900’s appear to have nailed down the user hardware/software interface. Canon Wireless is not as intuitive.
I also concur with the idea of licensing Radio Popper technology. I recently spent $1000 outfitting my 3 580EX II’s with receivers and my ST-E2 with a transmitter. I feel like a freed man now but it sure cost me.
If Canon can crowbar Radio Popper tech into their flash systems they’ll have dramatically launched themselves ahead of the pack and will have left Nikon in the dust.
I also agree with the supposition that Canon appears to have some old school (read: slightly offensive) thinking regarding language. Find something more open then Master/slave.
Ratios are also old thinking and do not lend themselves to intuitive thinking.
+/-EV is also outdated thinking and doesn’t tap into the potential of the 580EX II.
I agree to the earlier post regarding the effort I go through to set up my flash to be in slave (nikon calls this Remote) function. I don’t have the time for this. I’m impatient to get the shot I see in my head and in the environment unfolding in front of me. This isn’t good enough.
Nikon does this so much better. Even as goofy as the SB800 was to get to remote/commander setting it wasn’t as silly as Canon’s process.
Get a 4 way switch like the SB900’s and you’ll instantly endear yourself.
Make my job easier, more intuitive.
Conclusion: 1. Get Radio Popper tech as soon as you can. 2. Get the 4 way switch 3. Keep the lever lock 4. Make the high speed sync switch usable regardless of the normal, slave or master setting.
Scarey how I read this post and just nodded my head constantly.
Been shooting Canon a few years now and have a few grands worth of glass but still thinking of switching because I’m fed up with the flash system (and also not impressed with the focus)
Given the hassle of having a global radio trigger (us in the UK/europe still cant get radio poppers for example) then maybe having a slot or something that you could plug a radio unit into, thereby keeping the consistency of the flash (strobe) unit globally. (google bowens gemini to see studio units that already do this)
It also means that you could go radio popper/pocket wizard/another easily by just plugging in the appropriate card. It needs Canon to open up and license the technology so 3rd parties can develop this rather than have to reverse engineer as PW are doing with their system (or develop it yourselves Canon, I don’t care). Even if it was a little bolt on box like the nikon ‘extra battery’ that would be fine, just open up the tech.
Please sign me up to wanting the things on your list.
Richard
1. Make the different modes in an actual manual slider switch like on the old Sb-26
Currently if you want to shoot in manual….hold your breath because it likes slipping out of that mode back into ettl for no reason…do a favor and stick the stupid Strobo mode deep into custom functions…who the heck ever uses that mode.
2. Radio remotes built in….is it really that hard….
3. Brick it out a bit….shouldn’t kill a flash if you drop it.
I agree with Nic above — the terms used for simple functions are so needlessly complex and acronym-heavy that reading the manual is like reading military nuclear protocol written by a lawyer.
Great list. The CLS system and D3/D700 has made me want to switch more than once, but the investment in glass has kept me with Canon. I hope Canon can come back out next time and dominate the field like they have in the past.
I really hope more than anything that Canon can build in poppers for wireless. That is easily my number one wish. If it had that and they worked, I would immediately buy at least five 580EX III flashes.
I cannot agree more strongly!!! Canon had desparate need to re-engineer the recent Speedlites. We need flashes designed for ease-of-use and fast, on-the-fly operation. There is just too much button-pressing for fast, on-the-fly changes. I hate having to scroll through a menu or remember to press ‘this’ button at the same time as ‘that’ button in order to enable/disable a certain feature. By the time I’ve got it configured properly, the shot is gone.
Also, I’ve just purchased the Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 because I can’t rely on the Speedlite infrared system and was hoping a radio system would solve the reliability issues. It turns out that I am now having significant difficulties with The RF interference emitted by the 430EX, which severly limits the range of the Pocket Wizards. I was hoping to solve the problem by purchasing the 580EXII, but unfortunately that model also emits RF interference.
