Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 User manual

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. Thank youfor purchasinga Canon product.
Speedlite Transmitter ST - E2 is a wireless transmit -
ter which can control up to two Speedlite 550EX
groups set asslaves.
The transmitting range is about 12 to 15 meters
/
39.4 to 49.2 ft indoors and 8 to 10 meters / 26.2 to
32.8 ft outdoors. With Type A cameras (EOS
- 3, EOS
Elan IIIIIE, EOS 50/50E, EOS 500NlRebel
G, EOS
IX. EOS IX7AX Lite),the ST - E2 can execute the fol -
lowing operations through wireless control:
E-?"rL autoflash
High - speed sync (FPflash)
FE lock
Flash exposure compensation
Manual flash (Flashoutput set with Speedlite)
Multi - flash firing (Setwith the Speedlites)
This Instructions booklet assume that a Type A cam -
'
era is used with the ST-E2.
With Type H cameras (EOScameras except 'I'ype
A models),the ST - E2 can be used only for manual
flash and multi
- flash photography. See pages 23
to 27 in this booklet and the Speedlite 550EX
Instructions.
Symbols used in this Instructions booklet:
0:
Warning for preventing camera or ST - E2
malfunction.
a: Supplementary notes for using the ST - E2
with the camera.
:'&: Helpful tip for using the ST - E2 and taking
- ,
AF-asktdea'm to areak.
-
I I
With the EOS - 3, the following operations are also
possible: Flash ratio control between two Speedlite
slave P~OUDS. modeline flash firing. and linkage of
C€
The CE Mark is a Directive cunformity mark of the European
Community
(ECl
pictures.
Keep this Instructions booklet handy for future
reference. 1.
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B
limits for radio noise emissions frnrn digital appara -
tus as set out in the interference - causingequipment
standard entitled
" Digital Apparatus " , ICES - 003 of
the Industry Canada.
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Contents
1. Nomenclature ................................................................................................................ 22
2.
ReadyingtheST-E2 ....................................................................................................... 23
3.
Readying the 550EX (SlaveSetting) ............................................................................ 25
4. Basic Wireless E-TTL Autoflash Operation ................................................................. 26
5. Wireless Multi-Flash E-TTL Autoflash Operation ...................................................... 29
6. Applications ................................................................................................................... 33
7. Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................. 34
Specifications ....................................................................................................................... .35
Note
All the operation instructions in this booklet assume that the ST - E2 and other relevant equipment are
already turned on. Before proceeding, make sure the
ST - E2 and other equipment areon.
I I
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to thefollowing two conditions: (1) This device may not
cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device mustaccept any interference receivcd, including interlilrence that may cause
undesired operation.
Do not make any changes or modifications
to the equipment unless otherwise specified in the instructions. If such changt.s or
modifications should be made, you could
be required to stop operation of theequipment.
This equipment has been tested and found to conlply with the limitsfor a class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 16 the FCC
Rules. These limits arcdesigned to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions,may cause harmful interference
to radio communications.
However, thereis no guarantecthat interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning theequipmentoff and on, the user is encour;~g-ed
totry to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase theseparation between the equipment and receiver.
Consult the dealer or anexperienced radiolIli technician for help.
21
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1. Nomenclature
Front Rear
Battery compartment cover
Flash ratio cuntrol lamp
,+I"-assist beam emlttor Channel intl~cat,~r
< PILOT > I'ilot. I:im
Shoc lt~kslider trnnsmission button
High-speed synr (FI' fl:~:
< 0 ,:Turns off thr 11rnr.er.
< I >:Turns on thr po\rer.
< HOLD >: Retains the cur-
rent settingsu,hilo thr switch
position is
I . All lr:,nsmiLter
controls except the tPet trans-
mission button
;ire ~lis:$blcd.
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2. Readying the ST - E2
(I) Installing the Battery
Use one lithium 2CR5 battery
(sold separately).
1 Slide the battery compartment
cover as shown by the arrow
and remove.
Install the battery in the orien
-
tation shown in the compart -
ment.
Install the battery compart
-
ment cover to close the battery
compartment.
