Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash Overview And User Guide

[@MrKen-wy5dk]

Nice and informative video. Thank you for not using any obnoxious background music.

[@PhilUKNet]

Thanks and I know what you mean. I have used music before when showing a series of sample images, but a lot of the time it is just annoying.

[@nikolaipetrov622]

Ive learned the basics of my flash with this video. Thank you so much for making it!

[@PhilUKNet]

You're very welcome! Thanks for letting me know.

[@almarbanmusic]

Wow, this has helped me know some things I did not know about this used unit i bought some days ago. I got into the basics to use it as an on-camera and off-camera (master and slave) pretty easily but have not yet downloaded the manual. Thanks for making and sharing this superb piece !

[@PhilUKNet]

Thank you! I'm glad it helped. The 550EX is now quite long in the tooth (and a bit bulkier and heavier than newer flashes) but it's still a good unit. It's useful having both master and slave functionality and I quite like the fact that you can set it up without remembering which buttons to press and going through menus. I have found all of Canon's user manuals in PDF form on-line for free. It will certainly be worth having a read if you want to get the best out of the flash.

[@paultrunfull3324]

Nice vid , hehe have had one of these for years and iI still learnt a thing or two.

[@PhilUKNet]

Thanks! Generally, I only use it as a regular flash but for the video I thought I needed to include some of its more esoteric features!

[@niamhdoyle3366]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@PhilUKNet]

@@niamhdoyle3366 Thanks for letting me know 🙏

[@RastusMcbride]

Very good, thanks

[@PhilUKNet]

Thank you!

[@IanElson28]

Excellent, been trying to obtain high speed sync. Create a natural black background, and use the flash for the subject. Thank you very much.

[@PhilUKNet]

Thank you!

[@mokhimani]

Great introduction and overview Phil. This flash is so feature rich! Prior to progressing to using the advanced capabilities, your video helped me to determine the basic use, which works as the right starting point for me. Thanks again.

[@PhilUKNet]

You're very welcome! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂

[@musicmodelingandmedia]

Why do it take so long to load between pictures

[@PhilUKNet]

Are you referring to the flash recycle time? If so, it depends on which batteries you are using and how much power they have.

[@timobreumelhof88]

Thank you for this great video! I have a question though. I want to create a small studio setup for product photography. I'm using a canon 750d right now and im wondering if i should buy two 550ex or maybe 430ex2 flashes? The 550 is the older model but quite cheap second hand I noticed..

[@PhilUKNet]

I have both. The 550EX has a higher guide number and can be used as a master unit. The 430EX II has less functionality but is smaller and lighter. However, this won't be an issue with a studio set up. Despite having a lower guide number, it is still quite powerful. If you can find a couple of cheap 550's, that might be a better bet. They seem to last forever. Mine is over 40 years old and still working well.

[@timobreumelhof88]

@@PhilUKNet Thanks a lot for your advise! With all the different flash versions it's not that decide what to buy.. I'll go for the 550 :-)

[@PhilUKNet]

@timobreumelhof88 Pleasure! I'm not at home at the moment, but just from memory. The 550 has master capability, which the 430 doesn't. The 430 has a zoom head. It can detect lens length (and, I think, sensor size) and zoom the flash head to save battery power. They're both good units, and both are powerful. Presumably, in some kind of a studio set up, you will be using diffusers with the flash units. You can't really go wrong with either, but used 550's are probably cheaper. One thing to check. Years ago, alkaline batteries leaked badly if they were left in a device for too long. The acid would then destroy all the metal contacts. Take out the battery holder and make sure that the metal contacts are good.

[@timobreumelhof88]

@@PhilUKNet Right, the battery leaking issue you also mentioned in one of your video's :-) I'll definitely watch out for that!

[@timobreumelhof88]

​@@PhilUKNetThanks again. I bought 2 X 550ex speedlights for a total of 65 euro. Really happy. 😊

[@dzava]

I heard this would be a great candidate for my EOS3 film camera however I also heard some good rumors about Metz 54 - so which one would be better ?

[@PhilUKNet]

I can't tell you, John, because I have no experience of the Metz. What I can tell you is that I have never had any problem with any Canon flash I have ever bought - going back to the 199A that I got for my Canon A1 in 1981. Last year I decided to start doing some more macro photography and decided to get a ring flash. I wanted to buy Canon, but the MR-14EX II is quite expensive. I looked instead at the Yongnuo YN-14EX. The specs are almost identical to the Canon and it sells for a fraction of the price. It seemed like a real bargain so I ordered one. When it arrived I gave it a test and straight away found that it would only fire intermittently, so I sent it back. If you buy Canon accessories for your Canon camera you can be guaranteed they will work flawlessly. There are a lot of third party products that claim to be the same as Canon and sell for much less money, but there is a risk. I have bought third party products that have worked well, for example a Viltrox speed booster, but after the Yongnuo ring flash episode I vowed only to buy Canon accessories in future. Up to you!

