2nd hand flash advice sought.

weybourne

weybourne

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Hi, I've noticed in the window of my local camera shop, a second hand Canon Speedlite 550 EX going for £75. I didn't manage to get a good look at it (it caught my eye as I was passing during my lunch-break) but it looked 'old' and the front lens or whatever it is called - the bit that the light exits by - looked a bit yellowish - couldn't tell if it was just discoloured by age, but that's what it looked like. It was next to an eos 3 and a 30D together with a small selection of lenses including AF ones - so I suspect they all came from the same source (this shop usually has a very small 2nd-hand stock)

I've got three points I'd like advice on:

1) Is the discolouration anything to worry about and are there any 'rules' or caveats when buying second-hand flashes that I ought to be aware of?

2) Given the price and the fact that it is a high street shop selling it, do you think this is a good price, too good to be true or a bad price?

and

3) Do you think I'd be better off going somewhere else or looking at new third-party flashes (wallet will not allow purchase of new 430 EXII and even a 270 EXII would be hard to justify)?

I haven't got a burning need for a flash but there have been some occasions when I have been frustrated/disappointed by or opted not to use the on-board flash (either not enough reach or too direct/harsh) and when I saw this one for £75, it got me thinking...:thinking: ;)

Any advice appreciated :)
 
Not sure about the 550EX as I've never used one. It may be worth looking at a Nissin Di622. They are made to a very high standard, can be used as a wireless off camera flash with the right camera and you could pick up a new one for a little bit more than the 550EX you've seen. You can also find the odd one listed in the classified section. I've got the Nissin DI866 mk1 and have never had a problem with it. Often used, it has a fast refresh rate and is good on batteries.
 
1) Is the discolouration anything to worry about and are there any 'rules' or caveats when buying second-hand flashes that I ought to be aware of?

2) Given the price and the fact that it is a high street shop selling it, do you think this is a good price, too good to be true or a bad price?

and

3) Do you think I'd be better off going somewhere else or looking at new third-party flashes (wallet will not allow purchase of new 430 EXII and even a 270 EXII would be hard to justify)?

I haven't got a burning need for a flash but there have been some occasions when I have been frustrated/disappointed by or opted not to use the on-board flash (either not enough reach or too direct/harsh) and when I saw this one for £75, it got me thinking...:thinking: ;)

Any advice appreciated :)
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure about the discoloration. I have an old flashgun that my grandmpa gave me a few years back which looked a bit yellowy, but it still worked fine. I believe ( i may be totaly wrong ) that this just happens with use, perhaps some kind of burning/staining by being constantly subjected to very bright light...

I think £75 is the right price for the condition of it ( the dicsoloration )

Second hand ones are going for around £100+ on ebay.

I bought a Jessops 360 AFD to get me started, and it's pretty decent. Atleast for while i'm understanding all about flashguns etc, it's great for the learning curve.
 
I had a 550ex for a while, not the fastest to recycle and quite noisy but powerful enough for most things and pretty well speced.
 
If it's not been abused, you'll not get a better gun for £75, no way. Main advantage of the 550 is that it's also a master unit for controlling multiple off-camera guns - plus good power and versatility. And high speed sync which is very useful and you won't get that this side of £200 (apart from the 270EX, which is not in the same class).

The yellowish tint is, I suspect, entirely normal. It's to counteract the naturally bluish colour that you often get with flash.
 
Thanks for all the replies - my fears have been allayed!. If I get the chance, I'm going to go into the shop tomorrow and have a better look - might even walk out £75 'lighter' (my puns are a crime).
 
Well I went back to the shop and the lens isn't discoloured! Must have been the way it looked in the window. There's a lot more scuffs and marks than I first thought too but they are superficial and essentially it appears to be fully functional. Turns out that a woman who works in the shop also does wedding photography and she was selling all her old kit (not sure if she was giving it up or upgrading - got the impression it was the former) - the EOS 3 and the 30D were both hers too. It was with a stand and lithium batteries but no case or manual.

So I bought it :)

Downloaded the manual, will google for a case sooner or later.

Thanks everyone for their input.
 
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