What were your camera settings?

How far away were you from the FlexTT/flash unit?

Updated to the latest firmware plus reset all units to factory default?

Are you shooting ETTL? Maybe the camera thinks the scene is overlit with a flash that points directly towards the lens?

After doing more digging, it looks like the two 580ex II flashes I was using with my flex units are no longer able to work in ettl mode. I have two others that work fine. Wonder if the flex or soft shield did something to the flashes. I've pulled the batteries out of the 580ex for a couple of hours to reset them but the still don't work in ettl even when mounted to my hotshoe on the camera.

Thoughts??

I've had my 580EXII go into TTL mode on occasion before I even got my Flex TT5's. I resolved the problem by cleaning the contact and tightening the shoe screws to get a better connection. If one of the pins doesn't make a good contact with the camera it will go into ttl mode resulting in overexposed images. Hope this helps!

No loose screws and good contact. Understand, when I shoot in ettl the light fires but happens before it has a chance to reach the subject. I can fire in manual mode and multi with no problem.

I have two other 580ex II's that fire just fine so the PW Flex and sock have done something to cause these two flashes to malfunction as they were the only two that I used while testing the the mini/flex's.

I know this sounds strange. I've been using 580EX/EXII's for years and never experienced anything like this.

I just had the same sort of problem. I just got my sock. After putting it on (with the shoe adaptor and Flex) I fired one shot that showed the ETTL flash reached the sensor. Every shot since will only preflash, no main flash. Same thing when the flash is on the camera directly (no Mini/Flex). When I pull the flash off the camera, it will not do a strobe. When in manual, no matter the power setting, I get a full dump.

Does the sock damage the circuits?

Are you seeing anything similar? BTW, I'm sending the flash to Canon for repair.

I've maintained for a long time now that the PWs do impact negatively on the gear that they are attached to.


I have this problem more or less all the time. Now I discovered something, I had one flash with one Flex permanently on it ... never off and never on any other camera for six weeks.

My Mini/Flex operations began to be consistent ~ in the last week I've been restricted to one flash for all my owrk so this flash has been on other cameras and all my issues have returned.

All I can do now is turn off everything and take the two set-up shots again ~ a pain.

I'm not using the sock ~ but the sock was expected to cure this issue, but as I'm EU PW won't give me one anyway.

John --

First, I would highly recommend that you get on PW's web site and send them an email to their customer service department. They have a few reported cases that are simular to ours so it's improtant that they have your information.

I should have my 580ex II's back from Canon today. They repaired them under warranty but I won't have any details on what they actually did untill I get the service ticket that will be packed with the units. Anything is possible but, based on how I was using them during testing, the sock seems to be the likely cause of the problem and the problem was permanent.

Finally, I'm very supportive of PW and want them to be able to resolve any issues with the mini/flex. ETTL / HSS/Ratioing with my ST-E2 would be a very be +++ for location portrait work. The ability to control bright sunlight with the shutter rather than a 2400ws pack/head weighing 30 pounds will also save my back!! It's worth my time and efforts to work with PW to resolve issues. They're good folks as well.

Got my 580EXII's back from Canon Service. Battery assembly and door replaced and sync adjusted on both units. ETTL now working again.

I can't say for sure but, funny how both of these units whet down during the same shoot, separate flex's for both, working fine prior to the soft shield being installed, a few pops with the soft shield and both units malfunction in ETTL.

Kkrows,

Something doesn't add up here. I've made my own version of the sock using the same material that Galbraith used and had no issues with three different 580EXII and three different Flex. Seems unlikely that the AC5 could cause a failure on the 580EXII similar to what you have described.

Glad you got your flashes back fixed. They have mine now. Let me know what happens when you try the sock again. I'm a little nervous about using the sock again. I actually get great results with the off camera cord/ferrite choke and hanging the flex away from the strobe.

Hey guys, I'm not sure if this helps but there I think this may have to do with how the Speedlites, AC5s, FlexTT5, MiniTT1 and camera are turned on.

Here are the following steps to ensure proper functions:

1. Connect the AC5 to the Speedlite (while its turned off)
2. Connect Speedlite with AC5 to FlexTT5
3. Connect MiniTT1 to camera
4. Turn on the components in the following order: Speedlite, FlexTT5, MiniTT1, camera

I own a few of the Canon 580EX II Speedlites and never had a problem before. So far I am having success with the AC5s. I have at least 5 of those for my Speedlites. Currently I am beta testing out the AC7 RF Shield and they're working great!



1/500 shutter @ F/4.0 in harsh sunlight:

Hey! My 580EXII (CE version) had the TTL died on me. Just like you, I finished testing the AC5 socks on the FlexTT5 (FCC Version). It was working fine before then. Can be because of the conflict between the CE based flash and FCC PW? But I had to send the 580EXII back to Canon. Fortunately it's till under warranty. But after reading this thread I am very worried to try it again.

