Canon 580ex ii

S

sattie_c

Suspended / Banned
Messages
36
Edit My Images
No
Hi,

I currently own a canon 450d camera and I now feel that i should purchase a flashgun for indoor photography. I am a novice photography with very little photo experience. I know the camera is capable of producing lovely sharp pictures but it's weak indoors. I've read a little about the canon 580exii and wondering if this would be best suited for me.

Any advise would be appreciated.

TIA

Satty
 
The 580EX2 seriously outbalances the camera IMO. Bought one and then quickly upgraded to a bigger body... Best to pop into Jessops and see the size of one and put it on a small body. They are good though - bounce flash is sooo much better than the little on body one.
 
I suppose I'm looking at the long term use, upgrading the body maybe one day but keeping the 580.
 
Maybe... I'd advise going into a local shop and putting one on a current small body (550D/600D) and seeing how they feel in your hands. The 430 isn't that much smaller than the 580 and the 580 has the distinct advantage you can swivel the head through 180 degrees in both directions (very useful for bounce flash in portrait mode).
 
The 580exII seems to have gone up in price quite a bit recently in comparison to the 430exII.

I do prefer the extra functionalilty of the 580exII, specifically the Master Mode which was the reason I bought the first one. When it came to buying the second flash....I took advice on here and pondered the 430exII but for the £100 difference at the time it was still a better deal for me to have another 580exII.

It does make the camera(500D) feel top heavy, I personally haven't found that an issue unless I'm shooting one handed (trying to hold a slave flash or reflector with the other hand) but even then...its not a deal breaker

Have a read here for a side by side.
http://photo-tips-online.com/review/canon-430ex-ii-vs-canon-580ex-ii/


Andy
 
Good article, thxs Andy.

Will have to go to jessops and compare the 2. Difference in price is £150, alot of money.
 
The Canon outlet on eBay auction them on a regular basis which can work out cheaper. They will be refurbished but have full 1 year warranty from Canon UK.

Refurbished covers a lot of ground but sometimes it's just marked boxes which they can't sell as new. If the item's not as specified you can send it back for a full refund.

None listed at the moment though.
 
Will keep that in mind, don't mind 2nd hand if it's in good condition.
 
If I were in your position I would serious consider the 580ex ll. A good second hand copy are going for only about £275 on here and you wouldn't regret getting one. But, try to get hold of one and see how it feels, but remember it doesn't live on top of your camera.

Ian
 
I think deep down my heart is set on the 580 because it does tick all the right boxes. Does this flashgun have any serious competition?
 
sattie_c said:
I think deep down my heart is set on the 580 because it does tick all the right boxes. Does this flashgun have any serious competition?
Click to expand...

580 is a fantastic gun, and it's bigger than most because it's more powerful (about 2/3rds of a stop more than the 430). It also has master controller functions for remote flashes but since that's no use to you without extra guns, you may feel the 430 ticks all the boxes you need.

The 430 does have high speed sync, which you will find very useful for fill-in flash outdoors, which some of the cheaper third party options do not. However, the Nissin Di866 and Metz 50 AF-1 do.
 
I think the Nissin Di866 is probably the nearest to it in features. I think the Metz brand might have a gun that compares.

http://www.nissindigital.com/en/Di866-1.html

If you ever get a second ETTL flash you will be able to control this remotely using a flash with the Master function. Whether or not you buy the 430 or 580 first doesn't really matter as you will need two for the wireless ETTL function anyway.

Of course you can buy a cord, retain ETTL and get the flash off camera that way....but I think decent cords and lengths could cost an additional £30-£50 and that could be 25% cost of a 430 (new)
 
Have read that the nissin di866 has a few reliability issues. I think most people recommend the canon 580. Maybe the extra cost compared to nissin is worth it in the long run. Any views about the Metz?
 
Sorry I've only used the 580s so can't comment specifically on Metz or Nissin.


Andy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top