I don’t have a problem with using the “Master” and “Slave” terms; that’s the one thing that IS intuitive. “Rx” and “Tx” are not intuitive at all. I think it’s best to use English words instead of codes. Perhaps we just need to change the analogy. How about military or sport terms: command/obey, lead/follow, captain/lowly tar, base/field, etc. (just kidding about ‘lowly tar’).
C’mon Canon. You know there’s a market out there when 3rd parties are fighting over each other to provide us extra functionality (RadioPoppers Px / JrX; PocketWizard II/MiniTTx/FlexTTx; Skyports; Cybersyncs, Cactus… + new emerging Chinese companies!).
If you’re not swayed by the passion of the Strobist community, how about modelling a business plan you can take to your managers?
I recently switched to Nikon from Canon. I was a Nikon to Canon convert more than 10 years ago. It sort of breaks my heart to shoot Nikon. I find their cameras more difficult to use, but what choice has Canon given me? The Canon flash comes up well short by comparison to the Nikon CLS system. And the poor AF in in $2,000 bodies is also makes Nikon bodies a better value. Remember the 1VHS? It was $2,000 and has state of the art AF. What justification can Canon make for crippling the AF in new cameras of similar costs? AF made Canon in the 1990s. Recently the Mark III’s AF is breaking them.
One more suggestion Syl… how about a speedlight system that will take a 110V adapter so that a photographer could use it with household power and save the planet by sparing a set of batteries?
Also badly needed from the Canon… a 100-300 f2.8 and a 200-400 f4. I really don’t want to buy a Sigma to get a 100-300.
I would love it if canon made the first speedlite system that integrates ETTL radio triggering that is as good or even better than radio poppers op pocket wizards.
And it mycht be interesting to make some trigger units so that guys with older flashes can benefit from this as well
Syl, this is a great list of suggestions for Canon. It is so frustrating that they are so far behind with their flash technology. I would love to see radio-transmitted TTL built in and a much better command unit like Nikon’s SU-800. Thanks for leading the charge on this. We can only hope that Canon is paying attention.
Yes! Finally! Canon take note. I think Nikon is getting great publicity from the strobist blog. If Canon is to lead the way, they will incorporate wireless radio control TTL in to the body itself. Let’s make Canon the best in the business.
[...] deal with the shortcomings of the Canon system and wrote a very good post about this topic here. I could not agree more. He hit it right on the [...]
after buying my first dslr (40d) i simply could not believe, that a tech-heavy company like canon (or nikon) still relies on such an outdated technology like infrared to controll their “wireless” flash-units. we are in the 21st century. “Real” wireless-communication is everywhere. every little gadget uses it.
the dslr-industry ought to be worried about the (very nice) idea to licence the concepts of little companies like radio-poppers, who reverse-engineer their own “flash-languages”… i invested quite a good amount of money in such REAL wireless(radio-)flash-stuff.
and Syl, thanks for your “manifesto”!
Andreas – Thanks for your comments. A small point of clarification… RadioPopper is actually in the business of sending on the message from the Master to the Remote. They don’t recode the electro-magnetic pulses coming out of the Speedlite. Like many, I thought their devices sent some sort of RP morse-code. During a recent visit to their headquarters in which I filmed a segment for my ‘Speedliter’s Guide’ DVD, I learned that their gear just passes the signal on via radio. Brilliant work, nevertheless. S
I’ve been shooting Canon since 1982. I’m also a user interface designer. And yet, I could not have come up with a better list of improvements myself. I’ve worked almost entirely with studio strobes, because I didn’t think the Speedlight was a serious enough flash for a professional photographer. This year, I was bitten by the “Strobist” bug, and have been considering moving away from studio strobes. I picked up Joe McNally’s book, and was blown away enough by the power of the Nikon system, that I actually considered the possibility of switching everything to Nikon. This would be two bodies, a dozen lenses, etc. … the only reason I didn’t do it is the down economy, and my own current work situation. I’ve been looking into ways to “go strobist,” but keep my Canon system, which of course can be done with a bunch of after-market stuff.
