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QuickGuide to Canon Speedlite
430EX II Modes and Functions
This QuickGuide provides a handy overview of the Canon
Speedlite 430EX II’s main features and operating modes.
As an aid to organization and understanding, we have
listed the features available in each operating mode and
how to access them. We have also listed the available
Custom Functions, which are the same in all mode. For
more comprehensive information please refer to the 430EX
II Instruction Manual.
CONTROL LAYOUT
LCD Panel
Displays flash mode, flash coverage angle, flash exposure
compensation, distance range, manual flash output level,
wireless slave channel and slave ID.
Display Illuminator/Custom Function (C.Fn) Button
Press once to illuminate the LCD Panel. Press and hold
for two seconds to access the C.Fn Menu. The 430EX II
features nine custom functions, listed on the reverse side.
Note: By default, the flash distance range is indicated in
meters. To change the distance indicator from meters to
feet, change C.Fn 00 from 0 to 1.
Flash Mode Button
Press the [Mode] button to cycle through the two flash
modes: E-TTL Automatic and Manual. The display will
change with each button press.
High-Speed/Shutter Curtain Sync Button
Press this button until the corresponding icon appears on
the LCD panel. When no icon is visible the corresponding
function is off.
Zoom/Wireless Selection Button
By default, the 430EX II will automatically adjust its
coverage to your lens’s focal length. Press this button once
if you want to set the flash coverage angle manually. When
the flash coverage indicator begins to blink, press the [
+
]
or [
–
] button to move the coverage indicator up or down
in value. An "M" icon appears when the 430EX II is set for
manual zooming.
Press and hold this button for two seconds to toggle the
flash from flash shoe operation to wireless and back. The
flash is in wireless mode when the LCD panel displays a
Channel and Slave number. Wireless operation is available
when the 430EX II is in either E-TTL Auto or Manual mode.
[+/–] Buttons
These buttons allow you scroll through the options
available for a particular feature set. They are active only
when a feature has been activated by one of the other
buttons.
7 – Select/Set Button
When the flash is in E-TTL mode, pressing this button will
activate Flash Exposure Compensation, indicated by a
blinking FEC icon. You can then use the
[+/–
] buttons to
add or subtract flash exposure from +3 to -3 stops in 0.3-
stop increments. Press the [
Select/Set
] button to register
your choice, at which point the display will stop blinking.
When the flash is in Manual mode, pressing this button
will activate manual flash power adjustment, indicated
by a blinking fraction. You can then use the [
+/–
] buttons
to adjust flash output from full to 1/64
th
power in 0.3-stop
increments. Press the [
Select/Set
] button a second time
to register your choice, at which point the display will stop
blinking.
E-TTL AUTOMATIC MODE
This operating mode uses the camera’s light meter to au-
tomatically control flash output and exposure. It is best for
situations where the flash-to-subject distance and subject
brightness are variable. The flash can be attached directly
to the camera’s hot shoe or connected via Canon OC-E3
extension cable. It can also be operated as a wireless slave
triggered either by a master flash unit (such as a 580EX II),
a Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter, or the built-in flash of
an EOS 7D, 60D, or Rebel T3i. The following features are
available in E-TTL auto mode:
Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC)
Press the [
Select/Set
] button. When the FEC symbol
begins blinking use the [
+/–
] buttons to add or subtract
flash exposure. You can adjust the exposure over a range
of +3 to -3 stops in 0.3-stop increments. Press the [
Select/
Set
] button to lock-in your choice, at which point the display
will stop blinking. (With most EOS bodies, this can also be
set on the camera body.)
Auto Zoom
By default the 430EX II will automatically adjust its flash
coverage angle to match the marked focal length of
whatever lens is attached to your camera. The auto-
settings are 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, and 105mm. Coverage
is based on full-frame 35mm format. If you have enabled
