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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Better TTL Cord
Craig Hacker, Photographer
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Wichita | KS | USA | Posted: 10:34 AM on 05.03.04 |
| ->> Does any third party, either small company or private individual, make a longer and more heavy duty TTL cord for Canon strobes? The Canon model is so short you can't help but pull on it, then after a couple of good tugs, it doesn't work anymore. I think I have four or five of these that are on the blink now. Maybe I am just to hard on equipment. Any help would be appreciated. |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 10:42 AM on 05.03.04 |
->> If you can't find one, or an extension, you could cut the wire and make your own extension, using a couple of the old ones. With an ohm meter you could find the break and discard that end. I'm assuming the problem is in the ends. Carefully solder the wires and use heat shrink tubing to cover the splice.
Can you use two cords, connecting one to the other to make a longer one? |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 11:25 AM on 05.03.04 |
->> I once had a custom 30 foot ttl cord made for the Canon strobe. But after we went to the 550 EX and digital cameras it no longer worked. It worked great with the film cameras and the older ttl strobes.
I also remember seeing third party ttl cords for the Nikon strobes in ads in magazines a long time ago.
Also, I don't think the TTL cord works with digital cameras ... hopefully someone out there can confirm this. I've been using the wireless STE2 trigger to fire the 550 EX strobes remotely. |
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Kevin M. Cox, Photographer, Assistant
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Stafford (Houston) | TX | US | Posted: 12:28 PM on 05.03.04 |
->> Bert, I'm not sure if this is what you mean by "TTL cord" but I have the Canon Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2 and it works fine with the 1D and 550EX.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=ProductDetail&A=showItemL...
I agree it is a little short although I've never tried to lengthen it. I always figured I'd go for the STE2 if I started to need the extra length all the time. |
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Rob Bradley, Student/Intern
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Brett Flashnick, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Bowling Green | KY | USA | Posted: 3:12 PM on 05.03.04 |
| ->> I'm currently working on an interchangable legnth ttl cord hack for Canon. If it works then I'll shoot the process and post the results in a member gallery so everyone can see how it was done. Should be done in the next week or two. |
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Stanley Leary, Photographer
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Roswell | GA | USA | Posted: 3:16 PM on 05.03.04 |
| ->> Use the CAD 5 cord which is normally used for Ethernet. It will go about anylength. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 3:28 PM on 05.03.04 |
| ->> The 25 ft. cord I had made for the older strobes used microphone wire and connectors because there was something like 4 or 5 individual wires. We cut a standard off camera ttl cord in half and made an extension that went between the two parts. Worked great like I said with the older strobes and film camera. Not at all on the 550 and digital cameras. |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 3:50 PM on 05.03.04 |
| ->> You can get 1000 feet of 4 pair cat 5 wire for about $75.00. That should be long enough. |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 4:05 PM on 05.03.04 |
| ->> Maybe I won't sacrifice my cord to find out then. |
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Greg Ferguson, Photographer
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Scottsdale | Az | USA | Posted: 7:54 PM on 05.03.04 |
->> Flat telephone cord can be found with four, six and eight conductors. It's flexible and won't kink if don't get the solid-core type. You can get big spools of it at electronics parts stores, or in 100 ft. spools at Radio Shack.
CAT 5 wire, like they use for networks, is solid core wire, so you pretty much have to treat it as throw-away. One kink, and you run risk of stress-fracturing the wire if it gets pulled tight. But, it's cheap. Also, the CAT rating might be important if you're pulling wire in an area that has to meet fire-codes.
Old-style TTL cameras and strobes have fewer pins than the new ('n improved) DTTL capable bodies and strobes. That's why Robert's older TTL cable didn't work with the new strobe/cameras. (Though it would probably work in a straight TTL mode, except Nikon digital cameras would make him shoot manually.)
Probably an 8 conductor wire would work with DTTL, if you can get the right hotshoes. Buy one of the new DTTL capable hot-shoe to hot-shoe cables from Nikon or Canon, cut it, then splice in some connectors with enough pins, and you should be able to get DTTL to work over longer distances. The only downside to that is the signalling used by the cameras to tell the flash to do the preflash might be pissy and refuse to work over too long a cable or one with too much capacitance or impedence. |
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Craig Melvin, Photographer
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Olean | NY | US | Posted: 3:29 AM on 05.04.04 |
->> I fabricated a 25' TTL wire with a Radio Shack E142890 ethernet cable (make sure this is the white, seven wire cord, ) at about the cost of $4.00. But the price of the Canon OFF-Camera Shoe Cord 2 will be over $100. (so its at least $104, if you own solder and a soldering gun).
The Canonn cord is about an 18" cord so there is no room for error once you make the cut.
It works flawless TTL with the Canon 550 EX on the Canon One D. I am shooting it through a Litedome softbox I modified, and you will need a connection bracket for the 550 EX for your softbox model.
Set your One D at Partial metering mode, and M, manual exposure, with the 550 EX set at around Plus 2/3 or Plus 1. (I have even shot with the flash set at Plus 2-1/3 in bright sun)
On a bright sunny day in a remote location, where you can't find power or carry a Speedotron to, this works great. And you can still fire the 550 EX slave with no problem.
I have never tried it in TTL beyond 1/500 of a second (with the higher shutter speed sync that you can set on the 550's.)
