Canon 580EX - Manual (Page 4)

Thank you for purchasing a Canon product.
The Canon Speedlile 580£X is an EOS-dedicated, high-output flash unit
automatically compatible with E-TTL II, E-TTL, and TTL autollash. It can be
used in three different ways: As a normal on-camera flash, the master unit
for a wireless, multi-Speedlite flash system, or a slave unit.
• Read this instruction manual while also referring to your camera's
instruction manual.
Before using the Speedlite, read this instruction manual and your camera’s
instruction manual to famllairize yourself with the Speedlite operations.
• The basic operation is the same as with normal AE shooting.
When the 5B0EX is attached to an EOS camera, almost all automatic
exposure control for flash photography is handled by the camera.
It is almost the same as using the camera’s bulH-in flash if it has one.
You can think of the 580EX as a built-in, hIgh-output flash.
• It is automatically compatible with the camera's flash metering mode
{E-TTL II, E-TTL, and TTL).
The camera controls the Speedlite automatically in the following flash metering
modes;
1. E-TTL 11 autoftash (evaluative flash metering with preflash reading/lens
distance information)
2. E-TTL autotiash (evaluative flash metering with preflash reading)
3. TTL autoflash (oft-the-fllm metering for real-time flash metering)
Regarding the camera’s available flash metering modes, refer to the
camera’s instruction manual. The Speedlite’s major specifications are
listed in “External Flash Items,’’
The camera instruction manual’s chapter on flash photography will refer to
cameras having 1 and 2 as a Type-A camera (compatible with E-TTL or
E-TTL II). And cameras having 3 (compatible with only TTL) are called
Type-B cameras.
• This instruction manual assume that you are using the 580EX with a
Type-A camera.
For Type-B cameras, see page 53.