600EX-RT + ST-E3-RT remote zoom setting?

[Colorista]

Hi,
I must be stupid, I know this because I havn't seen anyone asking this question online, nor is it mentioned in the ST-E3-RT manual. My reason for buying the (to me, very expensive) ST-E3 radiotransmitter was so that I don't have to fiddle with my (600ex) flashes while they are inside soft boxes. I can adjust power, shutter curtains, groups etc, but I have not found an option for adjusting the zoom on the flash gun from the camera/transmitter. Is this not possible or am I missing something?

I often use flashes pretty high up and adjusting the zoom remotley would be perfect.
Side note: Apart from this, the ST-E3-RT is worth every penny, I can't belive I stayed with off brands for soo long,

 

[markphoto]

Unfortunately, zoom is not possible with the ST-E3-RT. I wish it was. I love mine too.

 

[Colorista]

Unfortunately, zoom is not possible with the ST-E3-RT. I wish it was. I love mine too.

Thank you, saved me a couple of hours researching.
Seems odd that you can't zoom...Canon mentions multiple times in the manual how convenient it is to adjust "all settings" via radio. Maybe it isn't a big problem.

 

[Klick]

I can confirm that the zoom of the flash head cannot be controlled through the ST-E3-RT. I have been trying to find out what i did wrong but page 98 of the manual says that the zoom mechanism can only be controlled "when mounted on a supported camera".

Odd and a disappointment.

But there is also good news; the Quick Guide of the ST-E3-RT says that High Speed Sync won't work on older models like the 5DmkII. I can confirm that it DOES work ! The HSS-icon appears on the 600ex-RT as soon as i go beyond 1/200th sec in manual mode (camera). Of course you need to enable HSS first on the ST-E3-RT. Tested it thoroughly and i am very happy that it works. If it didn't it would have been a huge setback. I probably hadn't ordered it if i had read the Quick Guide before ordering.

I am extremely happy with this flash. I read tons of reviews of Pocket Wizard products and roughly 50% (read the reviews on Amazon and such resellers) of the users were happy with it. In my opinion that is way too low in my opinion. Waited a long-long time for this flash !

Expensive but worth every penny so far.

Cheers !

 

[RLPhoto]

No zoom control with 600RT's and Also No 2nd curtain sync off camera. Overall, Its still the best solution on the market for me.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I can confirm that the zoom of the flash head cannot be controlled through the ST-E3-RT. I have been trying to find out what i did wrong but page 98 of the manual says that the zoom mechanism can only be controlled "when mounted on a supported camera".

Odd and a disappointment.

The purpose of the flash's zoom head is to match the region of illumination to the FoV of the lens. The only way that's possible is if the flash is on the camera. Granted, we co-opt the zoom head function for creative uses, but that's not the design intention. So...a disappointment, but not really odd.

 

[privatebydesign]

But there is also good news; the Quick Guide of the ST-E3-RT says that High Speed Sync won't work on older models like the 5DmkII. I can confirm that it DOES work ! The HSS-icon appears on the 600ex-RT as soon as i go beyond 1/200th sec in manual mode (camera). Of course you need to enable HSS first on the ST-E3-RT. Tested it thoroughly and i am very happy that it works. If it didn't it would have been a huge setback. I probably hadn't ordered it if i had read the Quick Guide before ordering.

Are you sure that is what it says? I remember it saying ETTL II will not work in pre 2012 bodies in conjunction with HSS, and I can confirm that I have found ETTL II inconsistent when using HSS with pre 2012 bodies, however in M mode HSS works perfectly with 2012 bodies even when using three radio groups.

 

[YuengLinger]

Late to reply, but...Just found out the hard way that the st-e3-r3 doesn't control Zoom, which is a feature I used all the time when using a 600ex-rt as my master. So useful for softboxes, umbrellas, and when my assistant is handholding a 600ex-rt for fill during events with lots of backlight and booths.

One of the 600ex's selling points is the tighter zoom beam (200mm), so how they failed to include control on the transmitter is a true mystery.

There's even a blank spot on the menu for where the Zoom control SHOULD be.

Now I'm returning this to B&H, which I hate to do, as it isn't their fault. But why would I not believe the feature to be on here when it is on the 600ex? Like buying a new car and finding it doesn't have high-beams.

Canon--PLEASE issue a new version of the transmitter. This is pathetic.

 

[privatebydesign]

Late to reply, but...Just found out the hard way that the st-e3-r3 doesn't control Zoom, which is a feature I used all the time when using a 600ex-rt as my master. So useful for softboxes, umbrellas, and when my assistant is handholding a 600ex-rt for fill during events with lots of backlight and booths.

One of the 600ex's selling points is the tighter zoom beam (200mm), so how they failed to include control on the transmitter is a true mystery.

There's even a blank spot on the menu for where the Zoom control SHOULD be.

Now I'm returning this to B&H, which I hate to do, as it isn't their fault. But why would I not believe the feature to be on here when it is on the 600ex? Like buying a new car and finding it doesn't have high-beams.

Canon--PLEASE issue a new version of the transmitter. This is pathetic.

Are you trying to say that when you have a 600-EX-RT in the hot shoe you can remotely zoom other 600-EX-RT's? If that is what you are saying I think you are mistaken. The only flash you can zoom is the one in the hot shoe, it doesn't adjust the remotes. As the ST-E3-RT doesn't have a light there is no point in it having a zoom!

 

[YuengLinger]

EDIT Post was misinformed, erroneous, and embarrassing, so I've deleted the original. As neuroanatomist correctly points out, no Zoom control is available on the 600ex-rt from master to slave.

