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Canon Speedlite 420 EZ User manual

User manual for Canon Speedlite 420 EZ. 35 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.

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Brand
Canon
Model / document
Canon Speedlite 420 EZ
Document type
User manual
Language
English
Pages
35
File size
3.0 MB
Category
Flashes & lighting
Document date
Not specified in catalog

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Page 3 · Read text
Especiallydesignedfor EOS cameras,the
Canon Speedlite42OEZ is a high-perfor-
mance,electronicflash unit featuringthe
A(Advanced)-TTLautomatic f lash output
control,which respondsto a wide rangeof
illuminationf rom dark surroundingsto
bright (fill-in f lash) without troublesome
operations.Advancedtechniquessuch as
bounce and slow-syncflash photography
can be usedin the automaticmode.In addi-
tion, the large, easy-to-readLCD display
enablesyou to check shootinginformation.
Pleaseread this instructionbookletcareful-
ly for a full understanding.

. The Speedlite 42OEZ is sold in both
 "meter" and "feet" displayversions,but
 productavailabilitymay vary from area to
 area.
rThe EOS620 will be availablesoon.
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Page 5 · Read text
PreliminaryPreparations          OtherOperations
1. Loadingthe Batteries...........   p . 6         1. ProgramAE Mode[A-TTL]..............p 14
2. Mountingthe Flash           p . 7         2. Shutter-priorityAE Mode [A-TTL]... p.16
3. ReadyLamp and Test Firing     p . 8         3. Aperture-priorityAE Mode [A-TTL]. p.1B
    SE (Save-Energy)Function.......p . 8         4. ManualModeI-TLI            ........P.20
     Raoid-FireFlash           p . 9         5. ManualFlashExposure               . P.22
     Auto InternalZoom                         6. StroboscopicFlash           .........p.25
    Mechanism              p . 1 0       7. BounceFlashPhotography............p-27
     DisplayPanellllumination........p . 1 1       B. Second-CurtainSync Flash              \, '    AF AuxiliaryLight.......       p . 1 1        Photography...........       ...........p.30
BasicOperation            p . 1 2         HandlingPrecautions          p.31
                                              SpeedliteCare                p.31
                                         Program Characteristics       p.32
                                                Soecifications                p.34
   le8 -"-I-f,\

For easy referenceto the Speedlite'sparts,
pleaseunfoldthe front flap of this booklet.





                                                      "i$g&r      -&liislriiiiiaar
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1. Loadingthe Batteries





Use four, new, size-AAalkaline(LRG)or        Notes
Ni-Cdbatteries.Carbon-zincbatteriesmay         o Whenthe batteriesbecomeexhausted,replace
also be used,but their life is shorter.Wioe             all four at the sametime with the same brand.                                                                                                 . Removethe batteriesif you do not expectto usethe batteryterminalswith a clean,dry cloth
to ensurepropercontact.                        o theBatteryflashunitperformancefor aboutthreedeterioratesweeksor inlonger.cold
                                                temperaturesbelow 0oC/32"Fso pleasekeep
1) Slidethe batterychambercoverdown in           the batterieswarm until just before use. For
   the directionof the arrow to ooen.               best results,use fully-chargedNi-Cdbatteriesin
2) Loadthe batteriesso that theirterminals         cold temoeraturesbelow0'C132'F.
   face in the directionsindicatedby the                  . When using Ni-Cdbatteries,please note that
  diagraminsidethe batterychamber.             various brands have different types of ter-
3) Finally,pushthe covercompletelydown          minals. Be sure to use a  suitable type.
  and slideit back to close.                    RechargeNi-Cd batteriesaccordingto the                                            manufacturer's instructions.

6
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Page 7 · Read text
2. Mountingthe Flash





1) Loosenthe lock nut and slidethe flash        2) Tightenthe lock nut.
   unit into the camera'saccessoryshoe.
  To ensure correct electrical contact,
  makesure it is pushedin all the wav.
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Turn the main switch ON ("1" mark)and wait       Turnthe mainswitchOFF(" O " mark)when
for the ready lamp to light up. To test func-        flashphotographyis finishedto preventun-
tioning,press the ready lamp after it has lit       necessary battery consumption. The
and if the flash fires it is in proper working        Speedlite420E2 has a built-inSE (Save-
order.                                    Energy)functionthat automaticallyturnsoff
                                       powerwhen the flashis not usedfor approx-
o Flash charge is also confirmedby the " f  "        imatelyfive minutes(test firing, preflash,
  mark in the viewfinder.                            etc.).All paneldisplaysstartblinkingapprox-
o When the shutterbutton is pressedhalfway,       imately30 secondsbefore SE operation.
   the flash head positionautomaticallyadjusts.       Pressthe readylamp to re-startthe flash.  (seep.1O)
.  For interval flash photography,attach the
  TechnicalBack E and set the mode to the in-
   terval timer or self-timer.The flash charge
   startsautomaticallvone minutebeforeshutter
   release.
8
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Page 9 · Read text
Rapid-FireFlash Capability
                                                   (1) Yellow-green-  Indicates the unit in
                                                                       rapid-fireflash status,
                                                               but firesfor correctex-
                                                           posure.
                                                   (2) Red -  Indicatesthe unit is fully-
                                                   charged.
                                                                                      . See the guidenumbertablefor rapid-fire
                                                  flashstatuson o.34.



