Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT- Manual

5 Contents 5 6 7 a : Wireless Multiple Flash Shooting with Flash Ratio ................... 61 q : Wireless Multiple Flash Shooting with Manual Flash Output ........... 64 [ : Shooting with a Different Flash Mode for Each Group .................... 65 Test Flash and Modeling Flash from a Slave Unit ....

6 * Not provided on Speedlite 600EX. (Do not function.) Nomenclature Catchlight panel (retracted) (p.28) Built-in wide panel(retracted) (p 30) Terminal cover Remote release terminal* (p.68, 70) Terminal cover External power source socket PC terminal Bracket mounting hole Flash head/Optical transmiss...

8 Nomenclature LCD panel E-TTL II/E-TTL/TTL autoflash (p.19) a : E-TTL I /E-TTL autoflash b : TTL autoflash f : Flash exposure compensation (p 22, 44) Flash exposure compensation amount Flash exposure level FEB sequence (p.96) g : FEB (p.23, 44) e : Zoom display (p.29) N : Wide panel + bounce warnin...

9 Nomenclature Manual flash (p.31) Stroboscopic flash (p.33) Auto/manual external flash metering (p.36/37) Manual flash output q : Manual flash Flash frequency Number of flashes ? : Multi (Stroboscopic) flash ISO speed - : ISO display / : Auto external flash metering . : Manual external flash meteri...

10 Nomenclature Radio transmission wireless shooting/optical transmission wireless shooting (p.47/75) Master unit Slave unit Linked shooting (p.70) ' : Radio transmission wireless shooting : : Optical transmission wireless shooting Flash mode [ : Group flash (radio transmission) k : Sync speed warni...

11 Nomenclature Accessories provided Mini stand pocket Speedlite case Mini stand (p.48, 76) Shoe Slits Filter attachment pins Reflection area Color filter holder SCH-E1 (p.39) Color filter holder case Color filter set SCF-E1 (2 types/p.39) Color filter case

12 Icons in this Manual 9 : Indicates the selection dial. 8 : Indicates the select/set button. 3 / 1 / 2 : Indicates that the respective function remains active for 4 sec., 6 sec. or 16 sec. after you let go of the button. (p.**) : Reference page numbers for more information. : Warning to prevent sh...

13 1 Getting Started and Basic Operations This chapter describes the preparations before starting flash shooting and the basic shooting operations. To avoid degrading and damaging the flash head due to overheating, do not fire more than 20 continuous flashes. After 20 continuous flashes, allow a res...

14 Install four AA/LR6 batteries. 1 Open the cover. Slide the lock lever to the left as shown in " , slide the cover down, and open the battery compartment cover. 2 Install the batteries. Make sure the + and – battery contacts are correctly oriented as shown in the battery compartment. The groov...

15 Attaching and Detaching the Flash 1 Attach the Speedlite. Slip the Speedlite’s mounting foot all the way into the camera’s hot shoe. 2 Secure the Speedlite. On the mounting foot, slide the lock lever to the right. X When the lock lever clicks in place, it will be locked. 3 Detach the Speedlite. W...

16 1 Set the power switch to < K >. X The flash recycling starts. 2 Check that the flash is ready. The flash-ready lamp changes in order from off to green (Quick Flash ready) to red (fully charged). Press the flash-ready lamp (test flash button) to fire a test flash. The Quick Flash function e...

17 Turning on the Power By setting the power switch to < a >, you can disable flash’s button and dial operations. Use this to prevent the flash function settings from being accidentally changed after you set them.If you operate a button or dial, < LOCKED > is displayed on the LCD panel (...

18 When you set the camera’s shooting mode to < V > (Program AE) or Full Auto, you can shoot in E-TTL II/E-TTL fully automatic flash mode. 1 Set the flash mode to < a >. Press the < E > button and set to < a >. Check that < M > or < x > is not displayed. 2 Focus t...