Actually let me add some symptoms. I loaded V.5 of the firmware and used the 580EXII. The shoot went pretty well.. about 50 shots outdoor.
The next time I wanted to use flash on camera, the TTL did NOT sync with the camera (5DMkII). It fired, but later than the camera. The manual setting only fired in maximum mode, but at least it sync with the camera. Repeated testing eventually made my 580EXII give up it's spirit. After that, it would not event fire.
Hope no one else had the same problem.

@ Ray Yap

Actually let me add some symptoms. I loaded V.5 of the firmware and used the 580EXII. The shoot went pretty well.. about 50 shots outdoor.
The next time I wanted to use flash on camera, the TTL did NOT sync with the camera (5DMkII). It fired, but later than the camera.

This had actually happened to me and I found out why....the flash "goes to sleep" after a minute thus screwing up the whole setup. Which setup? The one I posted above about the step-by-step when attaching and turning on each unit. I resolved it by changing the custom function on the flash to keep it "awake". I forgot which custom # it is...but yeah, that's the culprit. I was wondering why it wouldn't shoot higher than 1/200 until i turned everything off and re-did the steps and then found out it was because my flash "went to sleep".

Hope that helps!

I am going to use the steps you posted when the flash elgets back. Thanks.

Thank the internet for bringing us together.

First off: When it Works, it works great. Just some niggly little problems, most of which I blame CANON and not Pocketwizard - after all, these guys are the ones trying to avant garde and work around Canon's clumsy problems. Canon should be playing ball and giving more help I think.

Have the same problem: Using a 5d mk II with 580 ex II with tt1 and tt5.

Not long after using the sock my ETTL stopped working. Never had a problem for 3 years with it.
Preflash Dumped all the power of a 1/1 and left nothing for the flash.

Had it in the repair shop for a month, it came back with the circuitboard or something replaced. Was working again.

Using it again (within a week) a few tries with the 'sock' = same problem... preflash is again trashed, and not even manual and triggering with a sekonic is giving anything but a full 1/1 dump. Needs to go back for repair.

Word from someone who has had the same problem:


"As for the Canon flash, did you notice that the flash gives one big preflash POP and the exposure is dark?
If so, me too. Two flashes in fact. I thought that with the latest one PW might have caused it.
Wrong. Sometime ago I learned that the designers were having trouble getting the color temp info back to the camera from the flash (?). I questioned them on this as I didn’t even know that the flash measured the color temp of the flash tube.
There is a fiber optic that pipes light from the flash tube directly to a sensor on the main board of the flash. Cool….or not. Seems that the fiber optic runs through the pivoting head connection. It would appear that moving it just right or come concussion or, perhaps, some manufacturing step, or who knows what, can cause the fiber optic strand to crack or become dislodged from the sensor (an educated guess from the one of the designers). Without this in place, it seems the ETTL cannot work properly. Early on, I got one of my flashes serviced by Canon for the same thing. It failed while working on a Canon camera and being fired in a purely Canon way with no PWs in sight.

After a long conversation about Canon specifications and PocketWizard specifications, I am convinced that there is absolutely no way that PW can affect the information or power flow negatively of the flashes and possibly damage them. Canon has several voltage protections in the shoe and circuit to prevent this as does PW.


So jury is still out why we think this has something to do with the Sock. Ahem AC5.

On another note I am using ETTL and Manual all on C1, but to use my Sekonic I have to switch the channel to C2 and use Sekonic on Channel 2.

Also perplexing question how do I hypersync my chinese strobes, which xsync up to 1/500 with minimal banding at -2500 at the same time with the Canon 580's which, erm, HSS? If I try to adjust their firing to -2500 but with them its virtually black - different flash duration I guess. Anyone wanna have a stab?

Also for some reason have a big band on 580ex II at 1/250 but nowhere else?

Yes Virginia, I've no idea.

Dont bother with the above link, its just SPAM to direct you to a webhosting company.

Well. My 580EXII is back from the repair. The electronic board was replace according to the technician and was sync adjusted.
I have hooked it to my FlexTT and it work, and on camera checks ok. I am running very close to expiry of my warranty. So for now, I will use the 580EXII without the AC5. Plan to get a used 550EX that seems to work well with the FlexTT.

Received my repaired 580exII. Canon service ticket says: It was found that the part was broken causing the flash to operate improperly. The A pcb ass'y, flash head ass'y, battery case ass'y were replaced and product functions were confirmed.

John/Ray

Seems like there is a trend going on here ya think???

