Which flash??

[Oppro]

I've decided I need a flashgun! I have a Canon 400D & am just a novice really but hoping to improve with time.

The dream flash is the Canon Speedlite 580EX II but it's £££££££.

Next one down is the 430 EX II but will I just want the 580 as time goes on?

Then there's the Sigma EF 530 DG Super Flashgun which seems to be between the two but less money, but is it a false economy?

Any thoughts?? TIA!!

[Canon Bob]

Why not land somewhere between the two and get a secondhand 550EX....£130-150 should get you a good specimen to cut your teeth on.

Bob

[CaptainNH]

When it comes to flash, in my view, it's one area of photography where bigger is better. With the 580II, whilst you might not always need the extra power, it's nice to know that it's there for when you do.

It would be awful to miss a shot because you don't have the power in reserve with the 430. (Think in terms of recharge times too).

That said, I have both and they are excellent units.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you can afford, but if the difference between the 580II and the 430II is saving for an extra few weeks, IMO it would be worth waiting for.

[natek313]

Not sure on the Sigma, but for the Canon flashes, it really just depends. How far do you plan on going with lighting? Are you looking to dedicate any area for "studio" work and have multiple lights, or are you just wanting to break the ice with flash photography?

My humble advice would be, if you're just wanting to break the ice right now, then just go with the 430EX II. It's the one I use right now, and it's a great flash for starting to learn on. It will allow you learn lighting techniques without dropping extra money on the 580EX II right now. Plus, if you want to add more strobes your light setup in the future, you can always purchase the 580EX II to go along with the 430EX II. (The 580EX II can be set to be your master with the 430EX II as the slave.)

Plus, you'll have to consider if the the extra money is justified for the extra features on the 580EX II (extra power, swivel head, etc.). If you won't need them, then why pay for them?

Hope this helps.

[inkista]

How do you plan to use the flash? If it's on-camera, mainly for bouncing, then you probably want to go with a Canon speedlight, simply because you'll have a lot more features available to you with it. The Sigma's not bad, but if Canon changes their flash communication, the Sigma might suddenly find itself non-compatible in future. A Metz will at least let you flash the firmware.

And yes, the choice between the 430EXII and 580EXII (and a used 550EX, 580EX, or 430EX) is probably a simple one of what can you afford. The 580EXII will give you the most features, and if you're planning on using the flash on-camera for bounce work, chances are good that the two main ones of 360° swivel and more power are going to come in handy right off the bat, and having a PC synch port when you go off-camera gives you more options. But the 430EXII is a perfectly good workhorse flash, too.

However.

If you plan on only using the flash off-camera, Strobist-style with cheap radio triggers, you may be able to go quite a bit cheaper with an all-manual flash, like a used Nikon SB-24, a LumoPro LP120 or a Vivitar 285HV/Cactus KF36. Because, unless you can afford the TTL PocketWizards or Radiopopper PXs, you're going to lose all the extra function that you're paying for with Canon/eTTL speedlights, anyway. And you don't much care as much about swivel/bounce/power if you're putting the light on a lightstand with an umbrella swivel, and you can place the light exactly where you want.

Obviously, getting a Canon speedlight is going to give you the most flexibility. But you could be wasting money and eTTL function if you're just planning on popping that light with Cactus V4s all the time.

[ddr]

i say go with the 430, when you start to learn about all the stuff on strobist you'll want a second flash anyways. you can get a 580 then