19 Just set the camera’s shooting mode to < X > (Shutter-priority AE), < W > (Aperture-priority AE), or < q > (Manual exposure) and you can use E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash. If you use the < Z > or < Y > shooting mode, the result will be the same as using the < V > (P...

20 Using E-TTL II and E-TTL Autoflash in the Shooting Modes EOS digital cameras have three sizes of image sensors, and the effective focal length of the mounted lens varies depending on the model. This flash automatically recognizes the image sensor size of each EOS digital camera, and automatically...

22 In the same way as normal exposure compensation, you can set exposure compensation for flash. The flash exposure compensation amount can be set up to ±3 stops in 1/3-stop increments. 1 Press the < @ > button. Press function button 2 < @ >. X < f > is displayed and the flash expo...

23 You can take three shots while automatically changing the flash output. This is called FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing). The settable range is up to ±3 stops in 1/3-stop increments. 1 Press the < E > button. Press function button 3 < E >. X < g > is displayed and the FEB level di...

24 FE (Flash Exposure) lock locks the correct flash exposure setting for any part of the scene.While < a > is displayed on the LCD panel, press the camera’s < B > button. On cameras without a < B > button, press the < 7 > or < P > (AE lock) button. 1 Focus the subject. ...

25 With high-speed sync, the flash can synchronize with all shutter speeds. This is convenient when you want to use aperture-priority AE for fill-flash portraits of a subject. Display < c >. Press function button 4 < Y > to display < c >. Check that < F > is lit in the viewfi...

27 By pointing the flash head toward a wall or ceiling, the flash will bounce off the surface before illuminating the subject. This can soften shadows behind the subject for a more natural-looking shot. This is called bounce flash. Set the Bounce Direction You can turn (bounce) the flash head while ...

28 Bounce Using the catchlight panel enables you to reflect light in a person’s eyes and create a more vivid expression. 1 Turn the flash head 90° up. 2 Pull out the wide panel. Pull up the wide panel. X The catchlight panel is also pulled up at the same time. 3 Push back the wide panel. Push back t...

29 e : Flash Coverage Setting When you position the flash head down by 7° while pressing the < z > button, you can shoot subjects at a short distance in a range of approx. 0.5 to 2 m (1.6 to 6.6 ft.).When the flash head is positioned down by 7°, the flash icon on the LCD panel changes to < ...

30 e : Flash Coverage Setting When you use the flash’s built-in wide panel together, you can perform flash shooting with ultra-wide angle lenses up to 14 mm. 1 Pull out the wide panel. Pull out the wide panel. 2 Push back the catchlight panel. Wide Panel When the flash coverage is set to manual, set...

31 You can set the flash output from 1/128 power to 1/1 full output in 1/3-stop increments.Use a hand-held flash meter to determine the required flash output to obtain a correct flash exposure. Setting the camera’s shooting mode to < W > or < q > is recommended. 1 Set the flash mode to &...

32 q : Manual Flash When the Speedlite is used with the EOS-1D series, you can also set the flash exposure level manually. This is convenient for shooting at a short distance from the subject. Use a commercially available 18% gray card and shoot as follows. 1 Set the camera and Speedlite settings. S...

34 ? : Stroboscopic Flash In stroboscopic flash, to ensure that the shutter stays open until the end of the continuous flashes, set the camera with a shutter speed calculated with the following equation. Number of flashes ÷ flash frequency = shutter speedFor example, if the number of flashes is set ...

35 ? : Stroboscopic Flash When the number of flashes is displayed as “---” (bar display), the maximum number of flashes is as shown in the tables. 1 to 199 Hz 250 to 500 Hz Maximum Number of Continuous Flashes Hz FlashOutput 1 2 3 4 5 6 - 7 8 - 9 1/4 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 1/8 14 14 12 10 8 6 5 1/16 30 30 30...

