580EX II vs 430EX II - Worth the Difference?

[Warlord3A]

I want to thank everyone for taking their time to provide much appreciated input. I guess I need to save my pennies for awhile and go for the 580. Thanks again for the help.

[CESTO]

Hello,



My question is mostly directed to all you 580ex ii owners and will aid in my decision as whether or not I need a 580.
I hope it will help others as well.

--->Do you ever use it on full power and if so, when and how do you do it?

I own a 430ex ii and i barely ever use in on full power.
I shoot weddings and portraits, and bounce a lot. I Fong it sometimes.
I only use it in manual mode, and stay 1/8th - 1/4th mostly.

BONUS ROUND!
Is there anyone with both models willing to do a real world field test.
Distance, coverage, etc...

Thanks,
-CESTO

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by CESTO

Hello,



My question is mostly directed to all you 580ex ii owners and will aid in my decision as whether or not I need a 580.
I hope it will help others as well.

--->Do you ever use it on full power and if so, when and how do you do it?

I own a 430ex ii and i barely ever use in on full power.
I shoot weddings and portraits, and bounce a lot. I Fong it sometimes.
I only use it in manual mode, and stay 1/8th - 1/4th mostly.

BONUS ROUND!
Is there anyone with both models willing to do a real world field test.
Distance, coverage, etc...

Thanks,
-CESTO

first you should start a new thread because it really is a new/different topic and this thread is several years old.

why use a 430/580 in manual mode? or better question if you always shoot in manual why waste your money on all the sophisticated electronics of ettl in the canon flash?

[CESTO]

Sorry,
I guess I should have started a new thread, due to age.

You make a good point, never thought of it like that.
I guess i've been fond of manual on my 430ex ii because my radio poppers don't do ETTL

Would another manufacturer without all the fancy electronics you speak of, give the same quality of light?

Any recommendations?

Thank you for your help.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by CESTO

Sorry,
I guess I should have started a new thread, due to age.

You make a good point, never thought of it like that.
I guess i've been fond of manual on my 430ex ii because my radio poppers don't do ETTL

Would another manufacturer without all the fancy electronics you speak of, give the same quality of light?

Any recommendations?

Thank you for your help.

"quality of light"?? it's a speed light - it is a compromise from the get-go... For the price of a 430/580 you can start to reach into the lower end of portable monolights with big power and the ability to mount lots of different light modifiers. (AlienBee w/mini, Calumet Genisis 300B, Dynalite)
Or if you really want to stick with a speedlight then something like the lumopro 160...

[CESTO]

Awesome, thank you for your help.

[LynnPhillips]

IS the Speedlite EX ll compatible with the Canon T3i? I just purchased this camera, and we are Newbies. I want to start with the best that we can afford. Any suggestions for other "must haves" without breaking the bank?

[sybren]

Originally Posted by LynnPhillips

IS the Speedlite EX ll compatible with the Canon T3i?

It probably is. Which one are you talking about? There are many "Speedlite EX" out there - it's the number that counds. This is a bit like saying you have "one of those EOS camera's" ;-)

I just purchased this camera, and we are Newbies. I want to start with the best that we can afford. Any suggestions for other "must haves" without breaking the bank?

A brain, an eye, hands to hold the camera and feet to move around ;-)

Honestly, work with what you have first, before shelling out for even more gear. It's easy to get swamped with all the new features you'll get; if that happens, you'll be afraid to get out of full-auto mode because you won't understand what's going on.

My suggestion: learn to work with what you have, get out of the auto-setting and really get a grip of your camera. Once you are that far I'm sure you've hit some limitation of your current gear. Then you'll know exactly what to buy to overcome that limitation.

That's a much better strategy than just buying what somebody on some forum though you'd need.