To help capturean unexpectedmomentin                                         Replacewith new batteriesif the yellow-flashphotography,the Speedlite420E2has                                         greenlampdoes not lightfor 10 seconds
rapid-fireflash capability,a  short flash                                                   after the main switch is turned ON.recyclingtime, previouslyimpossiblewith
any other SLR system.
Whencharged,the colorof the readylamp
changesas follows:
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   ATTL                                                ATTL       1T                  5il,,"                                                                                              ffird:lil   ^_liJmm




The Speedlite420E2 has an auto zoom        To change the   f lash head position
mechanismwhich automaticallyadjusts         manually,pressthe zoombuttonuntilthe
flash coverageangle to use flash energy         desiredsettingappears,the "M Zoom"
more effectively.                                    lights.Do not choosea settinglargerthan
The flash head positionautomaticallyad-          the lens focal length.Alwaysbe sure to
justs accordingto the lens focal length.         set the oositioneoualto or smallerthan
When usinga zoom lens, it also switches         the lensfocallength,otherwise,exposure
automaticallyaccordingto zooming.The            will not be uniform.
positionsettingol 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, or        o The guide number varies accordingto
BOmmand "A Zoom" appearsin the display         the flashhead position,see p.34.
panel.



t 0
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DisplayPanel lllumination               AF AuxiliaryLight





Press the light button to illuminatethe          In dark settingsdifficultfor autofocusing,
displaypanel for approximatelyeight sec-        the AF auxiliarylightautomaticallyemitsto
onds.                                      helo the camera focus. The effective
                                            distance range is approximately0.9-Bm'
                                             (3-26.2ft.)lf the subjectis too far away,the
                                   AF in-focusindicatorblinks.Removeyour
                                                finger from the shutter button and move
                                              closerto the subjectuntilit stops.





                                                                                                                                                                             t l
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Use the Speedlite42OEZin conditionsrang-          Setthe camera'smainswitchto the "Full
ing from total darknessto supplemental         Auto" position(green"9" mark).
daytimelightingby followingthese steps:
1) Slide the lens focus mode switch to
   "AF".





t2
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Correctexposu[edisplay
                            ArrL
                                               5[r,
                            F5.8



                                                            X-syncshutter speed       AF in-focus indicator
                                                                         Flash-chargecompletionindicator.
3) Turn the flash'smain switch ON and            c/ Exposurewill be correct if the X-sync
  makesure the readylamp lightsup.              shutterspeedand aperturevaluesre-
4) Cover the main subject with the AF         main continuouslylit.
     f rame and press the shutter button          o When both valuesblink,the subjectis
   halfway.                                      too far away.Removeyour fingerfrom
   .At  this point, the near-infraredlight           the shutterbuttonand move closerto
    emitsfrom the flashto choosethe cor-            the subject until both values remain
    rect aperturevalue.                          continuouslylit when pressedagain.
  o Both the X-sync shutter speed and         .When shootingin daylight(fill-inflash),
    aperturevaluesset automatically.              the minimumapertureof the lensin use
                                     may blink. The backgroundwill be
                                          overexposedbut the main subjectcor-
                                                       rect.(seep 15)
                                            .The camera-shakewarning does not
                                        soundwhen the flashis turnedON.
                                                                                                                                                        t 3
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A-TTLAutomatic Mode:
The Speedlite420E2 features the A (Ad-
vanced)-TTl mode which can be used
under conditionsrangingfrom total dark-
nessto fill-inflash.                      P
Flash output is controlled by  directly
measuringthe lightcomingthroughthe lens
and reflectedfrom the film surface,using                          r-?the sensorinsidethe camera body. More-
over, this A-TTL mode balances the ex-                              @--:Jposure betweenthe main subject illumi-
nated by the flash and the backgroundin
ambientlightto preventunnaturaleffects.
                                          Set the camerato "P" and the X-syncshut-  . The settingfor each shootingmode is                                                    ter speedand apertureare set automatical-   slightly differentso please read the                                                          ly so you can concentrateon picturecom-   followingcarefully.                                                 position.(TheX-syncshutterspeed is auto-
                                              maticallyset between1/60 and 1/250sec o The camera-shakewarning does not                                   '11125                                              with the EOS620, and 1/60and     sec  soundwhenthe flashis turnedON.                                              with the EOS650.)  . Whenthe camerais set to the depth-of-
   field AE mode with the flash ON, the
  mode is automaticallyswitchedto the
  programAE mode.



