Using flash triggers with Canon 77D

[Spam]

Hello good people, I'm hoping someone could assist with the following:

Until recently I was shooting with a Canon 100D. I was quite easily able to set up a portrait shooting scene using two Gloxy (GX-625C) remote triggers, with one of the triggers on the camera and the other on a tripod with a Canon Speedlite 430EX II. This set-up worked seamlessly in both E-TTL and manual modes, even combined with a generic flash on top of the trigger on the camera.

Then, I had the good fortune to be able to upgrade to a Canon 77D. But now that same flash setup doesn't work. I've read the manual and googled dozens of sites, but can't figure out what the problem might be (and it's not the hot shoe - the 77d still has a centre-pin). I gather that there are certain things you can do with the 77D using it's wireless capabilities and the built-in flash as a trigger, but these don't work with the 430EXII. Also, I'd prefer not to have to use the built-in flash at all.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

regards,

Simon

[Manfred M]

The first thing I would do is to see if there is a firmware update for these triggers from the manufacturer and download and install that. Looking at the Gloxy website, these appear to be "smart" triggers and they need to communicate with the camera and flash to work. Any updates in the camera / flash and the trigger firmware might have to be updated in the triggers for them to work.

This is often a problem with non-OEM parts. The products might not be compatible with newer generation cameras and flashes and there really is no incentive for them to do so. You might end up having to purchase newer triggers that are compatible.

[royent]

I don't know the 77D but when I changed to a 6D I had to go into the menus and set it up to fire an external flash
Just an idea
Roy

[Spam]

Thanks for the response, Manfred, but how would one do a firmware upgrade on triggers? What would you plug them into?

[Spam]

I don't know the 77D but when I changed to a 6D I had to go into the menus and set it up to fire an external flash
Just an idea
Roy

I've looked at that, Royent, but none of the options works with a 430EXII.

[Manfred M]

Thanks for the response, Manfred, but how would one do a firmware upgrade on triggers? What would you plug them into?

My triggers are PocketWizards and have a USB port built into them for this purpose. I've done firmware updates to them from time to time.

I know nothing about your brand and suspect you will have to check with the manufacturer.

[inkista]

... Then, I had the good fortune to be able to upgrade to a Canon 77D. But now that same flash setup doesn't work.

Could be they have the same hotshoe change that caused issues with 3rd party triggers and the 80D. But AFAIK what works on the SL1/100D should work on a 77D.

That Gloxy trigger looks like a rebranded Triopo TR. And from the photos on that sales listing, I'm not seeing a USB port for firmware update, so you could be stuck.

I would, however, recommend you check you haven't set your 77D's flash to off or any silent shooting modes are used. And maybe see if you've got wi-fi turned on or something else that could be causing radio interference (i.e., using the gear near a wi-fi router). Have you tried switching channels? Are you sure the transmitter's seated fully forward in the hotshoe. Are you sure the same channel is set on both?

... I gather that there are certain things you can do with the 77D using it's wireless capabilities and the built-in flash as a trigger, but these don't work with the 430EXII.

Actually, they should. The 430EX II has Canon's "smart" optical slave capability. You just have to put it into slave mode (hold down the ZOOM button for two seconds). You should have TTL and M remote power control and Gr mode with a 77D's pop-up; you just won't have HSS, since the pop-up can't do HSS. I get that radio's nicer, but optical is surprisingly useful, particularly in studio conditions.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Just me? Consider ditching your 430EXII and Gloxy triggers, and get some Godox gear. A TT685-C is more powerful than a 430EX II, can be used on-camera much like a 600EX-RT or 580EX II, and has both "smart" optical master/slave and Godox radio master/slave triggering built-in.

It's US$110, and Amazon.uk lists one on Prime at £86.40. An Xpro-C transmitter will give you TTL, HSS, remote power control, and TTL locking (TCM: TTL convert to Manual). And if you decide not to shoot Canon any more, it can, if its firmware is up-to-date be used in TTL/HSS with remote M power control as a radio slave in the Nikon, Sony, Fuji, micro four-thirds, and Pentax systems. So a move to mirrorless is covered by simply replacing the transmitter. Also, Godox has bigger-than-speedlight options in their system if you really want to expand.

Granted, it's cheap Chinese gear, much like Yongnuo/gloxy, etc. So, the retailer you choose can mean the difference between having actual warranty coverage or not, as Godox is crap at responding to emails, and the low pricetags typically come from less QA, and parts suppliers who do the same, so copy variance is wider than with OEM gear. But. A lot of us use Godox gear and are pretty happy with it. I have a TT685-C that I used with an XPro-C on my 5DMkII, an Xpro-O on my GX7, and an XPro-F on my Fuji X100T.

[Spam]

Thanks for that considered reply, Kathy. I know it's not wi-fi interference or the channel settings, because if I use my 100D the triggers work just fine. I'll check out what you said about using the slave capabilities.

Ditching in favour of something else is not an option, however. I just do this as a hobby, and I'm in South Africa, and right now our exchange rate is ZAR15 to the dollar and ZAR20 to pound sterling.

[Spam]

A follow up to this question I posed in November last year: I finally worked out what the problem was! It wasn't the remote triggers, it wasn't a compatibility issue, and it wasn't my settings. It was the hot shoe on my (then) brand new Canon 77d, which would work fine with a 430EXII directly mounted, but not with the remote triggers.

It took me many hours of fiddling during lockdown to figure this out, and many more to get the retailer to arrange a courier pick up. Their repair techs today confirmed that it was the shoe and they would be replacing it.

Looking back, I realised I should have been tipped off by the fact that I couldn't find anyone else online who had a similar problem. A Google search throws up this thread but nothing else.

Thanks again to those of you who tried to assist.

[Manfred M]

A follow up to this question I posed in November last year: I finally worked out what the problem was! It wasn't the remote triggers, it wasn't a compatibility issue, and it wasn't my settings. It was the hot shoe on my (then) brand new Canon 77d, which would work fine with a 430EXII directly mounted, but not with the remote triggers.

It took me many hours of fiddling during lockdown to figure this out, and many more to get the retailer to arrange a courier pick up. Their repair techs today confirmed that it was the shoe and they would be replacing it.

Looking back, I realised I should have been tipped off by the fact that I couldn't find anyone else online who had a similar problem. A Google search throws up this thread but nothing else.

Thanks again to those of you who tried to assist.

It's always good to figure out what the problem is / was. Mechanical connections are always one area to check out, especially with modern day flash and their relatively small contact points for flash / trigger to camera communications. That is one advantage of the older generation "dumb" triggers. The contacts are large and robust.