Canon Professional Services was confused about this issue, which is natural, as the menu system of the 600ex-rt indicates that the master is indeed changing the zoom on the slave, but this is an illusion!

 

[neuroanatomist]

Check it out: Hand hold a slave and watch the beam change as you change the settings on the master.

As stated above, flash head zoom is intended to match flash coverage to lens FoV, and only with on-camera flash is the flash-to-FoV relationship the same as for the lens. While remote control of flash zoom setting would be useful, it would not make sense to have all slaves set the same as the master, there would need to be separate controls for each slave...and there aren't.

Just tried it, one 600 on camera, another off (obviously), linked by RT. Changing the zoom setting on the master, either on the flash or in the camera menu, has no effect on the slave zoom setting, only the master zooms. With both flashes set to auto, zooming a lens changes the zoom on the on-camera master, the slave doesn't change.

 

[YuengLinger]

neuroanatomist, thanks for correcting my claim.

I want to apologize to the forum for posting something based on belief, not fact. When I made my claim yesterday, it was based on what I thought I remembered happening, as I was traveling light and did not have two 600ex-rt's to test before typing my bologna.

Canon Professional Services did, in fact, believe as I did, that the zoom head of a slave could be controlled from a master 600. When I fill out the latest feedback info, I will very politely point that out to them.

So I came home and, spurred by neuroanatomist's post, verified that he is correct with a simple series of test shots against a wall.


In the future, it would be great if Canon could figure out how to control the zoom feature from a master, but I realize now that any changes made, say for power or mode, are apparently transmitted when a shot is taken, not before. Since changing the zoom takes a few moments for the mechanism to adjust, making the change can't happen simultaneously with the shot.

So, I'm done hyperventilating on this issue and I will keep my st-e3-rt, which did work very well at the event I attended yesterday, despite not having the imaginary feature.

Cheers, all, and thanks for posting so much accurate stuff and catching the mistakes quickly.

 

[Janbo Makimbo]

There's even a blank spot on the menu for where the Zoom control SHOULD be.

Of course there is, there is nothing to zoom on a ST-E3, and as stated by others zoom control is only available with a flash on camera.

I am not even sure if a PW would control zoom remotely on flashes ?

 

[privatebydesign]

neuroanatomist, thanks for correcting my claim.

I sometimes think my posts are invisible :'(

If you want radio controlled ETTL flash zoom you can get it, just not from Canon. The Phottix Odin system of radio triggers does offer remote zoom, and second curtain sync (another feature Canon proprietary wireless control does not give us) and Group mode. I was torn between the Odin system and the RT system for a while, eventually I went for the RT system but if third parties can engineer these features into the old three group optical protocol flashes I do wonder why Canon didn't, I don't want radio second curtain sync often, but it would be nice to have the feature, as would remote zoom.

 

[jm]

took me a while to work that out also - you can't zoom from the transmitter, which is a little silly and a pain.

 

[digital paradise]

Just wondering how important that is to everyone. When I set my 600's up in soft boxes or umbrellas I already know the zoom length I will need for maximum light dispersion. I just use the STE3 to select the type of mode I want and flash duration. I suppose that when you are trying for effects like narrowing the beam for rim lighting effects or other stuff it makes a difference. I don't do much of that so it does not bother me. I really like the system.

 

[StudentOfLight]

Just wondering how important that is to everyone. When I set my 600's up in there soft boxes or umbrellas I already know the zoom length I will need for maximum light dispersion. I just use the STE3 to select the type of mode I want and flash duration. I suppose that when you are trying for effects like narrowing the beam for rim lighting effects or other stuff it makes a difference. I don't do much of that so it does not bother me. I really like the system.

+1. Zoom setting for off-camera flash is based on spread of light needed into the light modifier. The modifier distributes light onto the scene. If you're using a naked flash then you'd usually only adjust zoom is when moving your light stand so you'd be at the flash anyway.

 

[digital paradise]

Then there are the other two main complaints. No AF assist on the STE3. Don't need it in the studio and when shooting event photography I have a flash on my camera all the time anyway to bounce when I can even with remote flashes in the corners.

Lack of off camera 2nd curtain sync. Have not missed it but I am surprised Canon left it out for RT. Looks like Yongnuo will have it with their RT release, in manual only I think. Also their version STE3 will have AF assist. There will be a little pressure on Canon RT sales.

Overall I'm very happy with Canon RT. The group mode rocks.

 

[StudentOfLight]

Then there are the other two main complaints. No AF assist on the STE3. Don't need it in the studio and when shooting event photography I have a flash on my camera all the time anyway to bounce when I can even with remote flashes in the corners.

Lack of off camera 2nd curtain sync. Have not missed it but I am surprised Canon left it out for RT. Looks like Yongnuo will have it with their RT release, in manual only I think. Also their version STE3 will have AF assist. There will be a little pressure on Canon RT sales.

Overall I'm very happy with Canon RT. The group mode rocks.

+1. Also keen to get ahold of YN-E3-RT and hope Yongnuo soon release a radio receiver to trigger non-600-RT flashes.

 

[iam2nd]

Not a reply to anyone particular, but rather a coincidence that I see this thread after having just recently watched a video from CanonUSA's Bruce Dorn talking about using the zoom off camera. At 1:43: "...the expanded 200mm tele zoom setting is expecially useful for wireless flash when the speedlite is used off-camera."

Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT: Creative Lighting with Bruce Dorn -- Introduction (1 of 5)