The choices are killing me :(

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Danny133

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IM in such a predicament

I have £75 left on an amazon voucher and waiting to be refunded £50 for a YN560 that hasnt turned up!

so £125 ... if i stump an extra £205 up i can have a 580 exii on my camera to control my pair of 430's off it ..

is this option better than upgrading my 50D to a newer body to allow wireless ettl? radio triggers are not an option i want wireless ettl

I was under the impression that on camera flash was crap and shouldnt be used .. is so why would i pay 330 to trigger a pair of slaves?

im confused and my heads banging
 
thats what i was going to do BUT i hear the 580 is better as it gives me on camera flash options .. im just curious if thats useful?
 
There is no such thing as crappy on camera flash! Stick a 430 on your hotshoe and you can bounce the flash in any direction until the cows come home.
Taking the flash off camera just increases the versatility of how you use the light to light your subject.

It's the built in camera flash that is crappy and limits you not on an board speedlite
 
For studio work it's true that on camera flash is going to be of very limited (no) use, so a 580EX would be a very expensive way to trigger remote flashes with ETTL. However, for run and gun shooting, either direct for outdoor fill, or bounced for a softer look indoors it is absolutely fine.

Rather than be too quick to jump to solutions, I think you need to work out just exactly what your requirements are. What sort of shooting, what sort of environments. If your interest is with indoor portraiture then I really don't understand why you are so convinced you need/want ETTL features. That is usually reserved for when you are having to work quickly in uncontrolled environments. For "studio" type shooting you are in control. You know your lighting, you know your modifers, you know your distances. ETTL will reduce the consistency of result, which is not what you want.

Can you explain the fascination with off camera ETTL? I'm not saying you're wrong to want it - you might have good reason - but what is the reason?
 
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i want to shoot on location aswell for studio type work out of the studio if that makes sense .. group shots that sort of thing so i want it to be fast and automatic but still have manual options when in a studio or ettl should i want it

just not sure if i should use 580 or ste2
 
OK, how big a group - how wide, how deep, how far away? How many off camera lights? What sort of lighting conditions - don't forget that both 580EX triggering and ST-E2 triggering has limited range in conditions of bright sunshine because the trigger pulse is with regular light rather than radio waves and it can be overpowered by bright sunshine. You also need line of sight between the trigger unit and the slaves, so that may further restrict your options with respect to modifier choice and light placement.

I don't know exactly the pros and cons of the 580EX vs Canon ST-E2 vs YongNuo ST-E2 but I do believe there are some differences. Whether any of them matter to you I could not say, but you should investigate the options fully. Other than that, of course a 580EX on camera can give you an extra light source. Maybe it will be useful, maybe not. I'm afraid I don't have experience of shooting outdoors with multiple lights so I'll have to leave that discussion to others.

p.s. Given the limitations of triggering off camera flash with (in)visible light in daylight, that option you were looking at of a 7D might not be a good alternative. Clearly as a flash it is weaker than the 580EX. Whether that also translates to the trigger pulse I have no idea. Just a thought. :)
 
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I personally think that you need to learn how to use your gear in manual . Once you get the hang of it you'll be able to set up in no time and rattle off the shots you need . TTL is not the be all and end all . Just get out there with friends and get into practice before trying bigger things . If you can get hold the strobist DVDs you will learn quite a lot from them . Not to be disrespectfull to you , it just seems that you are trying to run before you can walk . I've had a quick look at your web site and you describe yourself as "Semi Pro Freelance " Surley a semi pro would know how to set up flash manaully ?
 
i can do manual lol

this is what im saying i know i have a manual option with wireless trigger but i want the best TTL option for quick set up and ease of use .. i can lob up a couple of 430's without turning on triggers and settng channels and changing batteries and changing power .. all by which time the shots gone .. i want it fast and simple .. so ettl is what i need
 
Go with the STE and look out for a second hand 430 that will give you 3 guns OC for the price of the 580 .
 
good option i guess although im being pulled to that 580 everytime .. i work in tungsten heavy environments so perhaps a camera flash would be key and solve the problem
 
Surely though once the trigger channels are set they don't need touched again and you would always make sure your bats are fresh before a shoot so in theory switching on a few triggers only takes an extra few seconds more than the time it takes to set up your 430's
 
in theory yes but theorys dont always pan lol and in a hurry time is money ;)
 
Danny133 said:
in theory yes but theorys dont always pan lol and in a hurry time is money ;)
Click to expand...

True but getting the job done to a level that the client is happy enough with to pay you in the first place is paramount!
A good photographer would check batteries and triggers prior to a shoot anyway. How unprofessional would it look you set all your strobe gear up then your client watches while you faff about with switches and batteries
 
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wel yes but if youve been shooting a while and batteries run out or batteries go bust or you get interferance and need to be switching channel .. that takes time and as you say is unproffessional so ettl would be auto and easier and faster
 
I find on camera wireless systems like CLS to be unreliable and inflexible.

Get some radio triggers on there, get a flash meter, and shoot the lot manual.....
 
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