Calling all Canon Flash Users.

[Paul]

I am going to adding an external flash this winter as I gear up for my wedding and honeymoon next year. I have only found myself wishing I had a flash a few times but know I would use it more if I had one. Since my old flash won't do TTL I must by a speedlite. My 2 choices would be the 430 or the 580. I don't think I would need the extra bells and whisltes of the 580 unless I would later add a slave unit if I pursue my pet photography venture futher.

That being said do you guys think I should get by using the 430 or should I drop the extra coin on the 580. Or is there another aftermark solution I am unaware of.

[Steve Foss]

Paul, I had the same issue awhile back and chose the 430. I rarely use flash for nature photography, but when I do, a better beamer combined with the 430 has offered plenty of muscle for birds farther out, and the 430 alone has plenty of power for closer-in situations.

What I use the flash for a lot is fill for portraiture and wedding work. That's generally close in work, often in backlighted conditions outdoors, and the flash has performed admirably for that. Also, if you eventually want a master/slave setup, the 430 is designed to work as a slave unit.

If I put a flash through a lot of hard work and tough conditions, I'd have opted for the 580, because its build quality is better, but for what I need the 430 has been excellent.

[WCS]

Paul,

I have the 580 and love it. I also believe the 430 would have been all that I would have needed. I honestly only use a fraction of what the 580 has to offer. If you think you might need the features of the 580 later on, then I'd go with that one.

[MN Shutterbug]

Cripes, I haven't even read on how my built in flash pops up, yet.

[finnbay]

I have the 550 (pre-cursor to the 580) and have had good luck with it. I have shot candids at wedding receptions from across some large rooms with my 70-200 and it has performed well. It does have several bells and whistles that I never use. A 430 would have probably been good enough for most situations.

[Steve Foss]

Ken, like you I've had to shoot candids from some distance indoors, and that was the one thing that worried me about the 430.

But I'd been shooting an older, weaker Canon flash before upgrading and that flash had done an OK job. I've gotten excellent exposure and color saturation out of the 430 from as far away as 50 feet indoors (haven't tried it farther out) using the 100-400.

Heck, for almost all the flash work I do there are a ton of features on the 430 I don't even use. I do like the pop-down screen that widens the angle for when I'm at 17mm, and of course the on-flash exposure compensation is very nice and something I use all the time. Otherwise, I'm not using very many features.

I know you have a dedicated master/slave setup not including the 550, but curious if you've ever used your 550 as a master for slave flashes.

[finnbay]

Steve,

I haven't used it as a slave, though I've considered setting something up for shooting volleyball and basketball in the gym. Just haven't gotten to it yet. When I'm ready I'm going to get into a serious discussion with Dan about remotes and the whole shebang. (Another term for buzzsaw!).

[mcary]

I have the 430 as well. I have used it primarily for fill flash for portrait work. I have been very happy with the results. I did an outdoor wedding for a friend at night and it worked great as a primary light source when bounced off of the tent ceiling or walls. Very useful and versatile. I couldn't justify the 580 at the time, but I'm sure that one is wonderful as well.

[Dbl]

I use the 580 with my portrait work and sports work. I definitely need the extra power of this flash. I get faster recycle times because I can shoot at lower power settings than the 430. I am adding a second 580 along with a pair of Vivatar 285's. I shoot mine on manual off camera fired with Pocket Wizards a fair amount, hence the reason for the Vivatar's. They are only about $100 a copy and since all off camera flash is manual only with the Canon system unless you are using the Canon wireless remote (I wouldn't bother) no need to spend the big money on 430's or 580's. Indoors I much prefer the control of manual flash, manual camera settings, outdoors TTL and Av works well.

If you are going to use master and slave combos you may be better off buying the 580 to use as a master and a 430 as the slave. Depends on how you are going to expand your lighting. You could always start with the 430 and which may fit your needs and add the 580 latter if you felt the need. I would also look at a flash bracket for getting the flash up over the lens, I am parshall to the Custom Brackets CB Junior for candid work indoors and fill outdoors. I also use a very cool homemade reflector (cost about $5 to make) do get beautiful natural lighting indoors and out. I can send you a link to the how-to, actually it is not a commercial site so I could link it if you are interested.

This is an example of where the extra power of the 580 is nice in working with strong ambient light and the sun as a rim light. This was done manual with flash off camera and fired with Pocket Wizards.

[Steve Foss]

Great explanation and example, Dan.

[finnbay]

Thanks, Dan! I gotta sit down with you some day and buy you a cup of coffee. Need to pick your brain a bit! I was going to be down in the Cities in a couple of weeks, but now the kids have decided to come home for Christmas. Well, sometime this winter!

[Dbl]

Ken that would be fun! You can always call as well. Hope to get up to my in-law's place in Grand Rapids soon, over the holidays possibly. I get to Duluth rather frequent to keep my son out of trouble as well. We should meet somewhere in there and bounce ideas around. You'll be shooting remote camera's and flashing gyms in no time

[finnbay]

Hey, hey, hey - as a PE teacher, I DO have to be a little careful about flashing in gyms!

[Steve Foss]

Don't let him kid you, Dan. I've seen him flashing in gyms and it is NOT pretty!

[Dbl]

sorry Paul, didn't mean to get these guys sidetracked, but boy that is funny!

[Steve Foss]

Boy, I may regret this, but I must confess that Ken and I actually flashed side by side in some of those gyms. Yikes, what a mental image.

Yeah, sorry Paul. Hope a small amount of humor helps ease the pain of someone stealing your thread. We're really not supposed to do that.

[finnbay]

Sometimes side by side, sometimes at each other! Yeah, Steve and I got asked to leave more than once!

Okay, Paul, I'll quit now!

[Dbl]

Quote:

---

Boy, I may regret this, but I must confess that Ken and I actually flashed side by side in some of those gyms. Yikes, what a mental image.

Yeah, sorry Paul. Hope a small amount of humor helps ease the pain of someone stealing your thread. We're really not supposed to do that.

---

I may not sleep well tonight or the near future with that floating in my head....sorry, I'm done now.

[Paul]

that's all right, lord knows I have occasionally stollen or misdirectd a thread or 2 over the years. But it sounds to me like I can pretty much get by with the 430 for now, thanks for the help. (I'm Still mythed my old flash won't work with new camera though) but as Dan said I could use it with a homemade reflector setup (instead of a flasher for glow jigs in the ice house). My really old minolta flash is in the tackle box for that very purpose.

[WifeKidsandDog]

If you're planning on getting the flash off camera, I think the 580 II is well worth it and it's a good price compared to when it first came out. The II has a pc port so you can use triggers more easily. I have a 580 II and Elinchron Skyports and they work great. I'm actually thinking of ditching my Alien Bee monolight and just getting another 580.