[@dzava]

@@PhilUKNet thanks Phil, I wrote it because I also have Nikon FM2n with Nikon SB-20 flash but I used Metz 32 MZ-3 which toally outclassed the Nikon, therefore I just ask. But since that Nikon flash was a lower grade and this Canon flash was a top model in its day - I suppose Id rather go with the original one.

[@peterhardy5762]

Hi Phil which mode would you use on the flash if you were to shoot at say 4 to 6 frames per sec, im looking to handheld focus stacking. regards peter

[@PhilUKNet]

Hello Peter, I haven't done this myself so I don't really know. I've just looked in my EOS M6 Mk2 manual and there are two things that contradict what you want to do. 1) Focus bracketing is intended for still photo shooting on a tripod 2) Flash photography is not possible However, I see on the Internet that people have used flash with focus bracketing/stacking. With normal flash the flash unit may not cycle fast enough for 4-6 fps, depending on how much power it uses for each flash. HSS will probably be OK if your subject is near. Focus stacking is often used for macro, where subjects are very close. Regarding the mode, when you are stacking multiple images to merge them into a single image I think it's better to have the same depth of field for each shot, therefore aperture priority is one possibility. If you're using flash it might actually be better to put the camera in full manual mode so that the shutter speed and aperture is identical for each shot. If you are using flash set the camera in manual mode to expose the background correctly and just let TTL take care of the subject exposure automatically. It sounds like you need to do some trial and error, but this is the great thing with digital photography. You can try different things and see the result instantly. Not like the old film days when you had to send your film off to the lab and then wait for the results! Good luck!

[@albertcumin]

Brilliant video. Clean and to the point. Thanks a lot

[@PhilUKNet]

Thank you!

[@shantinila5088]

Thanks for detailed video. I have an issue with connecting the 550EX to two Balcar Flash strobes for a studio photo, and maybe you can help me? :) Balcar is an old brand out of production. The Balcar strobes seems to fire off JUST before the 550EX and is therefore not lighting up the photo. Ive tried everything, long shutterspeed etc. Occasionally it is synched. It suddenly worked when I put it on M or Multi. Would you have any tips? Thank you!!!

[@PhilUKNet]

I'd love to help you, but ...! I really don't know, I'm afraid. I have only ever used Canon flashes in a multi-flash set up and haven't played around with other brands. What makes it more complicated is that you say it works occasionally. This is quite a tough problem anyway, but if it's happening intermittently it's even tougher. Is the 550EX on camera? How are you triggering the strobes?

[@shantinila5088]

@@PhilUKNet thank you! Yes 550EX sits on a Canon 600D and triggers the strobes. The 550EX fires off on time but the Balcar strives are just too early. So far the best solution is triggering the flash from the 550EX and simply taking the photo with another Sony camera on 1 second shutter speed. It’s crazy but I don’t know what else to do.

[@PhilUKNet]

@@shantinila5088 I think I know, but I'm not at home at the moment with my equipment. With ETTL the flash fires a low power preflash just to get a light reading and then it uses that information from the preflash to set the light output for the full flash when the shot is taken. It seems that the preflash is triggering your strobes, which is why they are firing early, and what you need to do is turn off the preflash. I can't quite remember how to do it and I can't check right now. I don't believe the preflash will fire in M mode. You mentioned in your first comment that M mode is OK and this is the reason why. So just look at ways of disabling the preflash on your 550EX. I'm not sure if there are other ways apart from using M mode. Any sort of TTL mode will trigger the preflash in order to get the pre-shot light reading so you can't use TTL with your strobe set up.

[@shantinila5088]

@@PhilUKNet Hi Phil, i eventually tried with another speedlite, the Canon 500, and now it all works. So something was wrong with the 550. Thanks for your help, it was helpful to understand more!

[@PhilUKNet]

@@shantinila5088 I'm pleased to hear that you got it sorted out. Thanks for letting me know!

[@marczhang4348]

Why doesn't mine have ETTL but only TTL Manuel and Multi

[@PhilUKNet]

According to the user manual it depends on whether you use a Type-A or Type-B camera: Type-A Camera: E-TTL EOS-1D, 1V, 3, D60, D30, ELAN 7/7E, 30/33, 50/50 E, ELAN ll/ELAN ll E, 300/REBEL 2000, 500N/REBEL G, 3000N/66/REBEL XSN, IX, IX 7/IX Lite Type-B Camera: TTL All other EOS cameras You only get E-TTL if you use a Type-A Camera. Is your camera in the Type-A list? The 550EX was released in September 1998. I'm slightly confused because I saw a comment that all film models from 1995 onwards, and all digital models are Type-A. I'm therefore not quite sure. Which camera body are you using?

[@marczhang4348]

@@PhilUKNet Thanks for the reply, i'm using a canon 5Div body, I'm not sure if that's a type a or type b

[@PhilUKNet]

@@marczhang4348 According to what I found on-line, all digital bodies are Type-A. I just popped the 550EX on my EOS M6 Mk 2. When I press the Mode button it cycles between M, Multi and ETTL. When you remove the flash from the camera does it show TTL or ETTL? Mine shows ETTL. If yours shows TTL off the camera, perhaps it could be the LCD that is at fault? I'll keep looking through the manual and if I come up with anything I'll add another comment.