About the battery
If the battery contacts are
soiled, improper electrical con
-
tact may result. Before
installing the battery, wipe the
battery contacts with a clean
cloth.
When to replace the battery
Replace the battery if it takes
30
sec. or longer for the red pilot
lamp to light after you set the
main switch to
< I > or < HOLD >.
(2) Attachment to the
Camera
Push in the ST-E2's mounting
1 foot all the way into the camer -
a'shot shoe.
Slide the shoe lock slider as
shown by the arrow. (Thelock
pin protrudes to lock the ST -
E2 onto thecamera.)
To remove the ST-152, slide the
shoe lock slider
in the opposite
direction (the lock pin retracts)
and slide off the ST - EP.
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Readvine the ST-E2
The hot shoe on the EOS 650,
EOS 620, EOS 750, and EOS
850 will not couple with the
lock pin. The ST-E2 can still be
attached to these cameras, but
it cannot be locked onto the hot
shoe.
(3) Turning On the Power
1 Turn the main switch to < I >.
The main switch has the follow -
ing three positions:
< 0 > : Turns of'f'the powcr.
< I > : Turns on the powrr.
< HOLD > : The settings which
were set at the
I switch position
arc frozen. All transmitter con
-
trols exccpt the test trtinsmis-
sion button are disabled. This
prevents inadvertant alteration
of transmitter settings.
When transmission is possible,
2 the pilot lamp lights in red and
the
5 icon lights in the camera
viewfinder.
0
When the 5 icon lights in the
camera viewfinder, it indicates
that the ST
- E2 is able to trans -
mit. When Speedlite 550EX is
rechareed and readv to fire. its
AE-assist beam emiiter blinks.
Q If the ST-E2 is on and not
used for
90 sec., the SE
(Save Energy) feature takes
effect and turns off the
power automatically to save
battery power. The ST
- E2
turns back on when the
shutter button or test trans
-
mission button is pressed.
With a Type Acamera (EOS-
3, EOS Elan IIIIIE, EOS
50/50E, EOS 500NIRebel G,
EOS IX. EOS IX7IIX Lite)
equipped with E - ITL, the ST-
E2's E-ITL indicator lights.
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3. Readying the 550EX (SlaveSetting)
(4) Channel Setting (1) Slave settingIPoweron (2) Channel setting
RATIO
:*El
To prevent wireless signals from
being transmitted to unrelated
Speedlite
55OEX units in the
vicinity, you can set a channel dif
-
ferent from the one used by the
unrelated Speedlite
550EX units.
One of four channels can be set.
The ST-E2 (master)and slave
Speedlite(s)must be set to the
same channel No.
Press the
< CH. > button and
select the desired channel.
Each time the button is pressed the
channel indicator changes in the fol
-
lowing loop: 1 + 2 -. 3 -. 4 - 1
The ST-E2 and Speedlite 550EX
Set the wireless selector to
1 < SLAVE >. HereinaRer, a
Speedlite
550EX set to this
mode will be called a
" slave. "
The zoom setting is set automat -
ically to (a c7'lmm. This can be
overridden manually.
2
Set the slave's main switch to
<I > or < SE > to turn it on.
When the Speedlite is ready to
fire, the AF
- assist beam emitter
blinks conli~>uously at 1 Hz.
Each time you press the
< SEL/SET > button, the blink -
ing display changes in the fol -
lowing loop:
+m+----- ,
-- lights -
2
While is blinking, press
the
< + z or < - > butlon to
select the same channel
No. as
the ST-E2's.
0
If the 550EX's channel No. is
different from the ST-E2's
channel No., wireless trans -
mission will notwork.
must be set to the samechannel No
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4. Basic Wireless E - TTL AutoflashOperation .
press the < SEL/SET, button After the ST - E2 and slave are ready, they can work within the area
3 to regster the channel N~, (the shown below for easy wireless E-TTI. autoflash.
display stops blinking and For explanatory purposes, the EOS - 3 will be used as thesample camera here.
stayson).
