Sigma 530 DG ST vs 430ex?

[delhi]

I'm looking for a cheap slave flash for the 580ex and 550ex. Does the Sigma 530 DG ST take ETTL signal from the 580/550ex? Or should I get the 430ex instead? Amazon.com has the sigma for $172.

[Psychobiker]

AFAIK it doesn't but I may be proves wrong. It can be used in manual with optical slave

L

[Curtis N]

The Sigma Super model works well as an E-TTL slave with a Canon master, and also has a built-in optical slave sensor.

The Sigma ST model has neither.

The Sigma EF-500 (and 530) DG ST is a great bang-for-buck E-TTL flash for on-camera use. There is no way to use it off-camera.

[delhi]

That's too bad. Hmm... was looking for a powerful off-camera slave for cheap money.

[Curtis N]

was looking for a powerful off-camera slave for cheap money.Sunpak 383 plus an optical slave. $100 or less, out the door.

Learn to use manual mode on both master and slave, and life will be good.

Of course both the 550EX and the 580EX II can be used as E-TTL slaves, and the 580EX II will work with a regular optical slave sensor plugged into its PC socket.

[MT Stringer]

The SIgma EF-500 DG Super is powerful, has features like bounce, rotate, zoomy flash head, manual control to 1/128th power, and has a built-in optical slave. That should fix you right up and be comparable to your other two flashes. You haven't scrimped on your gear thus far, so why do it now? Go for it!

Good luck.
Mike

[delhi]

Sunpak 383 plus an optical slave. $100 or less, out the door.

Learn to use manual mode on both master and slave, and life will be good.

Of course both the 550EX and the 580EX II can be used as E-TTL slaves, and the 580EX II will work with a regular optical slave sensor plugged into its PC socket.


is this what you mean as optical slave? it will work with the IR from the canon speedlites?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21sfkGLw0zL._AA200_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Sunpak-Digital-Preflash-Cancellation-Socket/dp/B000SJR7ZY/ref=pd_sim_e?ie=UTF8&qid=1201301855&sr=8-1

[Curtis N]

Avoid the "digital" slaves. They aren't that reliable (from what I've read). They're supposed to ignore the E-TTL pre-flash, but they don't actually control the flash, they just make it fire. Mixing an E-TTL master and a manually-adjusted slave is a recipe for frustration unless you thoroughly understand how all those components work together. It's just not a very useful mix.

The kind of slave I'm referring to is one like this:
http://www.flashzebra.com/opticalslaves/0050.shtml
It will trigger the flash it's connected to when it detects any flash. So the "master" needs to be in manual mode.

And you need to connect it to the PC socket of your 580EX II, not the hotshoe. A cord like this will accomplish that:
http://www.flashzebra.com/short_pc_sync/0052.shtml

[Nocturnus]

I ordered a 530dg Super today. Flash Zebra has some info on using this flash off camera.

http://flashzebra.com/tips/supersigmamanualmode/index.shtml

I ordered http://flashzebra.com/radiocables/hotshoe.shtml to use with my ebay triggers.

[delhi]

Avoid the "digital" slaves. They aren't that reliable (from what I've read). They're supposed to ignore the E-TTL pre-flash, but they don't actually control the flash, they just make it fire. Mixing an E-TTL master and a manually-adjusted slave is a recipe for frustration unless you thoroughly understand how all those components work together. It's just not a very useful mix.

The kind of slave I'm referring to is one like this:
http://www.flashzebra.com/opticalslaves/0050.shtml
It will trigger the flash it's connected to when it detects any flash. So the "master" needs to be in manual mode.

And you need to connect it to the PC socket of your 580EX II, not the hotshoe. A cord like this will accomplish that:
http://www.flashzebra.com/short_pc_sync/0052.shtml

How tricky is it for exterior shots? Will it be sensitive enough to pick up the master flash?

[Curtis N]

How tricky is it for exterior shots? Will it be sensitive enough to pick up the master flash?It depends on the distance and other factors, but generally speaking, optical slaves are not reliable outdoors.

[delhi]

It depends on the distance and other factors, but generally speaking, optical slaves are not reliable outdoors.

would it be the same with the IR b/t Speedlites? I need them for outdoor shoots. I know I should get some radio slaves. But at this point, I need to keep the cost low. btw, thanks Curtis for patiently answering my questions!

[Curtis N]

Just like optical slaves, the Canon wireless system can work in some cases. But I wouldn't count on it outdoors.

A PC cord is a reasonably reliable, low-cost option for many outdoor situations.