36 The Speedlite’s built-in external metering sensor measures the flash reflected from the subject in real time, and stops the flash when the standard exposure is reached.“Auto external flash metering” can be used with the EOS digital cameras released since 2007. “Manual external flash metering” can...

37 / / . : Flash External Metering You can manually set the Speedlite with the ISO speed and aperture set in the camera. The flash output is automatically adjusted according to the ISO speed and aperture that you set. 1 Set the flash mode to < . >. Press the < E > button and set to < ...

38 When the camera’s depth-of-field preview button is pressed, the flash fires continuously for 1 sec. This is called the modeling flash. It enables you to see the shadow effects on the subject, and the lighting balance during wireless flash shooting (p.47, 75). Press the depth-of-field preview butt...

39 When the color temperature of the Speedlite and the color temperature of the light illuminating the subject are different, unnatural colors may result for the subject background where the flash does not reach.By using a supplied color filter suitable for the color temperature of the illuminating ...

40 o Color Filter With EOS digital cameras released since 2012, you can also set the white balance to < A > for shooting. Check the resulting image, and perform WB compensation as required. When using a commercially-available 75 x 75 mm filter (3 in. x 3 in.), disable the automatic filter dete...

42 When using EOS digital cameras released since 2007, you can set flash functions or Custom Functions from the camera’s menu screen.For the camera operations, see the camera’s instruction manual. 1 Select [External Speedlite control]. Select [ External Speedlite control ] or [ Flash control ]. 2 Se...

43 Flash Control from Camera’s Menu Screen EOS digital cameras released since 2012 When using the flash with cameras such as EOS-1D X, you can set the functions for “Normal shooting”, “Radio transmission wireless shooting” or “Optical transmission wireless shooting” in the [ Flash function settings ...

44 Flash Control from Camera’s Menu Screen Flash firing To perform flash shooting, set to [ Enable ]. To use the flash’s AF- assist beam only, set to [ Disable ]. E-TTL II flash metering For normal exposures, set it to [ Evaluative ]. If [ Average ] is set, the flash exposure will be averaged for th...

45 Flash Control from Camera’s Menu Screen Zoom (flash coverage) You can set the flash coverage for the Speedlite. When [ Auto ] is selected, the flash coverage is set automatically according to the focal length of the lens. Wireless flash functions (setting) You can perform wireless flash shooting....

46 Flash Control from Camera’s Menu Screen The displayed contents vary depending on the camera. When C.Fn-20 to 23 are not displayed, set them by operating the flash unit. For the Custom Functions, see pages 95 to 100. 1 Select [Flash C.Fn settings]. Select [ Flash C.Fn settings ] or [ External flas...

48 Using a Canon Speedlite (master/slave) with a radio transmission wireless shooting function makes it easy to shoot with advanced wireless multiple flash lighting, in the same way as normal E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash shooting.The system is designed so that the settings of the 600EX-RT attached to th...

49 ' Radio Transmission Wireless Flash Shooting You can divide the slave units into two or three groups and perform E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash shooting while changing the flash ratio (factor). In addition, you can set and shoot with a different flash mode for each firing group, for up to 5 groups. Aut...

50 ' Radio Transmission Wireless Flash Shooting Shooting with a Different Flash Mode set for Each Group (p.65) Wireless shooting using radio transmission has advantages over wireless shooting using optical transmission, such as being less affected by obstacles, and not having to point the slave unit...

51 ' Radio Transmission Wireless Flash Shooting When performing radio transmission wireless flash shooting, restrictions may apply to the flash mode, maximum flash sync speed (referred to below as the “flash sync speed”) and high-speed sync function, depending on the camera that you use. EOS digital...

52 To perform radio transmission wireless shooting, set the master unit and slave unit with the following procedure. Display < ' > and < M >. Press the < I > button to display < ' > (radio transmission) and < M >. Display < ' > and < x >. Operate and set the...

