Help getting my Sigma 530 Super to work wirelessly?

Kitty · 01-25-2011, 07:53 AM

I have read the manual a few times, but I'm still confused. I think I'm doing what they said, but it's not working. But I'm new to this, so I might be making a silly mistake.

The flash works fine when it's attached to the camera, and I'm trying to make it work off camera. I tried it like 10 times in slightly different ways.

Basics of what I'm doing is: camera is on, in P mode (but I tried Auto mode too), I attach the flash and turn it on, press shutter button halfway, take flash off camera, set it to slave mode (or it's already on it), and camera is in Wireless mode for flash (also tried it in manual mode), try to take pic. (I tried popping up the builtin flash too.) It takes but the flash doesn't fire.

Thanks!

RBellavance · 01-25-2011, 08:04 AM

You must put the flash in wireless mode by repeatedly pressing "MODE" until "TTL P C1 SL" appears on the flash's display (careful, there are three mode wireless modes: one labeled "P TTL C1", another "P TTL C1 CL", and a last one "C0 SL"). Put the flash in the camera's hot-shoe. Set the camera to wireless flash mode. "Ch 1" should appear on the camera's top LCD display. You can then take the flash off the camera, and it should work.

Kitty · 01-25-2011, 08:14 AM

Originally posted by RBellavance

You must put the flash in wireless mode by repeatedly pressing "MODE" until "TTL P C1 SL" appears on the flash's display (careful, there are three mode wireless modes: one labeled "P TTL C1", another "P TTL C1 CL", and a last one "C0 SL").

Yeah for all of my tests I have it in C0 or C1 SL mode. When it's in that mode mine does not say TTL, it has a wireless icon.

Originally posted by RBellavance

Put the flash in the camera's hot-shoe. Set the camera to wireless flash mode. "Ch 1" should appear on the camera's top LCD display. You can then take the flash off the camera, and it should work.

There is no top LCD display, and Ch 1 doesn't display on the main LCD or anything. But I can see its on W(ireless).

Still not working even though both are on Ch 1, no matter what I do so far.

enoeske · 01-25-2011, 08:31 AM

usual lighting advice: make sure your shutter is under 1/180th

audiobomber · 01-25-2011, 08:33 AM

Originally posted by Kitty

(I tried popping up the builtin flash too.) It takes but the flash doesn't fire.

Thanks!

You always need the pop-up flash to control the off-camera flash. Go into the camera menu and select whether you want the pop-up to contribute to the exposure or simply act as a controller. In either case, the pop-up has to be used and the sensor on the Sigma has to be able to see the flash from the pop-up.

stlind · 01-25-2011, 08:35 AM

after you´ve set the flash to wireless&slave as seen above, you choose your channel using select (i usually leave it to "1").

then you mount the flash onto the hotshoe, go to flash-modes, choose wireless. then "channel 1" should appear on your screen, camera and flash are now synchronized. remove the flash from the hotshoe (do not turn it off!). the AF-light should be blinking now.

then mount the flash on a tripod or whatever. pop up your on-camera flash, and there you go.

attention: it doesnt work very well in daylight.

(one example here, i just had my first tries with this as well: IMGP0286 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!)

RBellavance · 01-25-2011, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by Kitty

Yeah for all of my tests I have it in C0 or C1 SL mode. When it's in that mode mine does not say TTL, it has a wireless icon.

You need to find the mode that says "P" in the upper-left corner, has a wireless icon, and is labeled "TTL C# SL" (where # is the channel number). It will not work otherwise.

Kitty · 01-25-2011, 10:10 AM

Not having any luck, but maybe a little bit of progress? In P mode, I was able to briefly (barely) see that mode with the TTL text. Once I select it and it shows TTL (and I believe it showed P too), that part disappears 1/2 a second later. Leaving the C1 and wireless icon. It's supposed to stay in the TTL and P mode?

Initially when I had no idea what I was doing, the front of the flash was sometimes blinking red. Now in the last 10 tries, I never get it to blink.

I do have the built-in one set to fire and it does.

I'm testing indoors with typical sort of low light, incandescent.

RBellavance · 01-25-2011, 10:33 AM

Hmmm, it could be that your flash is defective. I had to have mine exchanged shortly after buying it, and one of the symptoms was that it behaved erratically (eg. the "P" would flash on an off). It would also change mode when I half-pressed the shutter, and generally did not work reliably (severe over- or under-exposure) even in the hot-shoe.

hoanpham · 01-25-2011, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by Kitty

Yeah for all of my tests I have it in C0 or C1 SL mode. When it's in that mode mine does not say TTL, it has a wireless icon.

