Canon 300EZ Speedlight flash on Eos Elan ll camera.

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I have a Canon Eos Elan two camera and I am using a Canon 300 EZ Speedlight flash. I have never had any problems with the flash firing before. Recently the flash has been going off every now and then. I was wondering if the hotshue on the camera is missing a silver dot. There are 4 dots beside eachother and one larger dot above them, above the large dot there is a hole, and I can't remember if there was a silver dot in there, I also have a Eos 500N and the hotshue has 6 silver dots, so I don't know if it is missing from the Elan. My flash has 5 connection dots. On the flash next to the on/off button there is a switch with arrows, one side has arrows in a square and the other hasn't..... which one should it be on? Is there any chance of getting an instruction booklet for the flash and the camera? The flash is pretty old. Is the Eos Elan the samoe as an Eos 50?

-- Seona Mercer (ksmercer@bigpond.com), April 21, 2002

Answers

The 1991 Elan is known as the EOS 100 outside of North America. The Elan IIE is called the EOS 50.

The hole above the 5 metal contacts on the hotshoe is for the Speedlite's locking pin (it lowers itself into the hole when you turn the thumbwheel). In other words, the hole is not a contact and nothing is missing from your hotshoe.

Clean the hotshoe and flash contacts with contact cleaner or an eraser and clean cotton rag. Dust and finger oil have spoiled many a flash connection. If your batteries are old, install a new set. If that's doesn't help, try another flash on your camera see if it works. If it's ok, you may need a flash repair or new flash. If it doesn't work, you camera needs to be checked out.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), April 22, 2002.


>On the flash next to the on/off button there is a switch with arrows, one side has arrows in a square and the other hasn't..... which one should it be on?

This switch controls first and second curtain sync flash. When the switch is set to the left-hand triangle being coloured in you're using first curtain sync. This is the default for EOS cameras, and basically it means that the flash fires immediately when you press the shutter release button. If the right-hand triangle is coloured in then you're in second- curtain sync mode. In this mode the flash fires a split-second before the shutter *closes*.

If you're shooting with a short shutter speed this switch doesn't make a huge difference. But if you're shooting with a very slow shutter speed - at least 1/30 second or slower - then the flash firing setting is important.

If the flash fires immediately (first curtain sync) and you have a long shutter speed then things will appear to be moving backwards in the final photo. However getting the flash to fire at the right time can be trickier if you switch to second-curtain sync mode, even though things will then look like they're moving forwards.

I'd say stick to the switch in the left-hand position unless you find that some of your pictures have people, cars, etc., appearing like they're moving backwards.

>Is there any chance of getting an instruction booklet for the flash and the camera? The flash is pretty old.

Canon may no longer have them, but people sell them on auction sites all the time. For instructions on using the camera check out:

eosdoc.com

and the flash: Flash photography with EOS cameras.

-- NK Guy (tela@tela.bc.ca), April 22, 2002.


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