[@PhilUKNet]

@@marczhang4348 OK, I think I have found it. The 550EX has custom functions and CF 3 switches between TTL and E-TTL. Press and hold the LCD illumination button (the one with the little light bulb) for at least 2 seconds until CF appears on the screen. Press the SEL/SET button a few times until F3 starts to blink. Set the value to 0 (E-TTL) and not 1 (TTL) using the or buttons. Press the SEL/SET button again until the display stops blinking. Press and hold the LCD illumination button again to return to normal mode. It should now show E-TTL. Let me know how you get on!

[@marczhang4348]

@@PhilUKNet It worked! Thanks a lot

[@canyouhearmetoday]

does this take a cable to camera instead of batteries?

[@canyouhearmetoday]

you answered that! thanks

[@PhilUKNet]

@@canyouhearmetoday Glad you got your answer!

[@victor-vieira]

Hi Phil, I have got a Canon speedlight 550ex and I would like to use the high speed sync with a Canon remote. Does any Canon remote will do the job with this flash ? Many Thank in advance. Kind regards. Victor

[@PhilUKNet]

Hello Victor, I'm assuming that when you say 'Canon remote' you mean a slave unit used in conjunction with your 550EX as a master? Flash exposure compensation, flash exposure bracketing, flash exposure lock and high-speed sync can all be transmitted through the Canon wireless system. Any Canon slave flash should be able to handle HSS wirelessly.

[@TheSilverFoxDoesStuff]

Great vid, I learned loads

[@PhilUKNet]

Thank you! I'd almost forgotten about this video because it gets so few views. Glad to hear you found it useful!

[@TheSilverFoxDoesStuff]

@@PhilUKNet I've been a pro photographer for 25 years, but since lockdown I've forgotten more than I knew lol. It's like starting all over again. It's my first wedding today for 14 months, and guess what, it's raining

[@PhilUKNet]

@@TheSilverFoxDoesStuff Some years ago I had my arm twisted to do a wedding and after refusing half a dozen times I relented. It didn't go well. I admire people who do wedding photography. Hope it goes well for you!

[@TheSilverFoxDoesStuff]

@@PhilUKNet Well it's poring down and blowing a hooligan as we say up hear on the north east coast lol

[@kerryioannidis8545]

Hi Phil. Thanks for featuring the 550EX. Much appreciated. Your commentary is most refreshing. I am newbie subscriber and reviewing your most recent uploads. Thanks again. Like you, I am a Canon FD shooter.

[@PhilUKNet]

Thanks Kerry, your comments are very generous! It's an old flash now, but it's still a goodie and it has some nice features that many newer flashes don't have. I'm working on a new video at the moment. I haven't done much on the channel for a while for personal reasons, but I want to get it going again. Thx for subscribing - every new subscriber helps!

[@ceejayshotit9171]

Pls how can I setup a canon speed lite 550Ex flash and a x2T trigger.

[@PhilUKNet]

The 550EX works with optical pulsed light and the Godox X2T works on radio frequency 2.4GHz. Therefore, you can't directly control a 550EX using this trigger. However, I did a quick search and you should be able to do it if you buy a Godox X1R-C receiver. Put your 550EX into the hotshoe of the X1R-C receiver and then you should be able to trigger the flash using the X2T.

[@kitchenniyen2381]

Hi my pilot light doesn't lit after how many flash I've done..is it battery issue?

[@PhilUKNet]

It sounds like it. Have you tried a new set of batteries? I use rechargeable Eneloop batteries and find them to be very good.

[@jimi8899]

Hi Phil, just bought a ST-E3-RT (ver2) Canon trigger, but cannot figure out how to connect and fire my 550EX. Would appreciate any help you could offer - cheers

[@PhilUKNet]

I don't have any experience with the ST-E3-RT, so I'm not sure. There are two Canon wireless flash systems. The original one works using optical pulsed light, which is what the 550EX uses. The later version uses a radio signal, which is what the ST-E3-RT uses. The two systems aren't compatible. Therefore your radio trigger can't operate the optical pulsed light 550EX directly. I'm not sure if you can buy a radio slave device with a hotshoe that can accept the 550EX and trigger it wirelessly using the ST-E3-RT. As I say, I have no experience of the radio system. All of my Canon flash equipment works optically. Sorry I can't help more.

[@jimi8899]

HI Phil, thanks for taking time to reply to me. I had the feeling that they were not compatible after spending an hours or so last night trying to figure this out. Not all lost though, I do also have a new RT flash that works... Kop Khun Krap!

[@PhilUKNet]

@@jimi8899 Pleasure! There's probably a way of doing it, but I'm not sure how. At least you have a radio flash that you can use. With two different systems there will always be a degree of difficulty when you mix and match.