That's not correct setting. RBellavance got it.

Keep pushing Mode button and set the sigma to TTL P C1 SL
Set the camera to wireless flash, slower than 1/180, popup flash on.
Point the popup flash toward the sigma, half press the release button on the camera.
You should be ready.

Camera can be whatever mode, I just tested with M and P.

Kitty · 01-25-2011, 11:02 AM

Yeah, the TTL P not staying on seems wrong

Kitty · 01-25-2011, 11:33 AM

Also, with wireless mode, you have to put it on the camera in between every shot (to let it meter) or can you keep shooting additional pics as long as you don't let it time out?

Then there's an option to buy a separate unit to trigger and not need to ever use the hot shoe, but they are expensive, aren't they? And easy to use but would have to get used to triggering it properly? (Learning curve?)

RBellavance · 01-25-2011, 11:40 AM

Originally posted by Kitty

Also, with wireless mode, you have to put it on the camera in between every shot (to let it meter) or can you keep shooting additional pics as long as you don't let it time out?

As long as you don't change the channel and have the flash in the correct wireless mode, you can keep using it wirelessly. No need to return the flash to the hot-shoe at all.

Kitty · 01-25-2011, 11:46 AM

Okay good and thanks.

hoanpham · 01-25-2011, 03:26 PM

I keep C1 on mine.
However the sigma reset itself to C1 when:
- battery had been taken out/flat battery,
- circle through modes by pressing Mode button several times.
There is no memory, a kind of annoying during setup.

The pre flash communicates between the body and the sigma, no need to attach to hotshoe.

There are several settings you may need:
- Popup flash can be disable, but not turn off completely. Menu option on camera. Useful off camera flash.
- White balance as-is when using flash. Menu option on camera. Useful when using flash gel/color corrections.
- Contrast control ratio between popup and the sigma. Menu on Sigma. Useful for fill/shade control.
- Flash EV on camera and flash EV on the sigma can be used serially. Useful when more than 1 units for advanced setup or when bounce in p-ttl.

Regarding the trigger:
It's not expensive, but available only in manual flash. I found the learning curve much easier than memorize the setting and menu sequence of the sigma.

01-25-2011, 07:53 AM	#1
Kitty Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 102	Help getting my Sigma 530 Super to work wirelessly? I have read the manual a few times, but I'm still confused. I think I'm doing what they said, but it's not working. But I'm new to this, so I might be making a silly mistake. The flash works fine when it's attached to the camera, and I'm trying to make it work off camera. I tried it like 10 times in slightly different ways. Basics of what I'm doing is: camera is on, in P mode (but I tried Auto mode too), I attach the flash and turn it on, press shutter button halfway, take flash off camera, set it to slave mode (or it's already on it), and camera is in Wireless mode for flash (also tried it in manual mode), try to take pic. (I tried popping up the builtin flash too.) It takes but the flash doesn't fire. Thanks!

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01-25-2011, 08:04 AM	#2
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	You must put the flash in wireless mode by repeatedly pressing "MODE" until "TTL P C1 SL" appears on the flash's display (careful, there are three mode wireless modes: one labeled "P TTL C1", another "P TTL C1 CL", and a last one "C0 SL"). Put the flash in the camera's hot-shoe. Set the camera to wireless flash mode. "Ch 1" should appear on the camera's top LCD display. You can then take the flash off the camera, and it should work.

01-25-2011, 08:14 AM	#3
Kitty Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 102 Original Poster	Originally posted by RBellavance You must put the flash in wireless mode by repeatedly pressing "MODE" until "TTL P C1 SL" appears on the flash's display (careful, there are three mode wireless modes: one labeled "P TTL C1", another "P TTL C1 CL", and a last one "C0 SL"). Yeah for all of my tests I have it in C0 or C1 SL mode. When it's in that mode mine does not say TTL, it has a wireless icon. Originally posted by RBellavance Put the flash in the camera's hot-shoe. Set the camera to wireless flash mode. "Ch 1" should appear on the camera's top LCD display. You can then take the flash off the camera, and it should work. There is no top LCD display, and Ch 1 doesn't display on the main LCD or anything. But I can see its on W(ireless). Still not working even though both are on Ch 1, no matter what I do so far.

01-25-2011, 08:31 AM	#4
enoeske Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Surprise, Az Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,136	usual lighting advice: make sure your shutter is under 1/180th

01-25-2011, 08:33 AM	#5
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by Kitty (I tried popping up the builtin flash too.) It takes but the flash doesn't fire. Thanks! You always need the pop-up flash to control the off-camera flash. Go into the camera menu and select whether you want the pop-up to contribute to the exposure or simply act as a controller. In either case, the pop-up has to be used and the sensor on the Sigma has to be able to see the flash from the pop-up.