Good luck. |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 10:30 AM on 05.04.04 |
->> Category 5, 5e, 6 cabling has 4 pairs of 2 wires each inside. The pairs are wires twisted around each other at different rates than the other pairs. This is done to help cancel out electrical interference in the low voltage AC current traveling through the wires. The current is transmitted 180 degrees out of phase from the current in the other wire in the pair, so interference from outside sources like motors, transformers, electrical sparks, etc will tend to be cancelled out.
Plenum cable for data and voice transmissions is installed in building plenums, the spaces above dropped ceilings that are used to return air to conditioning equipment. This cable meets building code requirements for use without protective metal conduit in plenums.
Plenum rated wire doesn't give off as much poison gas when it burns. That's one reason why you get out of the building during a fire, because the AC/Heat system moves the air and anything else in it like poison gas around the building.
(When I was in high school, some people used that principle to disperse about the building the fumes from limburger cheese.)
All CAT 5 cable is not plenum rated. Most plenum cable is coated with Teflon. There are different grades available.
CAT 5 cabling is available as solid core, meaning that it isn't very flexible, relative to stranded wire. It is also available in a stranded core.
The CAT 5 cables that are sold to connect your computer or laptop to the Ethernet jack in the wall is more flexible and is made of many strands, like lamp (zip) cord. You can buy those extension cables wherever you buy computers or parts. As usual, you can find them cheaper on the internet. That would be a better bet that the solid core wiring, as was previously mentioned.
This brings up another application possibility. Suppose you wanted to use your flash on a basketball backboard or some other fixed application that you would likely come back to several times. What if you ran some cat 5 cabling to the flash? You could make this a permanent setup. Jack into the ends, to provide power to the flash from the other end. I think in that application you would want a manual flash setting, which means you don't need ttl and could use any flash unit that was powerful enough. If it was in a secure location, you could just leave it there. The batteries you bring with you each time. It’s just a thought. You might want to label the jack "not for computer use", or use proprietary connections so someone doesn't try to plug his laptop into it. |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 11:20 AM on 05.04.04 |
->> Now that I am on a roll, I was thinking that a flash in a softbox probably would have the sensor inside the softbox, meaning that it wouldn't be reading the subject. It would be reading the light inside the box or the side or back of the softbox, assuming you are using one big enough to make a difference in the size of the source.
If you don't need feedback from the sensor to your camera then maybe you don't need the wires either.
I have a thing called a lite-link, made by ikelite, the underwater people. It's a remote trigger made for ttl flashes like the 540 EZ I own that won't work correctly with the EOS Mark II.
It uses a 9 volt battery and has two sensors on it. One sensor fires the remote flash when it sees another flash. The other sensor turns off the flash (limits the flash duration) when the other flash stops firing.
You change the slave flash ratio by moving the slave closer or farther away from the subject.
It's another gizmo that I have sitting around. But, if you aren't using it in an environment with other photographers, if the device works are stated, you wouldn't need a $100 ttl cord or any cord modification, or even any cord at all.
I sitting here waiting the UPS to show up, maybe I will test it after that.
I'm not recommending this trinket, since I haven't used it and don't know anyone else that has either. But, it might work.
http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/lite_link.html |
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Clark Brooks, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 11:46 AM on 05.04.04 |
->> Robert: The Canon Off Camera Cord 2 works fine with both the 1D and 10D. Full TTL functions and FEC works to spec. I use the cords for weddings and news assignments. In fact used it yesterday for a quick shoot for a client.
Craig Hacker: You can chain several cords together. If you have serveral working cords in you possession you can connect two or more cords together to get more length. Had to do this once at a senior shoot with a 10D. No problems at all. I only tried two, but imagine you could chain probably up to four before the needed amps drop. If you try it let us know. I can vouch for putting two together for a longer extension.
Craig Melvin: You can get EF Cord 2's on eBay for around 45 dollars. I've bought both that I own there, all work fine. The most I paid was $48, the least $35. |
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Zack Podell, Photographer
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Marina Del Rey | CA | USA | Posted: 5:17 PM on 05.04.04 |
->> hey guys,
I have several different canon off camera ttl cords, and they vary in length. Canon makes a splitter (ttl distributor) to go with their ttl components. You can find them on the EOS system chart, and if you don't have one, go here:
http://www.canoneos.com/syschart012904.pdf if this doesn't work, then go here, and click on the eos system chart link on the right
http://www.canoneos.com/
I know that a few companies make aftermarket cables, and paramount can make whatever you may need. Keep in mind, that they may not work properly in e-ttl mode (or ttl for that matter). I just noticed that there is a little disclaimer below the cables on the canon system chart, (all of which is in the bottom left, directly under the canon flashes). Having a need for wired/ wireless multiflash on a regular basis, I have been very disappointed with canon's e-ttl, and wireless e-ttl. I hope the MKII's ETTL-2 is better in the areas I need it for.
This is just another perfect example of how Canon techs have led me to believe one thing, and the opposite ends up being true. I am truly sorry I wasted soooo much $$ on my ste-2, all of my 550's, and the extra ttl distributors, and cables. ( Sorry to vent here... I just got carried away, after reading the fine print on the system chart)
I hope this helps.
ZAP |
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Larry Vaughn, Photographer
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Gainesville | FL | usa | Posted: 7:06 PM on 05.04.04 |
| ->> What does the fine print say? |
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