t4
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Page 15 · Read text
Correctexposuredisplay
                         ATTL
                                                        5['","
                             F I,E
                                                                               Aperture

                                                       X-syncshul                       -focusindicator                                                                                                                                                                   ,
                                                                         Flash-chargecompletionindicator
1) Turnthe mainswitchON and makesure         1. When both valuesblink,the camera is
  the readylamp lightsup.                     warningthat the subjectis too far away.
2) Cover the main subject with the AF        Removeyourfingerfrom the shutterbut-
     f rame and oress the shutter button          ton and move closerto the subjectuntil
  halfway.                                   both valueslight steadilywhen pressed
3) Exposurewill be correct if continuously         agaln.
    lit valuesdisplay.                              2. In fill-inflash,the aperturevalue may
                                                    startblinking;the camerais warningthat
                                        A-TTLis impossibleand the background
                                                            will be overexposed.The main subject,
                                          however, will be  correctly exPosed
                                        becausenormalTTL(seep.20)functions
                                                insteadof A-TTL.

                                                                              r5
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2. Shutter-priorityAE Mode [A-TTL]



          Tv
       lr.5




Setthe camerato "Tv" to set the desiredX-        1 ) Turnthe mainswitchON and makesure
sync speed.The X-syncshutterspeedcan           the readylamp lightsup.
be set between30 and 11250sec with the          .The shutter speed will be set to the
EOS 620, and between30 and 1/125sec             fastest possibleX-sync speed (11250
with the EOS 650. The aperture is set           sec with the EOS 620 and 1/125sec
automaticallv.                                   withthe EOS650)automaticallyif set at
                                               a highervalue.

                                                              z ) Cover the main subject with the AF
                                                                                           f rame and press the shutter button
                                                halfwav.


r6
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2. When the lens' maximum apertureCorrectexposuredisplay
                                                     blinks,the camera is warningthat A-
     ATTL  F'tI6iiI                       TTL is impossibleand the background
                                                              will be underexposed.The main sub-
                                                            ject, however,will be exposed cor-
                                                       rectlybecausenormalTTL (see p.20)     F/.n                               functionsinsteadof A-TTL.
                    Aperture                          o The maximumaperturevalue may
                                                 stop blinkingwhen a slowershutter
                                             speedis set:A-TTLis possiblebut be
  X-syncshutter             AF in-focus indicator              carefulof camera-shake.
                   Flash-char:gecompletionindicator
                                             3 . W h e n t h e  l e n s ' m i n i m u ma p e r t u r e3) Exposurewrll be correct if continuously                                                     blinks,the camerais warningthat    lit valuesdisplay.                                          A-TTL is impossibleand the back-
                                           groundwill be overexposed.The main  1. Whenbothvaluesblink the camerais                                                   subject,however,will be exposedcor-    warning that the subject is too tar                                                       rectlybecausenormalTTL (see p.20)    away. Removeyour finger from the                                                  functionsinsteadof A-TTL.
     shutterbuttonand move closerto the                        . The minimum aperture may stop     subjectuntilboth valueslightsteadily                                                     blinkingwhena fastershutterspeed    when pressedagain.                                                                   is set. A-TTLis possible.




                                                                                                                                                        t 7
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Set the camerato "Av" to take the subject        1) Turnthe mainswitchON and makesure
depth of field into account.This settingis           the readylamp lightsup.
best for fill-inflash portraitsand slow-sync
f lash photography. The aperture  is set         2) Cover the main subject with the AF
manuallywhile the shutter speed is set          frame and press the shutter button
automatically(between30 and 11250sec           halfway.
with the EOS 620, and between 30 and
11125sec with the EOS650).

