I have an EOS 630 and would like to know if I can attach a hot shoe adapter 2 or hot shoe adapter 3 to it to use two flash units simultaneously. The idea is to use the aforementioned adapter, a speedlite attached to it on top of the camera, a connecting cord from the adapter to an off camera shoe, and another speedlite attached to the off camera shoe. I have read on the web that any EOS camera can be set up this way, but have been told in a well established camera store that I cannot do this. Please, what's the story. Thanks. Carol

-- Carol Liu (liu_c@surfside.net), June 03, 2001

Answers

The EOS 600/630 is the one exception to the use of the Off Camera Shoe Cord (2). Sometimes it messes up the A-TTL determination of what aperture to use. At other times it works fine. Canon recommends not using it with the 600/630.

This shouldn't have anything to do with using Canon's modular TTL cord system that you are describing since A-TTL is disabled with it anyway. The Shoe Adapter makes all Speedlites revert to plain TTL. So the Shoe Adapter (or 2 or 3) with cord & Off Camera Shoe should be fine. You can mount one flash on the Shoe Adapter if you want or use a Distributor with an additional cord & Off Camera Shoe for each Speedlite.

There was a third party manufacturer in England that made a modified Off Camera Shoe Cord as well. They used a wire with different impedance and different end pieces. I've seen them come up n Ebay from time to time. Usually people don't know what they have so they go real cheap.

But an easier/cheaper way to do this would be to use an Ikelite Lite- Link TTL slave for the remote flash. The on camera flash (any compatible Speedlite) signals the remote flash to start and stop in time to provide equal lighting ratios. It works surprisingly well and is a whole lot easier to set up. It's also cheaper than buying all of Canon's modular TTL pieces. You can find them at www.ikelite.com. The only downside is if other people are shooting with flash they will trip the Lite-Link mounted flash as well.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), June 04, 2001.

Did you know that Canon also has a wireless flash option for your 630?

I was very surprised to read in my 550EX instruction booklet that the four-channel, three-group wireless flash control function can be used with type B bodies, one of which is the EOS 630.

Unfortunately, there is not Wireless TTL for type B bodies: only manual power control.

Cheers

-- Julian Loke (jul.loke@home.com), June 04, 2001.