53 Wireless Settings Setting the Transmission Channel/Wireless Radio ID of the Master Unit and Slave Unit Use the following procedure to set the transmission channels and wireless radio IDs of the master unit and slave unit. Set the same channel and ID for both the master unit and slave unit. The pr...

54 Wireless Settings Scanning the Master Unit Transmission Channels to Set You can scan the radio reception status and set the master unit’s transmission channel automatically or manually. When the channel is set to “AUTO”, the channel with the best reception signal is automatically set. When settin...

55 Wireless Settings The color of the < D > lamp changes depending on the transmission status of the master unit and the slave unit. You can set whether or not to fire, as a wireless flash, the master unit that controls the slave unit. When master flash firing is set to ON, the master unit is ...

56 Wireless Settings You can save the wireless settings in the master unit and slave unit, and recall the settings later. Operate the master unit or slave unit separately depending on which unit’s settings are to be saved or recalled. 1 Press function button 4. On the master unit, press function but...

57 This section describes basic fully automatic wireless shooting when using a 600EX-RT attached to the camera (master) and a 600EX-RT wirelessly controlled (slave). 1 Set the master unit. Set the 600EX-RT attached to the camera as the master unit (p.52). You can also use a Speedlite Transmitter ST-...

58 a : Fully Automatic Wireless Flash Shooting 5 Set the flash mode to < a >. Press the < E > button on the master unit and set the flash mode to < a >. The slave unit is set automatically to < a > during shooting via the control from the master unit. To also fire the master ...

59 a : Fully Automatic Wireless Flash Shooting When you need more flash output or you want to perform lighting more easily, you can increase the number of slave units and fire them as a single flash.To add slave units, use the same procedure as “Autoflash Shooting Using One Slave Unit”. Set A, B or ...

60 a : Fully Automatic Wireless Flash Shooting Flash exposure compensation and other settings set on the master unit will also be automatically set in the slave unit(s). You do not need to operate the slave unit. Wireless flash shooting with the following settings can be performed in the same way as...

61 You can divide the slave units into two firing groups, A and B, and adjust the lighting balance (flash ratio) for shooting.The exposure is controlled automatically so that the total flash output of firing groups A and B results in the standard exposure. 1 Set the firing group of the slave units. ...

62 a : Wireless Multiple Flash Shooting with Flash Ratio 4 Set the flash ratio. Press function button 3 < F >. Press function button 3 < A >. Turn < 9 > to set the flash ratio, and press the < 8 > button. Press function button 4 < ? > to return to the shooting-ready sta...

63 a : Wireless Multiple Flash Shooting with Flash Ratio 3 Set flash exposure compensation as required. Press function button 3 < F >, turn < 9 > and select < 6 >. Press function button 3 < B >. Turn < 9 > to set the flash exposure compensation amount, and press the <...

64 This describes wireless (multiple flash) shooting using manual flash. You can shoot with a different flash output setting for each slave unit (firing group). Set all parameters on the master unit. 1 Set the flash mode to < q >. 2 Set the number of firing groups. While < M > is display...

65 When using an EOS digital camera released since 2012, such as the EOS-1D X, you can shoot with a different flash mode set for each firing group, with up to 5 groups (A/B/C/D/E).The flash modes that can be set are " E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash, # Manual flash and $ Auto external flash metering. W...

66 [ : Shooting with a Different Flash Mode for Each Group 3 Set the flash mode. Set the flash mode of each firing group by operating the master unit. While < M > is displayed, press function button 3 < F > and turn < 9 > to select the group. Press function button 2 < 2 > and...

67 Test Flash and Modeling Flash from a Slave Unit 5 Take the picture. X Each slave unit fires in the respective flash modes set. In radio transmission wireless shooting, you can fire the test flash and modeling flash from a 600EX-RT set as a slave unit. 1 Display < N >. Press the slave unit’s...