I encountered pretty much the same issue many people have already described: My 580EX II abruptly stopped properly working in ETTL mode. While is flash still functions correctly in manual mode, it only fires the pre-flash in ETTL mode. I have been using the flash for almost a year, and this issue only popped up recently after I started using it with my PWs and the AC5 sock. I can't say with any degree of certainty that there is indeed a correlation between the PWs and this issue, but it seems rather strange that quite a few people are experiencing the same issues.

I sent in the flash to Canon for repairs, so I won't know what the faulty components are till I get it back in a week or more.

I think we may hear more of the 580exII failing. I think PW came with a product that is fantastic. Canon should create a flash with less noise emission and I know they can since the 430EXII. So I am going to get as many used 550ex as I can while they are still relatively cheap and use it with the FlexTT. The 580exII will stay on the camera or use on Flex without the AC5.

Ray Yap, Its not Canon's fault that PocketWizard didn't do proper Beta testing on this product before rushing it out to sell with all the 'slide and shoot simplicity' hype. Fact; Canon flashes work brilliantly with Canon Cameras. Sure, Now PW are finding out that their boffins screwed up in the lab by not testing more extensively with different 580ex II flashes but that isn't Canon's fault, its PW's.

I think its safe to say that you can 'take it to the bank' that PW will be doing proper extended lab tests for the Nikon version of the Flex and Mini.

I know it sounds like I am knocking PW, but actually I'm not. Its a great concept to provide off camera E-TTL functions, something the industry has wanted for a long time. I just wish PW had been more circumspect when it came to proper, extended lab testing.

I had the same issue after using the AC5 on the 580EXII. I had it back from Canon on March 4 and they told me that they replaced the battery assembly. I keep seen the same issue with more people and now it is a concern that these AC5 is creating this issue.

Here is my thread from a while ago...

www.flickr.com/groups/pocketwizards/discuss/7215762336295...

Don't use a Flextt5 and 580exii period!

jkoda --

I've had no issues using the 580EXII WITHOUT the AC5. I beleive it's the sock that is causing the frying issues on 580EXII's. Very well documented but other users as well.

kkrows, how come I fried a 430 EX II with no sock?

imarker,

In one of the more recent threads in this forum, someone reported that PW has been able to demonstrate Canon flash failing in even the simplest of configurations without a PW device (i.e. the flash is on the camera). It really is too bad that Canon flash failures are not as visible and dangerous as failed toyota accelerator pedals because I am sure that Canon would be doing something about it if it were the case.

imarker -- do you know that your 430EXII was fried? What did the repair invoice say from Canon? Did they replace the battery assembly and battery door?

My flash is still with Canon being repaired but a few things to note;

1. The flash was never used on Camera, from new only on a FlexTT5
2. The symptoms were the same as all the 580EX II's
3. I spoke to Canon and they are awaiting parts but they mentioned a PCB needing to be replaced
4. The 430EXII was 2 weeks old

I do not know what is causing all the problems but it is not the AC5, it is not pins being shorted.

What I would like to know is if anyone has had a problem when using the FlexTT5 to just trigger the flash, ie not using ETTL.

I've been sorting out some issues, and I have at least 1 of three 580EX II's that appear to no longer work in ETTL mode. I will test the third tomorrow. I don't use a sock or AC3 but I have FCC flashes and CE TT5's and Mini TT1 as I bought them in Europe. I have only used them on about 5 shots and the last shoot was a disaster with the PW's...

My flashes are all off warranty.

Having the same issues as stated above. Im using canon 7d, 580ex ii, on a tt5. I also have the ac3 on my mini. I had the 580ex ii in a ac7 hard shield.

It was working fine and then all of sudden in Ettl my flash started to full dump. Then it stopped working completely. I could point the flash in front of the camera and I would have no flash in the frame. I then moved things around with my other flashes. It was the 580exii. I could mount the flash on my camera and the only way I could get flash to show up in the frame was by switching it into manual. When it was in ETTL it would prefire ( I guess but it was a fairly hefty pre-fire, but did not see like a full dump/ possible sync issue?)

PLEASE HELP!!!

Change the Batteries, try again on Camera, if it still doesn't work send it to Canon for repair.

BUYER BEWARE!
I purchased the Flex TT5/Mini TT1 on August 4th, 2010 for my Canon 580EX II. It also came with the 'AC5 RF Soft Shield' which PocketWizard touted as:

"...a simple solution to reduce interference and improve performance of the FlexTT5 Transceiver. Special RF fabric and a shoe filter shields the FlexTT5 Transceiver from RF noise emitted by some Canon Speedlites (580EX II, 580EX and 430EX)."

The AC5 RF Soft Shield and shoe filter was actually PocketWizards band-aid attempt at fixing "limited range performance when the FlexTT5 radios" and dealing with "RF noise emitted by some Canon Speedlites (580EX II, 580EX and 430EX)."

