What flash should I buy?

Trent · August 14, 2008

I have a Canon 40D and want a flash that is better then the built in one. What should I buy? I don't know much about flashes, that's why I'm asking this question.

I don't want to go out and buy some random flash, then realise 6 months latter that I doesn't do some function that I really want it to do.

This will be my first flash, so I want an all-round one, and something no more then $400. Less then $100 would be great. I of course will try to use it for everything: events, parties, concerts, shooting products, portraits. I want to go for canon brand, but would be happy to go with something else if its good value.

Thanks,

Trent.

Vanquiz · August 14, 2008

If $400 is you under your budget, I dont think you can go wrong with 580EXII. If you want to save a bit, try to find a good used 580EX for under $300.

In future if you want to add secondary flash, getting another 420/550/580EX you can use them together without any needs of additional trigger / wire.

Trent · August 14, 2008

This one looks good:

Canon 430EX Speedlite TTL Shoe-Mount Flash

The reviews from this site helped: Reviews of the 430EX

Trent

Trent · August 14, 2008

Thanks for that Vanquiz. So what cool things will I miss if I went with the 430EX instead?

Vanquiz · August 14, 2008

Trent wrote:

Thanks for that Vanquiz. So what cool things will I miss if I went with the 430EX instead?

A new 430EX is priced almost the same with a used 580EX, the biggest advantage between those 2, according to THIS article, primarily 580EX has a significant power advantage and can be used as a master/slave, which 430EX only can acts as a slave flash.

Scott_Quier · August 14, 2008

Vanquiz wrote:

A new 430EX is priced almost the same with a used 580EX, the biggest advantage between those 2, according to THIS article, primarily 580EX has a significant power advantage and can be used as a master/slave, which 430EX only can acts as a slave flash.

Actually, the power advantage of the 580 is something just under 1 stop (guide numbers 141' for the 430 vs 190' for the 580).

The real advantage of th 580EX II over the others is the quicker refresh rate and, to my mind, a better user interface. In addition, there's the abiltiy of the 580 to control other Canon compatible speedlights in a master/slave relationship.

The 580EX II goes for something just over $400 - so that's outside your stated budget. You might like to look at the Sigma line of dedicated flashes. The Sigma DG 530 Super for the Canon EOS goes for about $300 at B&H and has nearly all the features of the Canon 580EX. The build quality is a bit less robust, but there are many who swear by them - Ziggy as a couple (or more) that he uses in his professional work so it can't be too bad

ziggy53 · August 14, 2008

Scott_Quier wrote:

...

The 580EX II goes for something just over $400 - so that's outside your stated budget. You might like to look at the Sigma line of dedicated flashes. The Sigma DG 530 Super for the Canon EOS goes for about $300 at B&H and has nearly all the features of the Canon 580EX. The build quality is a bit less robust, but there are many who swear by them - Ziggy as a couple (or more) that he uses in his professional work so it can't be too bad

While the Canon 580EX II has some distinct advantages, external battery option with extremely fast recycle and a much more intuitive user interface, the Sigma EF-530 DG Super with the E-TTL II Canon mount has nearly as much power output (GN@105mm - 174ft / 53M), can work as master in a master/slave relationship and it's very reasonably priced. Sigma4Less has them for $230 USD and I highly recommend them.

http://sigma4less.com/sigma-ef-530-dg-super-e-ttl-shoe-mount-flash-for-canon-eos-with-e-ttl-ii-operation.html

One caveat, there are some users who had the Sigma shoe mount break on them and Scott is one of those individuals. Do be careful using any hotshoe flash not to stress the mount too much. If the mount should fail on the flash just thank your lucky stars it wasn't the mount on the camera.

The "hot-shoe" design is not a very good mechanical mount system and if I could find a better system I would use it. (There is nothing and we are stuck with the hot-shoe, like it or not. :cry)

Photoskipper · August 16, 2008

Have been using the 550 EX for years and just got the 580EXII.
The 580EXII works excellent and charging cycle time is much faster the 550EX.
The most important is the flash is very smart, it takes care the exposure in most of conditions without fail.

rpcrowe · August 16, 2008

It depends on your budget...
The top line Canon model is the 550ex II which runs $420 with free shipping from Adorama. The 430ex runs $234 + shipping from the same vendor. One advantage of the 550ex II over the 430ex is that the 580ex Ii can be used as a master with other Canon units as slaves. It is also somewhat more powerful than the 430ex.

In an economy mode, a used 420ex is probably one of the best values out there. You should be able to get one for a little over a hundred bucks. This unit doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the 580ex or even 430ex but, it is a solid performer and, like the 430ex, can be used as a slave for a 550ex or 580ex.

Speaking about the 550ex. That is another solid performer and was the flagship of the Canon flash line until the introduction of the 580ex. You should be able to get one of these used for somewhere around $200.

I use a combination of a 550ex and a 420ex. I like having two flash units since I most often shoot with multiple cameras and additionally, it is a safeguard in case of malfunction. The 550ex can be used as a master unit for the 420ex and 430ex as well as being used as a master or slave with another 550ex or a 580ex.

