Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter for Canon 580EX II, 430EX, 430EX II Speedlites
by Canon Cameras US
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter for Canon 580EX II, 430EX, 430EX II Speedlites
Customer Review: works, but has its pros and cons
Summary: 4 Stars
Does not work well in bright sun, but indoors, and when dark, the IR does well. I shoot weddings and local shows, and lighting is always changing, the Ettl is a must, and is also great as a auto-focus assist (really great in low light).Customer Review: Canon ST-E2 Transmitter
Summary: 4 Stars
The only reason i give this a 4 instead of a 5 star is that it could use some updates. ie. metal foot, weather sealing, to bring it up to current standards. This transmitter works great and does all that Canon says it will.Customer Review: nice and helps a lot
Summary: 4 Stars
nice product
i faced some problems with sync is with more than one flash
Customer Review: Works well indoors / limited compatibility
Summary: 3 Stars
(See updated notes at bottom!)
First off, awesome idea!
Unfortunately, the idea wasn't perfected.
Getting your camera off the flash has gotten MUCH easier over the years - wireless triggers, ETTL cables, hotshoe-slaves, PC-Sync cables, you name it.
The problem is getting that flash to carry ETTL wirelessly. So far only a few transmitters do it, and they're all VERY expensive (requiring not only a transmitter, but also a receiver for each flash). That's where this little guy steps in.
The STE2 pops in your hotshoe and wirelessly triggers your Canon flashes (with slaves). The first problem here, is the "Canon" part - unlike the other options which work with ANY brand of flash, this one works with the Canon system. If you only own Canon flashes, no problem! If you own a mix, you've got a problem (the Canon's don't come cheap!)
The next problem is that it's line of sight based. This means it has to be able to "see" the other flashes. Not so much of a problem indoors (it'll bounce off walls and generally hit the flash), but outdoors you'll have issues. Sunlight, especially, causes signal loss and (especially using multiple flashes) it's not something you want to have to rely on (you'll spend time either trying to correct it, making sacrifices or not notice that half your flashes didn't fire (which would be too late)).
If you already own a Master/Slave flash (like some canon 580EXII's), try that on wireless mode to see how well it works outdoors, that should give you an idea of what to expect from this. Unfortunately, with it being unreliable, I just can't recommend it for anyone planning to use it outdoors. Indoors, you should be fine, but is it the option you need or would a cheap transmitter or sync cable do the same job for you?
Next problem is the battery - for some odd reason I can't understand, they decided to use non-standard batteries. No AA or 9V here, we've got a "2CR5" here. Have a bunch of these lying around? Chances are you don't, and you'll want spares for when you need to replace it!
One very cool thing about it is that it has Focus Assist - that's the little red pattern that the canon flashes use to help you focus in low-light situations. If you don't need to use the flash, you can still use this thing to help focus in darker locations without needing to mount a high-flash on top. I know I've used my 580EXII as a focus-assist tool (not using the flash output), so having this (much smaller) option is very nice. The question is, is it worth the asking price? For me, I say no. For you, maybe it is.
There are much better options out there - if you just need wireless, pick up a transmitter/receiver combo for 1/10th the price of this. If you need ETTL, spend 1.5x the price of this and get one of the new pocketwizards and a receiver - the extra range (and not having to fight with getting a line-of-sight) is worth it in the long run.
--UPDATE 11/15/2010
A 3rd party manufacturer, Yongnuo, has since released their version of the ST-E2 transmitter. Costing a bit less than the Canon model, it's nearly identical but with some improvements (including longer range (Autofocus assist beam and transmitter beam, ability to swivel left/right, runs of 2 AA batteries). While still not perfect, the Yongnuo version is a considerable improvement and one I can actually recommend if you're using ETTL!
Customer Review: Canon ST-E2 Speedlite transmitter
Summary: 3 Stars
Well I was very apprehensive about buying this item as it was overpriced, typical Canon sales.
I was very surprised with the unit, (make sure you buy a 2CR5 battery)The unit is very easy to control, you set the flash to slave and attach the ST-E2 to the camera hot shoe and lock it into position, switch the unit on and you are now ready to use the unit.
I wish I had bought one at the same time as my 580ex flash, I have been using the Canon OC-E2 off camera shoe cord for a while and have recently hacked it so I can extend the flash a distance of 50ft.
The ST-E2 wireless transmitter frees you of the hassle of cables and it is great indoors with off camera flash per the Strobist techniques,
outdoors might be a slight problem with distance and depending on how bright the day is when trying to use it, radio poppers or the pocket wizards are probably the way to go, but with the Canon ST-E2 you do retain full E-TTL.
If you are requiring further distances and already have this product then Radio poppers would compliment this however they are more expensive than Pocket wizards but they do retain the full Canon E-TTL system.
I wish Canon would come out with an updated model to this so that it would be a radio trigger and not optical.
At least with pocket wizards and the correct cords you can trigger the camera remotely or the flash if need be.
If you're on a tight budget then go with pocket wizards straight away as the system is expandable, They are more expensive than this unit, but you're not limited to one brand of flash either, a lot of photographers are using the Vivitar 285HV brand of flashes with pocket wizards and are getting great results.
Hope this review helps
Update, I now own Pocket Wizard Flex TT5's and Canon 7D
The ST-E2 is no longer required.