Does the Canon 5D has Rear Sync Flash?

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eacosta@yahoo.com - 21 Nov 2006 22:44 GMT

I just got a 5D and, so far, I love the camera, but I can't get the
flash to fire before the shutter closes. I did set the Custom function
#15 to "2nd Curtain sync", but it doesn't do the trick. Thinking it
could be a problem with the flash, I asked my friend to try it on his
Nikon D200 and it works fine. What am I doing wrong?

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George K - 21 Nov 2006 23:04 GMT

For the Nikon cameras that can perform rear curtain sync, one needs to
be using the shooting mode of P (Auto Multi Program), S (Shutter
Priority Auto), A (Aperture Priority Auto, or M (Manual).

A quick check of the 5D manual discloses you need to use the <P> mode
and not the full auto mode.

> I just got a 5D and, so far, I love the camera, but I can't get the
> flash to fire before the shutter closes. I did set the Custom function
> #15 to "2nd Curtain sync", but it doesn't do the trick. Thinking it
> could be a problem with the flash, I asked my friend to try it on his
> Nikon D200 and it works fine. What am I doing wrong?

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Mark² - 22 Nov 2006 01:17 GMT

What flash are you using?
On my 580EX, you can easily put it into second curtain synch by pressing a
dedicated button on the flash unit...which toggles through high-speed
synch/second curtain/normal.

NOTE: If you set custom function 14 to second curtain, but leave the flash
unit itself on normal (1st curtain), the flash will OVER-RIDE the custom
function.

The other possibility is that you're being fooled by the E-TTL
pre-flash...which will still fire slightly BEFORE exposure...even during
second curtain synch...followed by the exposure, and actual flash before the
shutter closes.

-Mark²

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Images (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at:
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eacosta@yahoo.com - 22 Nov 2006 03:53 GMT

> > I just got a 5D and, so far, I love the camera, but I can't get the
> > flash to fire before the shutter closes. I did set the Custom function
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> dedicated button on the flash unit...which toggles through high-speed
> synch/second curtain/normal.

I was hoping you wouldn't ask :) Its a Minolta 200X. I bought it in
1982. I didn't expect it to work today, but it does. I wanted to take a
goofy shot of me driving in my car at night and I didn't want to buy a
flash for that, so I gave it a try.

> NOTE: If you set custom function 14 to second curtain, but leave the flash
> unit itself on normal (1st curtain), the flash will OVER-RIDE the custom
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> second curtain synch...followed by the exposure, and actual flash before the
> shutter closes.

My shutter speed was set to 2" and I can tell for sure the flash fired
at the beginning, but not at the end. It might have been the E-TTL, but
it was not followed by a second one. I'm also sure the flash recharged
immediately and it could have fired before the shutter closed.

I tried on M, P & Av. No luck. Any other ideas?

> -Mark²
>
> --
> Images (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at:
> www.pbase.com/markuson

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Mark² - 22 Nov 2006 04:29 GMT

>>> I just got a 5D and, so far, I love the camera, but I can't get the
>>> flash to fire before the shutter closes. I did set the Custom
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> I was hoping you wouldn't ask :) Its a Minolta 200X. I bought it in
> 1982.

Good grief.
No...it isn't going to work...no matter what you set it to.

>I didn't expect it to work today, but it does. I wanted to take
> a goofy shot of me driving in my car at night and I didn't want to
> buy a flash for that, so I gave it a try.

<snip>

> I tried on M, P & Av. No luck. Any other ideas?

Yes.
Next time you decide to spend $3K on a camera body, spend a couple hundred
on a same-brand flash that isn't 24 years old.
Sheesh...
;)

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Images (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at:
www.pbase.com/markuson

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