430EX II or 580Ex II

travischance

This will be my first flash (never used one) and have seen positive reviews on both. The Dilemma: if I purchase the 430 and need to upgrade later, it would have been a waste of money. Secondly, I'd hate to pay for all the upgrades in the 580 that I may not ever use. Is the $150 worth it????

Any Canon rebates out there???

Cameron

uncletrav wrote:

This will be my first flash (never used one) and have seen positive reviews on both. The Dilemma: if I purchase the 430 and need to upgrade later, it would have been a waste of money. Secondly, I'd hate to pay for all the upgrades in the 580 that I may not ever use. Is the $150 worth it????

Any Canon rebates out there???

The 580ex (I or II) would be the most versatile choice, but comes at the highest cost. Besides the extra power, the 580ex can also act as a master to control other speedlights in a multi-flash setup.
The 430ex II is a great first choice though, and if you later decide you need more or want a multi-flash setup you could get a 580ex at that point and use your 430ex as a slave. What kind of flash photography are you going to be doing?

Toshido

I went with the cheaper 430 EXII when I bought a flash, I regret that choice. I now wish I had a 580EXII as well as the 430EXII.

If you do decide on cheap with the 430 it is still not a waste later if you want to try multiple flash setups as well.

I generally do ambient light pictures, but that is because I mostly use F/1.4 or 2.8 lenses as well. just got an F/4 lens and it hurts indoor with the smaller aperture so now I use flash a little bit more.

Just a few of my random ramblings, end result though is I wish I could go back and get a 580 EXII.

pathfinder

Likewise, I initially bought a 430ex, but ultimately regretted it and bought a pair of 580exs for the ability to act as a master or a slave.

If you know you will never want to use flash off camera, the 430ex will probably be adequate. But if you really want the creative control that off camera flash offers, I would pony up for the 580ex or the 580ex II. But do that knowing you will also want a 2nd or 3rd EOS system speedlite as slaves.

Tee Why

If this is your first flash and you want the best value, don't need to plug it into a power pack, don't need it as a master unit, don't need the extra little reach of the 580EX, then I'd get the 430EX II.

If you are very serious about flash photogrpraphy, intend to use it as a master flash for a multi flash set up, and/or really need a lot of power to reach far, then I'd say go with the 580EX.

photogreen

uncletrav wrote:

This will be my first flash (never used one) and have seen positive reviews on both. The Dilemma: if I purchase the 430 and need to upgrade later, it would have been a waste of money. Secondly, I'd hate to pay for all the upgrades in the 580 that I may not ever use. Is the $150 worth it????

Any Canon rebates out there???

Try reading this:Comparison: Canon Speedlite 430EX II vs. Canon Speedlite 580EX II review
It's not an easy decision. Canon 430EX II and Canon 580EX II are, both, good flashes. It all depends on your needs and budget It's a tough call. I went for 580EX II when it was my time

jd1585

I was like you, on the fence with the 580. I purchased the 430 EX about a year ago and loved it. I recently decided to add the 580 for the ability to work as a master, and the extra power. I love it, but if you are looking to save cash the 430 is still a good investment. You can also sometimes find the 580 used. I got mine for $300, and it was well worth the price.

ziggy53

The Sigma EF-530 DG Super for Canon is an excellent E-TTL II flash with a GN 132ft (50mm equivalent angle-of-coverage and ISO 100)(The Canon 580EX II is about GN 140ft at the same FOV), genuine E-TTL II (which means that with the appropriate body and lens and used flash-forward it is very accurate in calculating flash exposure despite difficult background and foreground elements) and a feature set close to the Canon 580EX series flashes. They do support the master-slave feature set as standard.

It is not as robust as the Canon flashes, nor is it as convenient to use as the original 580EX (although the 580EX II is not as easy either) and it does not support an external power source.

For the price and features it is a very good value and I use 2 of the previous flashes, the Sigma EF-500 DG Super, and they work fine for wedding and event work as well as personal.

http://www.photo4less.com/pd-productid-2289-k-sigma_169101_sigma_ef_530_dg_super_e_ttl_shoe_mount_flash_for_canon_eos_with_e_ttl_ii_operation.htm

cmason

I bought the 430EX and love it. It is much more compact, and therefore, I think I use it more often.

But I think your question assumes something that I found to be incorrect: one flash. Once you understand and get familiar with using an attached flash, you will quickly move to getting the flash off-camera. This will lead quickly to using multiple flashes. So, you won't be upgrading your one flash, you will be adding to your flash collection.

Where you start is dependent on where you think you will be. One primary benefit of the 580EX is that it can be a master controller to other Canon Flashes (see there it is again: more than one flash). So starting with a 580 allows you to add cheaper 430s later for additional flashes.

On the other hand, if you just want to get started and learn, the 430 is a touch easier, as there are fewer options and the controls are bit easier. Starting here means adding either a 580 later or going with a ST-E2 as your controller. This is what I did, and I really enjoy it. I started with a 430EX, added a ST-E2, and have since bought older used 420EXs to add additional flashes. I don't miss the 580EX.

jonboy61

Not veering too far from the question.. I recently got a Sunpak PF20XD to use with my 430 to use as a slave for macro work. The Sunpak slaves off of the 430 just fine for what I need, and I have read reviews of folks who used this little flash in multiples around a room, for instance.
The 580 was more than I need to spend and there are alternatives for a secondary flash.

Photoskipper

It may be more value for the 430. It is good for the first flash gun as it is more compact.
I got the 580EX at the beginning then added the 580 EXII but found the 430 is more easy to use.

jerryk

I find the versatility of the 580s are great the wireless ETTL in master-slave seems to work well.