I have owned my 580EX II Speedlite since March, 2008 and have taken hundred of photos indoor/outdoor in a variety of lighting situations with absolutely no issues. I also used the Flex TT5/Mini TT1 with my 580EX II WITHOUT the RF Soft Shield/shoe filter and it performed fine within a close range of the receiver. I shot many photos using this setup with an occasional misfire.

I was involved in a photoshoot last Saturday that required I shoot from a long distance from the receiver so I decided to use the AC5 on my 580EX II. After carefully reading the instructions, I attached the AC5 shield/shoe filter, powered on the components as described and began my shoot in ETTL mode. I took 7 photos successfully outdoors in partial shade. After shooting 7 shots, I noticed the photos were underexposed and all I was getting was the pre-flash on my 580EX II and full power only in manual mode. Once I arrived at home, I did further testing without the PocketWizard Flex TT5/Mini TT1 and discovered my 580EX II was definately not working correctly -- it was definately fried! I am sending my 580EX II for repair at a cost of $120.00.

How can PocketWizard deny a problem exists with the AC5 kit that accompanies the Flex TT5/Mini TT1? The evidence is overwhelming. Read the forums that exist and hear the customers accounts of fried Speedlites!

FORUMS WITH THE AC5/CANON SPEEDLITE ISSUE:
www.flickr.com/groups/pocketwizards/discuss/7215762336295...
www.flickr.com/groups/pocketwizards/discuss/7215762343861...
www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157623708346404/
www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/942723/0
de-de.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=90213201583&topic=16617
photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=11170312

Did you send your flash yet bbuttry?

Just say no to Socks!

You can always use the hotshoe provided with ac5 as a replacement hotshoe for ac7's - which works and dosen't seem to affect flashes (they look pretty much identical to one another). Use the sock itselft as arm warmers (or find some emo boy to reselt it to!).

Speaking of arm warmers... Dosen't the construction of the sock somehow hinder the capacity of a flash to cool down? (especially when shooting like an army cook who goes to battle field for it's first time). The material used is not some lycra/spendex.. but dual layer constuction just makes it look more like some high tech North Face layering system use on their winter coats rated for -60 celcius.

Mike, yes I sent my flash in for repair to the Canon Center. Their estimate is $120.00.

The scary thing is that there are many who have damaged 580EX II flashes from just using the FlexTT5 with NO sock. I'd prefer to stay away from PW FlexTT5 all together for my 580EX II! PW hasn't responded to my email.

Maybe a few...but not many. Most of the cases invlove the sock.

Does this phenomena happens only in Ettl , manual, or shutter speed more than 1/300 or all of the above? What was your firmware version when it happened?

Same problem here, 2 flashes stopped synchronizing al together and fire only at full power. One out of warranty :-( Repairs offerred at € 245.

What bothers me is also that I use ac7 shields.
Is there any response from PW yet?

I don't think there has been any problems since the new firmwares have been issued....the only problems are from people whom have not updated the firmwares yet.

@ William, FirmwareVersion 5.200 Pocket wizards are also brand new, I purchased them in december 2010

Yes I had the same problem and in a frustrating way. Using 580EX II's in ETTL mode on FLEX TT5's with sock for the first time and two 5D Mark II bodies with mini TTL's attached on monopod, in Brooklyn Bridge park shooting on location a Wedding party; flash miss fires You could imagine the embrassment this has caused me and I'm dealing with a bridezilla. I had to keep my composure and tell myself that ill get the magic in post. I could not troubleshoot the issue then and there but now i realize that I have lost my ETTL. Albeit that the 580 EX II has an issue with interference and the current work around that was supposed to correct the original interference issue causes a detrimental one worse than interference at distance, FCC and consumer affairs needs to get involved at this point to protect us. PW should have found out this issue in their R&D trials. It WOULD have surfaced and was most likely ignored. This is probably why most videos on their site use Nikon Speedlites and not Canon. I have events lined up for the following two weeks, I will now have to rent a 580EX II and hope that the PW don't damage those too and cost me my deposit. Back to the old ways. I now need to train myself to shoot in Manual flash mode before I leave for today's event. PW you have a great product but please don't rush your R&D to push products to market. Its forums like this that would eventually kill your sales. Does anyone know if this happens with the new Speedlite 600 EX RT?

I have not even used my 580 exii much only few times in past 14 month,bought tt5, TT1 and sekonic flashmeter (L-478DR )yesterday and today noticed mine wont work on TTL.
so i blame it on PW 100%
Will try to sell it on e-bay as faulty item and buya 430exii instead

I suggest you email PW support directly before doing anything else.

I'm now having the same under exposure problem with my 580EXII. I was using the PW MiniTT1 and Flex TT5 when it happened. Thankfully I had a backup flash.

Is there a consensus on the best course of action to take?