Canon ST-E2 | Blog | Mikko Niemelä - Freelance photographer

I was never into infrared TTL flash triggering, using radio triggers for all my work. When the staff at newspaper Keskisuomalainen swapped from Canon to Nikon, I was given a ST-E2 for free (thanks Rouhu!). Gradually I started using it more and more. It's very fast to set up and you can dial flash exposure from the camera instead of going to the flash for adjustments. I almost always use it with the camera set to manual and the flash in ETTL mode. The flash can be set to manual, but in a typical Canon flash way, it's a bit cumbersome.

While I've grown to liking it almost too much, there are several issues I have with it:

- The size. For something that emits a tiny little flick of IR light, it's too big. It looks like it would go BOOM! when you trigger it, but you only get a little sneeze of infraredness and that's it.
- The build. Not only huge, it's flimsy and plasticky and I do hope I never drop it (only matter of when). It should be built like a 580EXII but it's built like a 420EX. And it looks so 1987.
- The weatherproofing. You have weatherproof camera, lens and a flash. But no weatherproof ST-E2.
- The battery. It uses a 2CR5 battery. There should be a law banning everything that doesn't operate on AA's or AAA's (camera bodies and laptops excluded).
- The kick. Like I said, you'd expect a BOOM!, you get a zap. And a very directional zap. Very directional. It should have a swiveling head, with IR ports in front AND on both sides. That way it would be much easier to trigger flashes that are on your sides or high up.
- No control. You can only control two groups, instead of Nikon SU-800's three groups (which is fine now as I only have two EX-flashes). But the SU-800 also has a LCD panel where you can easily see what ratios you have set for each group. I almost never use ratios on the ST-E2, because I just can't remember which way the arcane markings on the ST-E2 work.

But instead of upgrading the ST-E2, Canon should just start building camera bodies and flashes with built-in ETTL-capable radio transceivers (with the option of remotely triggering a camera with another camera, with both cameras synched perfectly to remote Speedlites). And dream ending in 5, 4, 3...