The adoption of your list by Canon would keep me securely in the Canon camp… the only frustrating thing is, it is likely to be YEARS before Canon can incorporate everything you mention into the 600EX or whatever it will be called. And, of course, the cost is likely to be prohibitive.
But one can dream….
Thanks for the blog post.
Please include the possibility to have some kind of audio feedback telling you that the flash is ready to pop! Nikon has this incredibly simple feature, and it really helps if you shoot at high power often! Especially now that the 580EX II is completely silent when recycling it is impossible to know when the light is ready.
I have only been shooting Canon for two years, but my journey into strobism has led to the purchase of multiple canon flashes doing a great job – however manually. I had so many problems with the wireless mode that i got sick of it and eventually invested in skyports and now i only battle with recycling times. Now i’m buying old 540EZ’s because i need to adjust manually anyway…
Finally a place to voice my greatest pet peeve with Canon flashes since all my calls to Canon’s customer service department for the last 5 years have fallen on deaf ears.
I eagerly awaited the introduction of the 580ex because of the 1/3 stop adjustments in manual mode so you could imagine my despair when I discovered that when in the wireless configuration and manual mode the slaves will not fire in 1/3 stop increments. You can set 1/3 stop increments into the master but the slave will only fire in the next higher full stop increment. My new 580ex’s were no better than my old 550ex’s.
I called Canon thinking that I had something wrong with my new flash units since most newly introduced items have some firmware problems. The canon rep I talked to then and every canon rep since has given me the run around as well some of the most bizzare excuses I have ever heard as well as an outright lie when the 580exII’s were introduced.
I finally gave up with Canons Customer Service on the original 580ex’s hoping that the engineers would correct the problem with the next version. When the 580exII’s were introduced I called Canon and asked if this discrepency had been corrected. I was assured that it had and was assured that the new 580exII’s slaves would fire in 1/3 stop increments. I ordered two and once again no dice they were no better than my 580ex’s or my 550ex’s in this regards.
I finally was able to voice my concerns back in March to Chuck Westfall who was unaware of this situation but who on further testing agreed with me and my findings. He said he would check with Canons R&D and that was the last I heard from him.
The introduction of the Radio Popper PX’s has made the use of Canons wireless system finally usable. What could be a very handy and fully controllable flash system is still limited by this glitch. The now release of the radio popper jrs adds even more salt to this wound because I can only imagine how great my flashes could function and blend together with my alien bees if it weren’t for this 1/3 stop problem.
I guess my desire to control everything to the minute detail from camera position is just a fantasy and I will forever be doomed to constantly move lights around.
Glad to hear you voice the specifics of what is wrong with the canon flashes.
As I am new to using the wireless systems, I thought there was something wrong with me and have been re-reading the manuals. After having purchased the PW and testing my 580 ex and 580EXII I found that the EX fires more consistently than the EXII. What’s up with that?? This line of site business has got to go.
Happy to hear that it is not just me.
Mahalo
Kris
The instant Canon releases a flash that incorporates the radio popper electronics, I’ll instantly drop what I’m doing and order *at least* three of the, and probably two more later. To go with this fancy new flash, a replacement for the ST-E2 would also be very very welcome. I won’t go into detail on such a commander unit, as the guidelines provided here are great.
Excellent list. As a working professional, I often envy the power and flexibility of the Nikon CLS system. I’ve been happy with Canon with their file quality and lenses, as it’s held an edge of Nikon for a while. This has all changed in the past few years, as Nikon has caught up. Now the next major difference is in flash technology, and I’m afraid Canon’s system is very outdated.
I would love to be able to fire my on-camera flash in E-TTL while my off-camera flashes are in Manual. As it currently stands, I cannot fire a specific group in Manual without firing my on-camera flash in manual as well. I’d like to see individual control over each group (whether E-TTL or Manual), with the ability to wirelessly set the power via EV +/-.
