Canon speedlite 430 EX II

lucky_13

lucky_13

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Hi i want to get a flush gun for me 550D to use for various situations including the use of (off camera flash) and as I've never used a flash gun before I have a few questions, 1) will the canon 430 EX II work wirelessly or does it need an adaptor like a pocket wizard? 2) I don't think my camera supports wireless triggering so would I need a pocket wizard for the 550D? 3) would a speedlite allow me to shoot @ faster shutter speeds than what the built in flash allows me to shoot? 1/200 is the max on the built in flash. Any help most welcomed.
 
1) No - you will require a wireless trigger - ebay wireless triggers are really cheap and although they have very little in common with PWs, they offer a great inexpensive way to get the flash off of the camera.

2) Only if you want all the extra features a PW provides - such as transmitting ETTL data.

Canon do make their own flash transmitter that slaves with the 430II, but it's a lot more money than an ebay trigger.

3) The flash would only sync at the maximum sync speed of the camera. So if you max synch is 1/200 you won't be able to go higher. Bear in mind though that flash duration is very brief indeed - so if you shoot in dark or darkish conditions it's actaully the flash that freezes the action, not the shutter speed - so the ability of the speedlight to produce a bright burst of light for a very short duration allows you to capture moving things in dark, low light conditions.

430II is a good choice I have two used on and off camera.
 
So how do I find out the max sync of my camera? Thank u for the reply.
 
1/200th is about the norm (just confirmed it on google) - It's more of a physical limitation than an arbitary setting by the manufacturers.

Most shutters work by have one curtain close when the other is opens - so on fast shutter speeds the sensor is exposed by a rolling motion. At speeds less than 1/200th the sensor is fully exposed (ie the second curtain does not move until the first has fully opened) This allows the flash to provide light onto the subject and for the whole of the sensor to be exposed to it. If you try and use flash at higher shutter speeds it leaves a black line across the top or bottom of the frame.

Hope this helps - I have a couple of film SLRs with a sync speed of 1/30 and 1/60th -so 1/200th isn't bad in comparison.
 
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