Question about promaster flash and sigma lens

CarnalSigh

A buddy of mine bought an XTI, and I sold him a couple of year old Sigma lenses that I never use. He decided that he needed to buy a flash unit for it and chose the 430EX as the one for him. Once he got to this camera shop he uses, he tried to buy the flash for $255. However, the proprietor talked him out of it. Instead, he talked him into a Promaster 7500 EDF. He told my friend that this unit is better than a 430EX, and comparable to the 580EX, at the bargain basement price of $200. Of course my friend jumped on it.

When my friend tried to use the flash with the sigma lenses, the autofocus would not work. He put on a canon kit lens and it worked, but neither sigma would work (one is a 28-70, the other is a 70-300). He took the flash back and the camera shop guy told him that sigma lenses need some chip installed by the factory before they'll work with external flashes.

Does anyone know if this is factual...or BS? Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

Tee Why

None of my Sigma lenses have a problem when I use a flash, but I use Canon flashes. I don't know who makes the flash for Pro master, but if his lenses work normally without the flash but won't AF with the flash, then it may be some problems with the lens/camera/flash communications.

I'd try a Canon flash and see if that solves the problem. If not some older Sigma lenses do need to be rechipped to work with modern dslr, but I've not heard of them working without a flash but not with a flash.

ziggy53

If your friend is interested in a bargain flash with true E-TTL II functions, have them look at the Sigma EF-500 DG Super E-TTL. (The "Super" is important.) The Sigma EF-530 DG Super E-TTL is a more recent and powerful version that might be easier to find.

Basically, the Sigma "Super" flashes have most of the function of the Canon 580EX, but at a cost closer to the Canon 430EX. I have two of the Sigma flashes and they work very nicely indeed and I use them in professional applications.

I believe the Promaster you described is a rebadged Vivitar flash and is not a flash I would recommend. If they want to go really cheap, a Sunpak 383 is a fairly powerful auto flash that can also work in manual mode.

All of the following are taken with the Sigma flashes (and I believe they were all using a Sigma lens as well):










The addition of light modifiers for the flash turns them into more usable devices. For light modifiers I recommend two that you can make:

A scoop type reflector:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

... and the "Better Bounce Card"
http://abetterbouncecard.com/

If you want a commercial product, Joe Demb makes some very nice products:
http://www.joedembphotography.com/flipit/

I use all of these for different situations.