Best Flash for a 10D

[kbhagat]

I just got my 10D replacement. The first one was faulty right out of the box. It was such a tease to have it for a day then return it for a new replacement. I must say I have never been so eagerly waiting for anything like the 10D. I have the old Olympus 700Z, but now the 10D is my new pal.

Anyways I need to know from the experts out here:
1. Which flash should I get the 420 or the 550? I want to buy it once.
2. What is a decent tripod for the 10D
3. Should I get the battery grip?
4. Where do I get the remote shutter release gizmo?

Also what is the best way to store the lenses? Get an air tight box...etc.

Thanks in advance.
KB

[CyberDyneSystems]

Flash: The 550 is Canons top dog flash. You definately won't need to upgrade it. But it depends on what you need it for. The 420 is damn fine as well.

Battery Grip: I am an Olympus owner turned 10D owner as well (C-2100-UZ) So I know how you feel about betteries. The 2100 ate them for snacks and NIMH AAs I bought by the gross.
.. so I immediately ordered the BG-ED3 battery grip BEFORE i even got my 10D. Bottom line. It is cool,. but you don't need it. The BP511s are astounding! Nothing like the Olympus and AAs! I shot 300 pics on one battery before I ever ogt a low battery indicator. Then I shot another 50 on the "low" battery. Then I remembered that it was my first time out and it takes a few recharge cycles before one of these batteries goes up to full charge. Since then I have never had a low battery indicator. I've filled a 512MB card with jpegs and not switched batteries. It is truly amazing.

Get a couple spares here;
http://www.thomasdistributing.com/maha_lithium_rechargeable.htm

or here;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2928827955&category=15072

and use that camera for a few weeks. Then decide if you want the grip.

[Sketcher]

1. You said you wanted to buy it once - then get the 550EX. It's twice the price of the 420 but you'll never have to worry about whether you should have bought the bigger bat.

Realistically - your intended use should drive that purchase. The 550EX includes a variety of manual & customizable settings for more control of your output. 550EX can perform as master/slave in a wireless sync setup - 420EX can only function as slave. Comparing the two is not really apples to apples. The cost variance between the two really does equate to a significant number of functional enhancements beyond which light is brighter. the 420EX's a fine flash - just doesn't have the ooomph & bells of the 550. A little Googling will turn up a good number of topics on the two.

2. Well, tripods are another "Intended use" sort of thing. Studio, travel, hiking, macro, mother-huge telephotos, head system preference. Depends on how you're going to use it. I could recommend you a superb hiking macro setup and it would disappoint if you use it for sideline shots at the game or the races.

3. Battery Grip (BG-ED3). I haven't yet bought this for my 10D but it's on my wish list. I've held the camera with a loaded (batteries installed) Grip and it does add noticeable weight - but it allows for better trigger positioning for portrait shots. If you're only considering it for extended battery life - try getting used to having a couple spare BP511's on hand and buy the Grip when you determine you need the better hand positioning. (As CyberDyneSystems mentioned - the BP511s are good batteries, you might be surprised how much you get out of them). I'm waiting to buy the BG-ED3 until it becomes noticeable that having the grip would make my photography experience more productive and enjoyable. Just a thought.

4. I bought my Shutter release from B&H. Make sure you know which one you want though - there are two that I am aware of. There's the basic RS-80N3 and the TC-80N3. The latter gives you some really nice functionality in timing and burst albiet at 2.5 times the cost.

eh, just re-read and noticed you asked for the "experts". Well, I'm almost as green as they come to Digital and Photography in general. I just do my reading before I buy.

I'll slide back into the shadows with one note of encouragement: Describe the kind of photography and typical environments you see yourself in and the experts who respond will be better informed in their recommendation to your inquiries.

Good Luck!

-Sketcher

[relic]

thanks for the links to the battery merchants...

I just purchased my 10D and wanted to buy a couple of backup batteries (for long halls).

I ordered (2) 1 Gb Transcend 30x CF cards, but decided to test my friend's regular scandisk card, and the camera was fast, but I was in jpeg mode, this may be different in raw...

[henkbos]

Why go straight for those expensive flashes? Try Vivitar's workhorse first (285). Cost less than $100 and performs well.