Your list is well written, and I hope Canon listens to its customers.
People who make a living off of photographic equipment will gravitate towards the system that gives them the most flexibility to get the job done. Unfortunately, things are not looking good for Canon.
I’m amazed at all the talk about Canon wireless flash… all this time and energy expended just to avoid walking over to adjust a flash. Yeah, I have a couple EX’s that I use on or off camera. But with multiple setups, I use the tried and true Sunpak strobes. Manually adjusted and fitted with a sensitive Wein hot shoe slaves, I never have problems with misfires, and they cost a lot less. I sync one flash with a radio, and test ratios with a meter. Exposures are consistent. If I’m competing with other photographers’ flashes, I just plug a radio receiver in each one.
To get softer backgrounds, instead of shooting high-speed sync on bright days I employ a ND filter on the lens and a larger flash. Again, cheaper than a bank of EX’s with poppers, and faster to set up. Remember also a Canon’s sensitivity can be dialed down to 50 ASA. Old Style… it beats trying to out-think a computer.
Good list.
I like that with the newer cameras, there is so much control available from the in camera menus. Being able to adjust ratios, etc from the camera on my 40D is a great step forwards.
Now, with the 7D reportedly having a built-in ‘commander’, being able to control all of this, without having to:
a) fork out for a ST-E2; or
b) Use an OC-E3 cord; or
c) Have a 580 on camera
… is another big step forward.
Things that can be phased in (like better/different buttons) could happen, but I think some of these things (like changing from ratios) will be impossible while retaining backwards compatibility with the old flashes, so Canon’s unlikely to do it.
Nice post.
Cheers,
Scott
I want to see the LCD and buttons gone from the 580EX and 430EX.
I want the slider and switches from the 420EX back and the slave/master/standalone switch back.
Going through menus with the aid of a flashlight, trying hard to remember the order of button presses to get the desired result, while in a dynamic situation does not work. It might work in a studio but in a studio I can use Sunpak 383s very easily.
I bought the Canon flash system and it was a huge mistake. I started with the 420EX with which I was very happy. Then I bought the ST-E2, 2x 580EX2s and a 430EX. The menus are a nightmare. The LCDs are horrible – even when illuminated, I can’t see the button logos unless I use a flashlight.
Honestly, for the same money I blew on Canon I could have had a lot of Sunpak 383s and some Metz 45s and life would have been a load easier.
I agree with most of your points, but have the following to add with respect to point #10 (add a built-in optical trigger): The 580EX et al already have built-in optical sensors. That what they use to sense E-TTL wireless control signals. What’s missing on Canon flashes is just a plain optical mode (Nikon calls this “SU-4″ mode) that make the flash fire when that sensor sees another flash. This requires no hardware change, just a small piece of additional firmware, on top of the firmware already in place to interprete the E-TTL wireless control signals. And Canon should keep the “thyristor photo-eye” on the flash. I often use the auto-thyristor modes (A and AA) on my Nikon SB-800.
Also, I think the High-Speed Sync Button on the flash is redundant. Nikon flashes have no such button. Instead Nikon calls this “Auto FP Mode” and the flash automatically enters high-speed mode / FP mode when you dial in a shutter speed above the X-sync speed on the camera, and disables it automatically as soon as you lower the shutter speed to the X-sync speed and below. To me, this is much more intutitive than having to toggle in and out of HSS mode using a button on the flash.
i’d like to have rear sync (2nd curtain) that work with any trigger or flash (3rd party).
I am just about to purchase my first Speedlite- the 580EX II. I have read several reviews and everyone says the same thing about the master/slave switch being removed and the lock lever being installed. I have used a speedlite with the lock lever and I absolutely love it!
That being said, I think Canon should make a cartridge slot to accept a PW/RadioPopper/Skyport/you-name-it card to incorporate with what people already have. They should get with the 3rd party players and come up with a reasonable sized card to be able to pop in and out as needed. It could get it’s power from the flash itself, and I also like the idea of the 110V option. I mean, come on, it already has the external battery pack option- use a transformer to get the power to the right voltage, and come in right where the battery pack would. Pretty easy add-on for them to make.
