Which flash are you using with your D30/60?

[KHogan]

Hi,

I'm looking to purchase an external flash to use with my D30. My main uses for the external flash are for both indoor and outdoor portraits, as well as for outdoor fill. As well, I'm interested in exploring the use of strobe flash photography and using the flash for stopping action in night shots. These are my principal uses of the flash.

As a result of my needs and also some future plans, I've been looking at the Canon 550EX and Metz 54-MZ3 flashes. I really like the potential for what seems like a fairly slick wireless system with the Canon flashes. That said, my research has discovered that the Metz 54 flash also affords a wireless mode with the main difference being that you *must* have a Metz flash on the camera to trigger the other Metz flashes wirelessly. With the Canon and an ST-E2, there is no need to have a flash in the camera's hotshoe (albeit for a price).

So it's come down to this...with the Metz I would get the added convenience of having an Auto mode at my disposal (which the Canon doesn't have). Conversely with the Canon system I'd have access to a slick wireless system (which isn't quite as comparable from what I understand with the Metz system).

All that said, I'm now down to these two flashes as a choice for my next purchase and I'm having a very hard time deciding. Ideally, if I could spend some time with both flash systems, it would be easier to make a decision but this isn't an option. So I'm looking to your help in trying to decide which system to go with. If at all possible, I'd like to avoid buying into a system only to end up dumping it for the other system.

I know that the Metz has the Auto mode to fall back on so one of my main interests in asking about your experiences with these flashes is what kind of results you've been getting in full E-TTL mode. Of course, any other praises or frustrations would be helpful as well. :)

Which flash are you using and why? Or, which one would you recommend and why? Also, if there is another flash in this league that you would recommend, I'd appreciate your comments on that as well. I looked at the Sigma EF-500 Super but ultimately removed it from my shortlist because there's no way to use it with an external battery pack (something I may want to do at some point in the near future).

Thanks for any help in making my decision an easier one!!

Regards,
Kharim Hogan

[mrchips]

I use the Canon 550EX. I purchased it on the recomendation of a fiend and use it mostly outdoors (wildlife) with a Kirk flash extender and it has never failed me. The limited use I had at a couple of weddings it worked flawlessly. Never had the ocassion to use any of the Metz units.

Denny

[KHogan]

mrchips wrote:
I use the Canon 550EX. I purchased it on the recomendation of a fiend and use it mostly outdoors (wildlife) with a Kirk flash extender and it has never failed me. The limited use I had at a couple of weddings it worked flawlessly. Never had the ocassion to use any of the Metz units.

Denny

Hi Denny,

Thanks for responding. Hopefully others will also share their experiences. Since my post I've also put the Sigma EF-500 back on my shortlist as I've found out that one can actually use an external battery pack with it. So it's now a contender again. :) I like the 550EX but want to consider the less expensive options as well if they can do the same job. If not, I'll splurge and get the 550EX.

Regards,
Kharim

[Pekka]

If you intend to carry the flash around a lot 420EX might be a good choice, as 550 is quite big and heavy. 550 can flash really far (zoomed in), so if you need an long distance outdoor flash it must be it.

Canon system can grow easily to a full featured portable studio. 550 or ST-E2 can act as a master for infrared system, and 420 has the receiver, too. The two or three flash system is really wonderful for many situations, you can put flashes on each corner of a room and have the light ST-E2 on the camera. When 550 is master you have more control on ratios, ST-E2 has A and B channels only. I have noticed that with two 550's it's easier to get good exposure than with one only. Only problem with infrared slaving is that you must have a visual path from transmitter to receiver, and big lenses often cover the beam, also on problem is that you must be behind the flashes if the room is not small enough to bounce the infrared beam.

550 has easy manual mode which I have found very useful, and it has also useful manual zoom setting.

All EOS compatible flashes are at http://www.photozone.de/canonflash.htm
and there is also a very detailed Canon flash info at http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Sigma Super 500 vs. Canon 550EX review is at http://photonotes.org/reviews/sigma-ef-500-super/

[KHogan]

Hi Pekka,

Thanks for such a detailed response. It's very helpful. Yes, it is precisely a bit of a portable studio that I'd like to set up with the flashes, and this mostly for outdoor shooting. I'm trying to avoid having to lug around a bunch of bigger lights and batteries out into the field. So this is why I'm finding the wireless possibilities of the Canon flashes interesting. It's expensive but if it's portable and it works, it will be worth the investment. ;)

You have a recent photo up in your gallery (which by the way I just absolutely love!!) which is very representative of the type of photo I'm needing a good flash system for. The photo I'm referring to is this one:

http://www.photography-on-the.net/gallery/photo.php?photo=445&exhibition=1

I'm hoping I'll be okay on the "big lens" front because for this type of work I've been using mostly prime lenses. I'm looking to pick up a good used 100mm f/2 to try out soon but this is not a big lens either.

