Canon Speedlites over 3rd Party Flash ?

[revidia]

Hi I am new to flash photography and is thinking of getting a 580ex ii for my 600d to venture into flash photography. I have also seen many 3rd party alternatives such as Nissin / Metz that can produce the same guide numbers at much lower prices.

Before actually buying, I would like to understand what are the advantages of getting a canon speedlite compared to getting a cheaper 3rd party flash ?

Is it also possible to use a Canon master to activate 3rd Party slave flashes ?



Thanks

[Woody]

I don't know much about Nissin or Metz products, but I do know that if you use canon gear you will not void your warranty if something goes wrong.

be careful with aftermarket stuff, including lenses, if they bugger up your camera, then you're on your own. The resale value is also important. Buy cheap, sell cheap. You can buy a Daewoo for under $20,000 new, but sell it second hand and you'll be lucky to get $6,000 just 12 months later.


Cheers,

John W

[Latcho]

Where can I learn about using my Speedlite? At the moment I am turning it on and letting luck prevail. Luck is doing Ok but there must be more to it.

[cyber3d]

I'm in the market for a 580ex II. I found a couple of good resources for learning how to use them:

Canon DLC: Article: Speedlite Tip Series, Part 2: Beyond the Instruction Manual

I like Joel Grimes tutorial videos too. Just YouTube him or YouTube search for "Speedlite tutorial"

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Woody

I don't know much about Nissin or Metz products, but I do know that if you use canon gear you will not void your warranty if something goes wrong.

be careful with aftermarket stuff, including lenses, if they bugger up your camera, then you're on your own. The resale value is also important. Buy cheap, sell cheap. You can buy a Daewoo for under $20,000 new, but sell it second hand and you'll be lucky to get $6,000 just 12 months later.


Cheers,

John W

Who'd you hear that from?

[Jim Bryant]

Metz makes great flashes. I have a very good friend, who only uses Metz flash gear.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by revidia

... what are the advantages of getting a canon speedlite compared to getting a cheaper 3rd party flash ?

Generally, it's a matter of features and future compatibility. Most 3rd party offerings have to be created by reverse engineering, so the design of the computer/digital logic is kind of a black box to them. They only know the output signals as they are today. If Canon chooses to change the electronic communications between the flash and the camera to add more features, then a 3rd party flash may have its features screwed up. This is very similar to 3rd party lens issues. You may have no issues; you may lose features in the future. A 3rd party flash can really only be guaranteed to be compatible with the system as it stands when the flash was released.

Metz more or less gets around this issue by making its flashes' firmware upgradeable.

It's generally in the realm of the functions where the camera and flash have to communicate a ton of information: eTTL, wireless master/slave commanding, camera-menu control of a flash, and high-speed sync, that I'd look for these types of issues.

Is it also possible to use a Canon master to activate 3rd Party slave flashes ?

Yes, provided that the 3rd party flash has eTTL wireless slave capability. Be aware that a lot of these "eTTL capable" flashes may NOT have wireless slave capability. The wording of these things in specs can be a bit weird. A flash can have slave capability, but it could be simple optical slaving, not wireless eTTL.

As far as I know, the eTTL wireless capability in 3rd party slaves is pretty much limited to Metz and Nissin models, and the now-finally-released Youngnou YN-565EX. The Yongnuo does not do master, the higher-end Metz and Nissins can be master units as well.

To me, however, when you get to the point of buying a Nissin Di866 for all that capability, the price point and risk of future compatibility are getting high enough that just popping for a Canon EX makes more sense to me. YMMV.

[revidia]

Thank you Inkista, your inputs are much appreciated : )

[cyber3d]

IF you have not decided yet or if anyone wants to know more about Speedlite wireless remote control with a 60D here is a link:

Canon DLC: Product - On-Camera Tutorials: EOS 60DCanon DLC: Product - On-Camera Tutorials: EOS 60D

"Integrated Speedlite Transmitter" near the bottom of the list is a practical video on controlling multiple EX units. It looks complicated to me so one would have to really plan ahead to do this. On the other hand, such a great degree of control .... wow!

[Johninbigd]

I just bought my first speedlight, a 430EX II, last weekend. I've used it for one session and really enjoyed how easy it was to setup. I need at least one more flash, though, and I'm trying to decide if I want another 430EX II or if there is a 3rd-party flash that would work that is a little cheaper. Canon flashes are not cheap!

If anyone has anyone experience using 3rd-party flashes with the 60D, I'd love to hear your opinions.