Picking a canon speedlite ?

• _brian_

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 5:53 am

  I’ve read through reviews of speedlites and I don’t know what one to go for.
  The two that are in mind are the 430EX or 580EX ,I am inclined to go for the 430 but I’m not sure

  The 430 is smaller in size than the 580 and is suppose to suit my camera better .I’ve got a 350D at the moment and I don’t intend on changing it or buying another camera.
  Would I be better to go for the 580 ,or is the 580 just for professionals??

  I’m not in a rush about it ,but it has my head melted.
  nolonger

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 9:22 am

  I was looking at speedlights recently as well (on the Nikon side), and I guess the question here is: what are you planning on using it for? What features does the 580 have that the 430 doesn’t? Do you need those features, or ever intend to use them? If not, then the answer is simple: go with the 430. Since you’re an amateur, I’m *guessing* that the 430 will suffice. Just did a quick search and found this page comparing all the Canon speedlights and it seems like the difference between the 430 and 580 is that the 580 can be a flash master while the 430 can only be a slave, and the 430 is one step less powerful. I think unless you plan on buying multiple flashes and using them in a master/slave fashion (ie having flashes off to the side of where your camera is), you will be perfectly happy with the 430. Theoretically, the 580 will drop in price in the future, and you can always get it then if you intend on doing multiple-flash master/slave stuff (since you’ll need a second flash anyway).
  gerardk

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 9:44 am

  If your looking at the 580 ex this is a good link from amazon.com – it has customer reviews and sample shots to give you an idea of the range of it

  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002XQWCK/103-0231922-6703870?v=glance&n=502394

  There is also a good comparison/review here

  http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-580EX-E-TTL-2-Speedlite-Flash-Review.aspx
  _brian_

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 11:22 am

  I’m even more famboozled after reading that link antifuse :D , I thought i was doing the right thing going for the 430ex ,but that article is saying to go for the 580EX if possible.
  My concern is that theres stuff on the 580 that will hinder me learning the basics ,because it’s an advanced flash. But at the same time maybe the 580 is foolproof and will help me learn. Scuttereyeballs I don’t know which one to go for ,I can get the 580EX for 399 from technikdirect ,or get the 430EX now for around 290.
  One bonus for the 430EX is that it’s smaller and I’ve read that it suits the 350D a lot better .And it’s price is more stable ,theres not a hell of a lot of difference between high street and the net.
  nolonger

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 11:33 am

  Ok, since you’re really just getting it as a starter speedlight, I would suggest saving your cash (over 100 euro, that’s some serious smackers!) and getting the 430EX. It will do everything you need it to, has all the manual settings you’ll ever need down the road (ie once you’re more advanced), and once you want to go into a multi-flash setup (where you want to set up flashes on tripods, and other silly things like that), you can then get a 580 for cheaper than it currently sells for.
  _brian_

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 11:36 am

  thanks antifuse ,I’m off to get one so :D .
  _brian_

  Participant

  July 13, 2006 at 4:39 pm

  Got the 430 ,it’s a lot bigger than i thought it would be ,the other one must be huge altogether.
  Seems to be easy to use .
  Thanks for the replies ,

  Brian.