68 In radio transmission wireless shooting, you can perform remote release (remote control shooting) from a 600EX-RT set as a slave unit.When shooting with this function, the “Release Cable SR-N3” (sold separately) may be needed, depending on your camera. For EOS digital cameras released since 2012,...

70 Linked shooting is a function that automatically releases the shutter of a slave unit camera by linking it to a master unit camera. You can shoot with linked shooting for up to 16 units, including both master units and slave units. This is convenient when you want to shoot a subject from multiple...

71 Linked Shooting with Radio Transmission 1 Set the flash or transmitter to normal shooting. Press the < I > button to set to normal flash shooting. Check that < ' > (radio transmission) and < : > (optical transmission) are not displayed on the LCD panel. 2 Set to linked shooting ...

72 Linked Shooting with Radio Transmission 5 Set all the Speedlites. Repeat steps 1 to 4 and set all the Speedlites to “Master unit” or “Slave unit” in the linked shooting mode. Set the transmitters used in linked shooting in the same way. When pressing the < I > button to change the setting o...

76 Using a Canon Speedlite (master/slave) with an optical transmission wireless shooting function makes it easy to shoot with advanced wireless multiple flash lighting, in the same way as normal E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash shooting.The system is designed so that the settings of the 600EX-RT/600EX attac...

82 a : Fully Automatic Wireless Flash Shooting 3 Check the transmission channel. If the channels of the master unit and slave unit are different, set them to the same number (p.78). 4 Position the camera and the flash. Position them within the range shown on page 76. 5 Set the flash mode to < a &...

89 You can directly operate the slave unit to manually set the manual flash or stroboscopic flash. This function is called individual slave. This is convenient when, for example, you use the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 (sold separately) to perform wireless manual flash or stroboscopic flash. 1 Set t...

92 You can customize the Speedlite features to suit your shooting preferences with Custom Functions and Personal Functions. Note that the Personal Functions are customizable functions unique to the 600EX-RT/600EX. 1 Display the Custom Functions screen. Press function button 1 < [ > continuousl...

93 C / > : Setting Custom and Personal Functions Custom Function List Number Function Page C.Fn-00 " Distance indicator display p.95 C.Fn-01 # Auto power off C.Fn-02 $ Modeling flash C.Fn-03 ( FEB auto cancel p.96 C.Fn-04 ) FEB sequence C.Fn-05 * Flash metering mode C.Fn-06 + Quickflash with ...

94 C / > : Setting Custom and Personal Functions When function button 2 < 3 > and then function button 1 < ; > are pressed on the Custom Function screen, the Custom Functions which have been set are cleared. Similarly, when the same operations are performed on the personal function sc...

95 C : Setting Custom Functions C.Fn-00: " (Distance indicator display) You can select the distance indicator display for the LCD panel from meters and feet. 0: m (Meters (m)) 1: ft (Feet (ft)) C.Fn-01: # (Auto power off) When the Speedlite is not operated for approx. 90 seconds, the power turns...

97 C : Setting Custom Functions C.Fn-06: + (Quickflash with continuous shot) You can set whether or not to fire the flash in continuous shooting while the flash-ready lamp is lit green (before the flash is fully charged). 0: OFF (Disabled) 1: ON (Enabled) C.Fn-07: , (Test firing with autoflash) You ...

98 C : Setting Custom Functions C.Fn-09: . (Auto zoom for sensor size) 0: ON (Enabled) When the flash coverage is set to “Automatic < L >”, it is automatically adjusted to match the image sensor size of the EOS digital camera being used. When mounted on a supported camera, < S > is displ...

99 C : Setting Custom Functions C.Fn-12: 3 (Flash recycle with external power) 0: 1 (External & internal power) Charges in parallel using both internal power and external power. 1: 2 (External power only) Internal power is needed to control the Speedlite. By using only external power for chargin...