01-25-2011, 08:35 AM	#6
stlind Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 48	after you´ve set the flash to wireless&slave as seen above, you choose your channel using select (i usually leave it to "1"). then you mount the flash onto the hotshoe, go to flash-modes, choose wireless. then "channel 1" should appear on your screen, camera and flash are now synchronized. remove the flash from the hotshoe (do not turn it off!). the AF-light should be blinking now. then mount the flash on a tripod or whatever. pop up your on-camera flash, and there you go. attention: it doesnt work very well in daylight. (one example here, i just had my first tries with this as well: IMGP0286 \| Flickr - Photo Sharing!)

01-25-2011, 09:43 AM	#7
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Originally posted by Kitty Yeah for all of my tests I have it in C0 or C1 SL mode. When it's in that mode mine does not say TTL, it has a wireless icon. You need to find the mode that says "P" in the upper-left corner, has a wireless icon, and is labeled "TTL C# SL" (where # is the channel number). It will not work otherwise.

01-25-2011, 10:10 AM	#8
Kitty Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 102 Original Poster	Not having any luck, but maybe a little bit of progress? In P mode, I was able to briefly (barely) see that mode with the TTL text. Once I select it and it shows TTL (and I believe it showed P too), that part disappears 1/2 a second later. Leaving the C1 and wireless icon. It's supposed to stay in the TTL and P mode? Initially when I had no idea what I was doing, the front of the flash was sometimes blinking red. Now in the last 10 tries, I never get it to blink. I do have the built-in one set to fire and it does. I'm testing indoors with typical sort of low light, incandescent.

01-25-2011, 10:33 AM	#9
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Hmmm, it could be that your flash is defective. I had to have mine exchanged shortly after buying it, and one of the symptoms was that it behaved erratically (eg. the "P" would flash on an off). It would also change mode when I half-pressed the shutter, and generally did not work reliably (severe over- or under-exposure) even in the hot-shoe.

01-25-2011, 10:57 AM	#10
hoanpham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Strand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,366	Originally posted by Kitty Yeah for all of my tests I have it in C0 or C1 SL mode. When it's in that mode mine does not say TTL, it has a wireless icon. That's not correct setting. RBellavance got it. Keep pushing Mode button and set the sigma to TTL P C1 SL Set the camera to wireless flash, slower than 1/180, popup flash on. Point the popup flash toward the sigma, half press the release button on the camera. You should be ready. Camera can be whatever mode, I just tested with M and P.

01-25-2011, 11:02 AM	#11
Kitty Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 102 Original Poster	Yeah, the TTL P not staying on seems wrong

01-25-2011, 11:33 AM	#12
Kitty Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 102 Original Poster	Also, with wireless mode, you have to put it on the camera in between every shot (to let it meter) or can you keep shooting additional pics as long as you don't let it time out? Then there's an option to buy a separate unit to trigger and not need to ever use the hot shoe, but they are expensive, aren't they? And easy to use but would have to get used to triggering it properly? (Learning curve?)

01-25-2011, 11:40 AM	#13
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Originally posted by Kitty Also, with wireless mode, you have to put it on the camera in between every shot (to let it meter) or can you keep shooting additional pics as long as you don't let it time out? As long as you don't change the channel and have the flash in the correct wireless mode, you can keep using it wirelessly. No need to return the flash to the hot-shoe at all.

01-25-2011, 11:46 AM	#14
Kitty Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 102 Original Poster	Okay good and thanks.

01-25-2011, 03:26 PM	#15
hoanpham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Strand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,366	I keep C1 on mine. However the sigma reset itself to C1 when: - battery had been taken out/flat battery, - circle through modes by pressing Mode button several times. There is no memory, a kind of annoying during setup. The pre flash communicates between the body and the sigma, no need to attach to hotshoe. There are several settings you may need: - Popup flash can be disable, but not turn off completely. Menu option on camera. Useful off camera flash. - White balance as-is when using flash. Menu option on camera. Useful when using flash gel/color corrections. - Contrast control ratio between popup and the sigma. Menu on Sigma. Useful for fill/shade control. - Flash EV on camera and flash EV on the sigma can be used serially. Useful when more than 1 units for advanced setup or when bounce in p-ttl. Regarding the trigger: It's not expensive, but available only in manual flash. I found the learning curve much easier than memorize the setting and menu sequence of the sigma.