 The automatically-setshutterspeedwill
 be comparativelyslow in the dark. The
 camera-shakewarningdoes not sound
 so use a tripod.


t 8
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Page 19 · Read text
2. Whenthe shutterspeedof 30 " blinks,Corrbctexposure,displaV                                                  the camera is warningthat A-TTLis
    ATTL  F't!+'Til                          impossibleand the backgroundwillbe
                                            underexposed.The main subject,
                                             however,will be exposed correctlY
      F \,8                                   tionsbecauseinsteadnormalof A-TTL.TTL (see p.20)func-
                                                o A blinkingshutterspeedof 30 " maY                   Aperture
                                                  stopwhena largerapertureis set.A-
                                          TTL is possiblebut be careful of
  X-syncshutter            AF in-focusindicator            camera-shake.
                    Flash-charglecompletion indicator
                                                       3. Whenthe fastestpossibleX-syncshut-3) Exposurewill be correct if continuously                                                           ter speed(11250sec with the EOS620     lit valuesdisplay.                                           and 11125sec with the EOS 650)
                                                     blinks,the camerais warningthat   1. Whenbothvaluesblink,the camerais                                          A-TTL is impossibleand the back-    warning that the subject is too tar                                            groundwill be overexposed.The main    away. Removeyour finger from the                                                    subject,however,will be exposedcor-     shutterbuttonand move closerto the                                                        rectlybecausenormalTTL (see p.20)     subjectuntilboth valueslightsteadily                                                   functionsinsteadof A-TTL.
    when pressedagain.                                                   . A blinkingshutterspeedmay stop
                                        when a smallerapertureis set and
                                            A-TTLis possible.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                      l g
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www.orphancameras.com                                        ',
                               ManuatModeffTll          ':?:':.=::':                                               ffi'o
TTL Automatic Mode:
Use this mode to control the exposureby                                         ffiwffi ,wHF,:HHBffiffijg.ffi"q,ffiry,
settingboththe shutterspeedand the aper-
ture manually.In the TTL mode,correctex-
posurecan be obtainedonly for the main                   1
subjectwhile A-TTLbalancesexposurebe-       M                TTLrrr:*n
tweenthe mainsubjectand the background                    i l 5                              5il,n,n
for correct exposureon both.




                                                1) Turnthe mainswitchON and makesure
                                               the readylamp lightsup.
                                                2) Setthe camera'sshootingmodeto "M."
                                           "A-TTL"displayautomaticallychanges
                                                      to "TTL" in the displaypanel.





20                                                                                             ---, &-'ii:i
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M
    IE\    \.8





                                                                  www.orphancameras.com
3) Set the camerato "M".                        5) Set the camera's AF mode to "ONE
  o lf the camerais set to anothershooting       SHOT"and focusthe subjectto readthe
   mode, the lens' minimum aperture         distancefrom the lensdistancescale.
    blinks in  the  viewfinder and  the
   camera'sdisplaypanelto warn you.

4) Setthe desiredX-syncshutterspeedand
  aperturevalueson the camera.(Referto
   the camera's instructionbooklet.)Cor-
   rect shootingdistanceappears in the
   displaypanel.
  oThe shutter speed will be set to the
    fastest possible X-sync speed (11250
    sec with the EOS 620 and 1/125sec
    with the EOS650)automaticallyif set at
    a hiohervalue.                                                     23
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Pointingthe flashheadtowarda wall or ceil-      hand,thereare no dark shadowsand a soft
ing and illuminatingthe subjectwith light       illumination.The Speedlite42OEZfeatures
reflectedoff of that surfaceis calledbounce     A-TTLor TTL automaticoutput control so
flash.Becausethe light is reflected,a loss      there is no need for exposurecalculations.
of lightvolumeis unavoidable,on the other





                          Bounce Flash Photography                  Direct Flash Photography

                                                                                           2l
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  o Bounce f lash can also be used with
    variousshootingmodes.(seepp.14-21
    for settingand exposureinformation.)
   Confirmexposurebefore shootingbe-
   causethe actualshootingdistanceis a
    total of the flash-to-reflectingsurface
    distanceand the subject-to-reflecting
   surfacedistance.
     . In bounce f lash only, the f lash head
   emitsthe visiblepreflashinsteadof the
    near-infraredlight.
     . When tiltedfor bounceflash,the flash
   head automaticallysets to 50mm and
    the display"--". The bouncemark (t)
    also appearsin the displaypanel.lt is
    alsopossibleto set the flashhead posi-
    tion manually.
  oThe zoom head swivels90" upward,
   180" to the left and 90" to the rightin
   any combination.Click stop positions
    are providedfor extraconvenience.To
   swingthe flash horizontally,first slide
    the bounce latch upward and then
    rotatethe flash left or right.



28
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