100 C : Setting Custom Functions C.Fn-21: ; (Light distribution) You can change the light distr bution (flash coverage) of the Speedlite in relation to the shooting angle of view when the flash coverage is set to “Automatic ( L )”. 0: 8 (Standard) The optimum flash coverage for the shooting angle of...

101 > : Setting Personal Functions P.Fn-01: @ (LCD panel display contrast) You can adjust the contrast of the LCD panel in 5 levels. P.Fn-02: A (LCD panel illumination color: Normal shooting) You can select the color of the LCD panel illumination during normal shooting (on-camera flash). 0: GREEN...

102 > : Setting Personal Functions P.Fn-05: D (Color filter auto detection) 0: AUTO (Auto) Set this option when the supplied color filters are used. They are automatically detected. 1: OFF (Disable) Set this option when you use commercially-available filters. The color filter will not be automati...

103 7 Reference This chapter includes a system map, FAQ, and a description on using the Speedlite with a Type-B camera.

104 " Speedlite 600EX-RT # Speedlite 600EX (Cannot be used with 0 ) $ Mini stand (supplied with 600EX-RT/600EX) % Color filter holder SCH-E1 (supplied with 600EX-RT/600EX) 600EX-RT/600EX System ' " . "# - / % & 0 Wireless Flash Shooting Radio transmission Optical transmission $ + ) (...

105 600EX-RT/600EX System & Color filter set SCF-E1 (supplied with 600EX-RT/600EX) ' Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT Transmitter for radio transmission wireless control of Speedlites set as slave units. ( Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 Transmitter for optical transmission wireless control of Speedli...

106 When continuous flash, stroboscopic flash or modeling flash is repeatedly fired in short intervals, the temperature of the flash head may increase. When repeated firings of the flash exceed the values shown in the table below, the flash firing restriction activates automatically to avoid degradi...

107 If a problem occurs with the flash, first refer to this Troubleshooting Guide. If this Troubleshooting Guide does not resolve the problem, contact your dealer or nearest Canon Service Center. Normal Shooting Make sure that the batteries are installed in the correct orientation (p.14). Insert the...

108 Troubleshooting Guide You were too close to the subject. Move away from the subject. When shooting within 1 m (3.3 ft.) of the subject, set the bounce position down by 7°. Remove the lens hood if attached. Set the flash coverage to the automatic setting (p.29). When using the manual setting for ...

109 Troubleshooting Guide Radio Transmission Wireless Shooting When using a Speedlite 600EX (without radio transmission function), wireless shooting using radio transmission is not available. Use optical transmission wireless shooting. Set the master unit to < ' > < M > and set the slave...

110 Troubleshooting Guide Set the shutter speed 1 stop slower than the flash sync speed (p.51). When an EOS camera which was released up to 2011, has an N3 type remote control terminal and is compatible with E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash is used to perform remote release from a slave unit or when it has ...

111 Troubleshooting Guide Optical Transmission Wireless Shooting Set the master unit to < : > < M > and set the slave unit to < : > < x > (p.78). Set the transmission channels of the master unit and slave unit to the same numbers (p.78). Check that the slave unit is within th...

112 Type Flash Head Exposure Control Specifications Type: On-camera, E-TTL II/E-TTL/TTL autoflash Speedlite Compatible cameras: Type-A EOS cameras (E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash)Type-B EOS cameras (TTL autoflash) Guide No.: Approx. 60/197 (at 200 mm flash coverage, ISO 100 in meters/feet) Flash coverage:...

116 This section describes the available and unavailable functions when using the Speedlite 600EX-RT/600EX with a Type-B camera (EOS film camera supporting TTL autoflash).When the Speedlite 600EX-RT/600EX is used with autoflash with a Type-B camera, < b > is displayed on the Speedlite’s LCD pa...

120 4 sec., 6 sec., 16 sec. timer .........12 A AF-assist beam ............................20Auto external flash metering ........36Auto power off ........................16, 95Auto zoom support for image sensor size ........................................20, 98Av (aperture-priority AE) ..............