That’s all I have now, until I buy it and use it on a regular basis.
I would like canon to give the option to turn off the auto fill reduction or the aiblity to pre set the amount acording to taste.when shooting i would like to know that the compensation iam dialing in is what iam getting giving more consistacy and control to the photographer. insted of trying to 2nd guess how much or how little light the softwhere is going to give you according to the ev range
(hope this makes sence as i am dyslexic)
Agree, thanks!
I found this only moments ago, while searching for some published simpler way to understand my 580EXIIs than having to go back and re-read the manual to remind myself that it’s the zoom button that tells me which is slave and which is master and do I really want to get a third (C) 580EXII because I still don’t understand how to make it work.
I put about $1,800 into a very nice portable kit with two lights, stands, lightbox, umbrellas etc. about 9 months ago with the hope I could use it for the occasional shoot that didn’t absolutely require my strobes on location.
I’ve never used it for what I bought it for. Being that I needed it maybe once a month, I always forgot in the speed of setting it up how to make the system work (I’d do a quick reminder setup the night before and ditch the idea after about a half hour).
So now my whole kit sits by my table top shooting setup in case I need to tuck a small light somewhere close or need extra bounce, pretty much the whole thing’s been a waste of money. This should not be the case.
I hate on camera flash-if someone asks me to run around with a speedlight on my camera and catch photos of people, if that’s the only way-I turn it down-always.
So I bought the ETTL coil cord, too short, so I bought an aftermarket ETTL cord, but then I was back to reminding myself what the freaking menu meant.
I used to have a 420EX, it wouldn’t recycle fast enough and I needed more power sometimes but after using it once, I always knew what to do.
So now I’ve got all this investment, I only use the 2 580EXII’s for table top as I said, and I’ve had to add a Skyport receiver to each head, set the speedlights permanently on manual and forget the whole point of why I bought them.
I came to this website today hoping for a easier explanation (for gods sake have you ever used these speedlights with the camera menu system. the other day I messed with it and counted having to do 9 things with the camera to change an on camera flash down 3 stops (yes I was trying on camera fill light for a product shot outside) instead of pushing a button on the top left side of my MKIII and then rotating a dial to reduce the power of the speedlight.
This guy Syl must be a genius to lay it out so clearly or he’s otherwise channeling something far beyond the reach of many of us including Mr. Numbnuts Joe McNalley who misguidedly uses Nikons (its a joke Joe, I read your blog religiously-I’m a fan but I much prefer Canon, except for their speedlights.
And yet my fear is that Canon will come up with something sensible in the way of speedlightsj (both MKIII’s are genius as far as I’m concerned and I’m already looking at the MKIV as the Holy Grail) because I will spend all that money over again, just to try a new system that will hopefully help me leave the strobes at home for something lighter.
Bless you Syl, whoever you are, I think I am now a fan!!!
I totally agree!!! Specially with number 11.
Or if Canon won’t then they must upgrade their (vintage) IR to Radio systems.
The menus at the back of the flash also must be changed to actual words rather than just numbers.
C’mon Canon!
agreed, agreed!
There is hardly anything on the 580EXII (i have that and a 430), that is intuitive. Everytime I go to use my flash, it’s like the first time. And I muddle through, trying to remember how to turn the ‘master’ off, and just trigger the ’slave’. Or change zoom to manual or auto, etc. etc. These suggested changes, would make me a happy newbie strobist!! And then I’d have fun adding a 3rd speedlite to my gear.
Syl,
Kudos for putting this out there! Chuck W., please take note because Syl has hit the nail on the head here and the lighting industry is going through a paradigm shift with the advent of the PW and RP products.