Your point about the control ratios of the ST-E2 is interesting. I hadn't read that anywhere. Since I would like to use two flashes both off the camera, perhaps an idea would be to go without the ST-E2 transmitter and instead have one of the flashes on an off-camera cord? This very point is the one thing about the Metz system that I don't like...no way to do wireless without one flash on the camera although if I used an off-camera cord with the Canon flash, I could do the same with the Metz.

Thanks again for your help! And congratulations on your latest additions to your gallery...especially the photo I mentioned above. Superb!!

BTW, two more questions for you Pekka...do you use FEL alot when shooting with those flashes? And does FEL work when you are shooting with multiple flashes in a master/slave situation?

Regards,
Kharim

[chris maddock]

KHogan wrote:
Your point about the control ratios of the ST-E2 is interesting. I hadn't read that anywhere. Since I would like to use two flashes both off the camera, perhaps an idea would be to go without the ST-E2 transmitter and instead have one of the flashes on an off-camera cord?



The limitation is only that the STE-2 can only set ratios between two channels, whilst the 550EX can do three (IIRC). For two flashes, the STE-2 should be fine.

It will also work on an Off-Camera Cord-2, so if there is a problem with coverage (because you want to be effectively in front of the flashguns, for example) you could put it on a flash bracket, pointing backwards - provided your head doesn't obstruct the beam.

HTH
Chris

[KHogan]

chris maddock wrote:

The limitation is only that the STE-2 can only set ratios between two channels, whilst the 550EX can do three (IIRC). For two flashes, the STE-2 should be fine.

It will also work on an Off-Camera Cord-2, so if there is a problem with coverage (because you want to be effectively in front of the flashguns, for example) you could put it on a flash bracket, pointing backwards - provided your head doesn't obstruct the beam.

HTH
Chris

Hi Chris,

Yes, that helps. Thanks for clarifying. If I understand correctly then, one could still use more than 2 flashes with the ST-E2 as long as one is not using more than two different ratios. i.e. Say with 3 flashes, if 2 of them are set to the same ratio they could be on one channel, while the third could be set to a different ratio on the other channel. Yes?

Good idea about pointing the transmitter backwards too. I hadn't thought of that. I'm thinking this is going to be alot of fun.

I've also discovered another thing in the meanwhile which speaks to Pekka's point about the weight of the flashes. The Sigma flash (which seems to be essentially a 550 clone) only weighs as much as a 420EX. I like that idea since weight is always a concern for me. I think I'll start by getting one Sigma flash and see how it fares. If I can get the kind of results I was getting with the 550 for the time I was using it, and it works well with the ST-E2, I'll add more. If not, I'll keep it as a slave and go with a 550 for the second flash.

Thanks again!
Kharim

[picnic]

I, too, am in the market for a 550EX. I have the 420EX and want the second for the obvious. A friend pointed out to me that Sigma has a new version of the Super 500 in the works called a 500SD--introduced at PMA I think. He read about it in a magazine (which I don't recall). However, I can find nothing else about this flash--only the Super 500. Has anyone heard anything?--supposed to be a better ETTL version for the digitals.

Thanks,
Diane

[KHogan]

Hi Diane,

I don't have any information about the new Sigma flash except to confirm that I too have seen references to it. I've only seen it mentioned as an aside when reading articles about Sigma's new SD9 digital SLR. The flash, called the EF-500 Super SD, is listed as an optional accessory for the SD9. Beyond that, I've not been able to find any information on the flash or any press releases. I suspect that it may be announced or released about the same time as the camera so it may be a few months before we see it. Also, and this is just a guess, since it seems to be mostly associated with the SD9 so far, I wonder if whatever changes in that flash have been adapted for the Foveon chip. I don't know, just guessing.

Sorry I can't help more. Just thought it was worth confirming that there has in fact been some rumour out about that flash. :)

Kharim