Getting a used 420ex can put you in business for about a hundred bucks and then if you desire, you can eventually add another unit such as a used 550ex or a new or used 580ex so you can take advantage of a master/slave setup.

IMO a 550ex plus a 420ex is a very versatile combination....

jethibod · August 18, 2008

Thanks for asking this, Trent.

Does anyone have any good advice for someone with a Nikon D80? I just got mine last week, and went shopping today for extra gear...I didn't realize that flashes are that much! (oh the things I have to learn!) I am a beginner, so I would like something very much like what Trent is looking for - a good all around flash that provides good value for my $$.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jen

ziggy53 · August 18, 2008

jethibod wrote:

Thanks for asking this, Trent.

Does anyone have any good advice for someone with a Nikon D80? I just got mine last week, and went shopping today for extra gear...I didn't realize that flashes are that much! (oh the things I have to learn!) I am a beginner, so I would like something very much like what Trent is looking for - a good all around flash that provides good value for my $$.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jen

Hi Jen, welcome to the Digital Grin.

The Sigma flash I mentioned above is also available for the Nikon i-TTL.

I use them professionally (Canon E-TTL II version) and I find them very competent. It is a very good value in a very punchy flash.

The Nikon flashes I would recommend are the SB-800 and SB-600. The SB-800 is more full featured and powerful, but the SB-600 is lighter and still pretty powerful. The SB-900 is brand new and I'm not sure I can recommend it yet.

pathfinder · August 18, 2008

Ziggy,

Move that flash off your penta prism onto a right angle hand camera bracket ( which is a much heavier duty cold shoe), and connect the flash to your camera with an off shoe ETTL cord.

This gets your flash farther up and away from the lens axis and uses a more robust shoe mounting. Pentaprism hot shoe mounts have always seen like a problem waiting to happen to me too.

One of the advantages of the 550ex or the 580ex ( and the 5800ex II ) is that they accept the Canon external battery pack - 8 AA cells - and your recycle times drop below 1 or 2 seconds, pretty routinely. Don't leave home without it.

ziggy53 · August 18, 2008

pathfinder wrote:

Ziggy,

Move that flash off your penta prism onto a right angle hand camera bracket ( which is a much heavier duty cold shoe), and connect the flash to your camera with an off shoe ETTL cord.

This gets your flash farther up and away from the lens axis and uses a more robust shoe mounting. ...

Absolutely!

When I shoot an event I use a Stroboframe Pro-T flash bracket. Not to be confused with other "flip" brackets this one works very nicely. I use an off-camera cord with a metal shoe.

When I do family stuff I often just mount the flash directly onto the hot-shoe of the camera. I just have to be careful with that setup.

jd1585 · August 20, 2008

pathfinder wrote:

Ziggy,

Move that flash off your penta prism onto a right angle hand camera bracket ( which is a much heavier duty cold shoe), and connect the flash to your camera with an off shoe ETTL cord.

This gets your flash farther up and away from the lens axis and uses a more robust shoe mounting. Pentaprism hot shoe mounts have always seen like a problem waiting to happen to me too.

One of the advantages of the 550ex or the 580ex ( and the 5800ex II ) is that they accept the Canon external battery pack - 8 AA cells - and your recycle times drop below 1 or 2 seconds, pretty routinely. Don't leave home without it.

Pathfinder,

Can the 550EX shoot automatic or does it only do TTL?

pathfinder · August 20, 2008

Yea!! Another Hoosier!!

I am not sure I understand exactly what automatic implies here. If you mean A-TTL, no it does not. Two sources of detailed information about the Canon EOS flash systems can be found here and here. Bookmark these sites, they are gold!

The 550ex is no longer manufactured, as it has been replaced by the 580ex and then the 580ex II. I just happen to still have a perfectly working 550ex and have not felt the need to replace it. ( I leave it permanently mounted on a light stand with a small soft box and a wireless trigger ) The controls of the 550ex are not quite as intuitive as the 550ex which I like the best of the three and the 580ex can still be found easily on the used market.

The 430ex seems appealing initially because of its price, but it lacks features that are worthwhile - the ability to work as a master flash in the EOS wireless system. The biggest advantage of the 430ex is it weighs less, and is slightly smaller to pack in your bag. If size and weight are not important, get the 580ex or the 580exII, or one of the Sigma's that Ziggy likes.

InsuredDisaster · August 21, 2008

jethibod wrote:

Thanks for asking this, Trent.

Does anyone have any good advice for someone with a Nikon D80? I just got mine last week, and went shopping today for extra gear...I didn't realize that flashes are that much! (oh the things I have to learn!) I am a beginner, so I would like something very much like what Trent is looking for - a good all around flash that provides good value for my $$.

Thanks so much for any advice!
Jen

Can't comment on the Sigma flashes but I had an SB-600 for years before getting an SB-800. I liked the 600 quite a bit. I like the 800 to but I think the 600 has years of fun packed into it.

What flash should I buy?

Comments