My baby hit the floor....

JohnBiggs · May 12, 2010

I was shooting a wedding reception in a tent at Elkridge Furnace Inn and a huge storm came through. The walls of the tent went wild. Later I was making the usual pass though the crowd and the DJ let me know my lightstand fell over.

Ouch. I was scared with my 580EX II on there. Not something I look forward to replacing. So I checked it on the light stand and everything seemed ok, just a scuff. I'm not sure how it survived a 6 foot topple with no umbrella or anything.

I usually don't use wieghts on my stands indoors, but this had me thinking. I'd use my cheaper flashes (LP120) but the recycle time will bite me. Plus I dropped a lp120 about 2 feet before and the red plastic broke right off. I'm sure the LP120 in the same situation would be toast.

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this other than to say watch your lights at a reception and +1 for the 580 II. I'm still a big fan of LP120's and other cheapies, esp when on a budget. But budget equipment + wedding environment doesn't mix.

zoomer · May 12, 2010

That can get expensive in a hurry, good thing they build them tough.
I can't tell you how many times my sb800's have hit the concrete :cry

Blurmore · May 12, 2010

I had a 580ex fall off a stand like 2 yrs ago, the red plastic thing fell off and some other stuff popped out. I just electrical taped the lens back on, works fine as a slave but not as a primary, no biggie though because I have a 430EX as backup.

LeeHowell · May 12, 2010

Blurmore wrote: »

I had a 580ex fall off a stand like 2 yrs ago, the red plastic thing fell off and some other stuff popped out. I just electrical taped the lens back on, works fine as a slave but not as a primary, no biggie though because I have a 430EX as backup.

Same thing happened to my 580 EX I...The red cover on the auto focus emitter popped off and it was easy enough to get back on. But the swivel head got a little sticky...It still would pivot, but you could tell the internal plastic and wires inside got disheveled in the fall.

About 2-3 months after that fall with a few jobs here and there in between, I was shooting a wedding and POW! One big loud, bright & final flash and that was all she wrote...Flash tube busted. I'm still not sure if it was the fall, or the age and frequent use of the unit that did her in...But as I'm sure we all already know, just be cognizant of when you use that unit and have your backup charged and ready! When that happened to me, I had my Sigma 500 as a backup which rendered my battery pack for the Canon flash useless, so I was swapping out hot AAs all night and wishing I had been a little smarter and had a better back-up or gotten the old unit checked before my next gig for a paying client.

On the plus side, I'm enjoying my new EX II :-P

Mishka · May 12, 2010

Ouch...that's always a scary thought...just imagine having a lens hit the dance floor. Not fun.

JohnBiggs · May 12, 2010

I hope I never drop my 5dII with the 85mm 1.2 on it. I think I will cry right there, and I'm not one to cry.

On the plus side, if the 580II does go out or break, I have enough of a contingency to handle it.

For batteries, once I started using NiMH, the need for the pack diminished. Though I try to keep the flash 1/4 or less. Before NiMH, I would burn through several sets of Alks.

My baby hit the floor....

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