I read through Syl’s wishlist finding myself routinely exclaiming the word “yes” out loud! Others in the room started to think I needed to see a professional in a white coat! LOL Anyway, I wanted to individually touch upon the points that Syl raised and add my own insight. Incidentally, I am an editorial and wedding shooter, using multiple (>4) remote speedlites routinely. So, without further adieu, here are my comments….
1. YES!! I happen to use an external battery system that uses a module in the flash battery compartment. That said, when the battery is turned off, the flash is devoid of any power. What difference does that make? Well, all of the presets in the flash are rest to default. That means master/slave as well. If there was a switch on the back (aka: 550EX and 580EX), I wouldn’t have to go into the menu system to tell it to be a slave again. This is one of my biggest pet peeves.
2. I agree with Syl here too. These are basic features that are changed routinely on shoots and should be designed as hard switch and not menu items.
3. I agree.
4. I am not as bugged by this nomenclature, but would add that a dedicated button might be nice. I shoot with a 1DSMk3 and utilize the camera’s menu system to access and control the wireless lighting system as I find it much easier.
5. Again, I am not as bugged about the terminology.
6. I agree. The photography world is (has) shifting (shifted) thanks to the huge following on Strobist and here. Photographers use groups of lights. Call them groups.
7. YES!!! Please, please, please use the EV approach! Canon (Chuck), if you are listening, use this 21st century location-based photography mindset……
A photographer would love to look at a scene, assess the ambient light conditions and then choose to add lights, here, here and there. Then, they would like to modify them (boxes, umbrellas, grids, etc) and EV them up or down to achieve the desired creative effect. Give us the latitude to still use ETTL safety net and individually add or subtract EV from each group! Please! Of course, the system can currently be used in manual mode. And that is what I do routinely to create the effects I am trying to achieve. However, in the wedding scenario, manual can be dangerous. If you are of the news photo school where “A” shot is better than “NO” shot, then having ETTL engaged is better than manual. Let’s say you are shooting a scene with a given ambient lighting and off camera ETTL. You quickly turn around (with a totally different set of lighting circumstances) and grab the instantaneous shot. In ETTL mode, you would have an enormously better likelihood of getting a usable shot as opposed to being in manual mode.
8. Yes! Yes! Yes!
9. YES! And please add this to the functionality of a master speedlite used as a controller as well.
10. I agree here as well. As one of the commenters noted, there already is an optical receiver. The firmware needs an upgrade to allow it to be uses as a dumb optical trigger, akin to Nikon’s SU4 mode.
11. This is the BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT and MOST GROUNDBREAKING request in the list. Yes, we all know the issues about multi-country radio frequency-related licensing issues, HOWEVER, the first to the table with a factory radio frequency controlled ETTL lighting system will be ahead for years as Syl said. The technology is there. Chuck, think about this for a moment. The 21st century trend for photographers, thank you Strobist and others, is to get your flash off the camera. Photographers go out and spend the green for the manufacturer’s flash units and then another $200/flash for a RP or PW. Wouldn’t you want that profit? On the licensing front, its easy. Create plug-in modules for each country. The flash unit is the same and the purchaser just buys the right radio module for his/her country. Here’s an idea….Canon, design a “Pro” OFF CAMERA speedlite that has wireless radio, the power of at least two 580EXII’s and external battery options. Hint…think Qauntum.
12. YES! I have often found myself wanting to throw a “touch” of light on an element in the photo only to find the 3 stop limit. Ugh. Change to manual settings. If the flash can do it, give us the control to use it. Please.
13. YES! If Canon would stop thinking of the speedlite mounted on the camera, this may have been incorporated. Alas, it hasn’t. Let us zoom the flash, or “snoot” it as Syl says, to create the lighting effect we want and need. This is for off-camera and on-camera concerns as well. You only need to consider the wildlife shooting segment to realize they want tighter zooms on the flash as well. I have shot wildlfe as well and we will use fresnel lens flash extenders to do this. Nikon’s SB900 goes up to 200mm zoom. Canon, get on it!
