Flash Unit

starky987

I have a Canon Xti and was looking for a flash for my camera. I'm looking to spend absolutely as little as possible but I still want to make sure I get a good flash. I'm going to be using this flash for macro photography. I'm looking for recommendations as to what kind of flash I should get. thanks

pathfinder

While any cheap non-OEM flash can be used in manual mode with and xTI, the OEM flashes offer a lot of neat capabilities when shooting macro.

I would suggest reading carefully about the 430ex versus non-OEM flashes before you decide. ETTL can be very handy for macro, as can High Speed Synch.

For a manual flash, the Vivitar 285HV works well, and so some of the SunPak flashes.

For macro, Sunpak makes a flat panel FP-38 that works nicely - ISO 100 f16 at about 6 inches is where I generally start. It gives nice diffused lighting for macros.

Pilznr

I have the Canon 430EX that I bought for about $250. I do a lot of macro photography and I've had a lot of luck with using bounce cards, etc. http://www.mattpilsner.com/gallery/4143794_4WGZD#254935318

I didn't want to buy a macro specific flash because I didn't want to spend $700 for something that I could only use for macro. I use the 430EX for many situations, and it's very versatile for it's price.

henryp

starky987 wrote:

I have a Canon Xti and was looking for a flash for my camera. I'm looking to spend absolutely as little as possible...

Two options to consider:
Bower SFD728C TTL
Phoenix SmartFlash 99c

scottphotography

monolights
Can you tell me how the bowens vs alienbees compares? Im looking at the 1000w/s. Also, do you know if I can use pocket wizards on the bowens system?