(I) Positioningof ST - E2 and slave
Attach the slave to the mini stand (equipped with tripod socket) which comes
with the 550EX.
Turn theSpeedlite's body (bouncefeature) so that the slave sensor fhccs toward
thcST - EZ.
Indoors, the slave position need not be so precise since the light will also bounce
off the walls.
After positioning the camera and slaves, be sure to test the wirclrss control
before taking a picture.
Do not place any obstructions between the ST - EP and slaves. Otherwise, remote
transmission may not bc achieved.
8m I26 21t 12m I39 4R
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Basic Wireless E - TTL Autoflash Operation
(2) Camera operation
(3) Checking the ST-E2's
(4) Wirelessoperation test
Set the camera for normal flash
pilot lamp and slave-
operation. ready status
0
With the EOS - 3, make sure the
ST-E2's flash ratio control
lamp is off. (If necessary, press
the
<RATIO > button to turn it
off.)
If the flash ratio control
lamp is on, the Speedlite may
not fire or a correct exposure
may not be attained. After
turningoff the flash ratio con
-
trol lamp, set the main switch
to <IioLD> p
revent
the 'lash
Check that the ST-E2's pilot lamp Press the ST-E2's pilot lamp
ratio control lamp from light -
ing inadvertantly.
is on and that theslave is ready. (which also functions as a test
When the slave is ready to fire, its
transmission button).
AF - assist beam emitter flashes at 1
If everything is OK, slavc A will fire
followed by slave
R (at 1/64 output).
If the slave(s)docs not fire, reposi-
1111111
tion the slave's angle or distance
toward the
ST-EZ and Lcst it :rg;lin.
0
When the ST-E2's pilot lamp
lights and the 5 icon lights in
the camera viewfinder, they
indicate that the ST-E2 is
ready for remote transmission.
They do not indicate that the
slave is ready (recharged).
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Basic Wireless E-TTI.Autoflash O~eration
(5) Takingthe pictureand
flash confirmation
When you press theshutter but-
ton con~pletely,
a wirrlcss signal
is transmitted
to the slave, then
theslave fires a preflash and then
the main flash when the picture is
taken.
The subject's flash cxposurc reading
is obtained with the preflash and
used to set the main flash output.
Wireless flash photography is there
-
by executed with an optimum flash
ou1put.
When the correct flash exposure is
obtained, the ST-E2's flash confir
-
mation lamp lights for about 3 sec.
immediately after the flash fires. If
it does not light, the picture might
be underexposed. In this case, use a
larger aperture or place the slave
28
closer to the subject and repeat
steps (2)to
(5).
With the EOS - 3, the model-
Ing flash can be fired to see
B ,'
the lighting effects before
the piclure is taken. See
page 32.
The slave must be properly
positioned to receive the
wireless transmission.
After the picture is taken.
the slave's operation result
is displayed on the slave's
display panel.
If the slave is in the SE
(Save Energy) mode, press-
ing the ST-E2's test trans-
mission button will cancel it.
When you press theshutter
button halfway and activate
the camera's exposure
meter, the ST
- E2 cannot be
used to cancel the slave's SF:
mode or to execute a test
transmission. The camera's
exposure meter must turn
off (viewfinder's exposure
setting display turns off)
before the SE mode can be
canceled or a test transmis-
sion executed.
AF - assist beam
Under low-light or low-contrast
conditions, the
ST-E2's AF -
assist beam is emitted toassist
autofocusing.
The AF - assist
beam is compatible with the
EOS-3's Area AF. TheAF-assist
beam's effective range
is about
0.6 meter to 10 meters at the
center and
0.6 meter to 5
metersalongtheperiphery.
The ST-E2's AF - assist bran> can he
emitted only while the ST-E:! is
attached to the EOS-3. In the
case of
EOS cameras with a built - in AF -
assist beam emitter, the beam will
be emitted by thecamera.
The slave's AF - assist beam is not
emitted (except when the flash is
ready).
44
To prevent overheating, limit
the number of consecutive
wireless transmissions to
50.
After 50 consecutive wireless
transmissions, allow theST
- EP
to rest for
10 minutes.
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