14. This is not a big item on my list, but it would be a welcomed addition.
15. I often use gels and an integrated holder would be very nice. Also, it would allow Canon to keep up with the Jones’s.
16. Ah, the penguin! LOL Having been a wildlife shooter in the past, I can’t say I am particularly bothered by the little guy. LOL
17. YES! Canon, your flashes haven’t changed much in a while, other than to take away important assets as mentioned above (hard switches in lieu of menu items). Please show us that you are still in the game!
I wanted to add one more wishlist item that Syl didn’t mention. It would be a miniplug adapter on the flash. The PC cord port is archaic. Ditch it and go to the miniplug as a standard port. Anyone using these ports is simply adapting wireless receivers to them anyway!
I also agree with Syl’s list of features to retain.
I truly hope decision makers at Canon see this and act on it. As a Canon shooter for 20 years, I believe in them and trust their cameras and glass immensely. If they can get their speedlite system up to par, we would all benefit!
Respectively,
Kenneth P. Volpe
are you guys REALLY that upset with the use of “master” and “slave” nomenclature? lol!
i mean, lots of good points on the technical stuff, but c’mon–let’s not get carried away in PC language. every person i know has a master they are a slave to.
Hi this is a grate post I just hope canon listen. I use off camera flash 90% of the time I left a post earlier about being able to turn off the auto fill reduction. I now have another suggestion that would be all most a dream come true regarding off camera ettl flash for me. That would be that when you take a fel (flash exposure lock) meter reading as you do at present that that could be stored in the memory until it was cancelled by a 2nd push of the fel button . While this fel reading was stored in memory you could as you can now in manual mode change aperture and shutter speed and still get the same flash exposure on subject from shot to shot. also if you could change exposure comp to this stored memory with out having to take another fel meter reading (I think there is a canon camera that you can change flash exsposure comp on after you have taken the fel reading ).also if 2 or more flashes were on when first fel was taken that you could also adjust the ratio based on the info stored in the fel memory. The advantages of this would be huge this would be like an auto manual setting giving the photographer a seamless swap over from the inconsistency of ettl metering to a pre set and predictable base line flash exposure spot metered by photographer that can be adjusted with manual type predictability but with auto benefits as in the flash is recalculated for the aperture and iso changing to keep same output. flash exposure comp could be used for any subject movement. ratio could be predictably controlled from shot to shot. once fel had been taken there would be no more single pre flashes until new fel was done this would stop model moving to next pose thinking shot had been taken . Wow this would be fantastic and this would all be done with the buttons and dials we are all ready using and with out the trial and error and leg work of manual .
I hope this makes sense as I am dyslexic
Thank you
Forever hoping Jason
I mostly use an Alien Bee ringflash as my key light and then add up to 3 speedlights for rim/bckgrd etc. All triggered by PW’s. My biggest complaint is that rear curtain is controlled in the speedlight and not from the camera. I have a 5D mk ii. So when I need to get a creative shot with some motion blur and then fire the strobe at the last second I cant. This sucks. Nikon and Sony let the camera control when the flash should fire, what was Canon thinking ? After all the camera knows best what the shutter speed is and therefore when the flash needs to fire.
I have $15,000 of Canon gear, I really cant bare the thought of the amount of money I’d lose if I sold it second hand and restocked the same gear with Nikon, but its very tempting. For the moment I’m holding back, but definitely not willing to invest in additional Canon gear, that as that would be more stuff to sell.
Please Canon make some progress here. You stepped up to the plate with the ISO now its time to shift focus to your flash fundamentals.
Give me an ST-E3 that has full wireless TTL control of groups. Everyone else is doing it, why must Canon lag behind. 50m range would be good. Let it handle HSS and remote zooming, be compatible with existing Canon flashes but also trigger manuals.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157622664286875/
Supply it with the Canon 5D MkIII (let’s get those better focus points)
I’m reading Joe’s Hot Shoe Diaries – I like the practical way of discussing the settings you can use that go beyond the assumed basics. “Go Try This, and here’s how”