Dropped my Speedlight 430ex

[Ducky 2.0T]

I was ecstatic to get my Amazon shipment today to finally get to play with the 430ex flash.

Unfortunately not even 2 hours after pulling it out of the box, it managed to fall out of my hands and onto the carpeted floor.

The only visible casualty is the wide angle plastic cover (which is now in 3 pieces and no longer attached to the camera).

What should I be looking for as far as damages/ functionality? I read that if the plastic cover is out the information should be flashing (which it isn't) so I think I should be able to use the flash.

It seems to fire just fine and I messed with the settings and was able to get darker/ brighter images by changing the strength accordingly.

[PacAce]

What zoom setting does the LCD show. If it doesn't say 14mm, it'll be OK. But if it does, then the flash head zoom may be stuck in that one position. And when you try to bounce the flash, the whole LCD is going to start blinking.

[Ducky 2.0T]

I haven't seen it flash 14mm since last night when it first happened. I pushed whatever was left of the cover back into the top (the rest broke into 4 pieces).

I've got an external diffuser coming in the mail, but i am wondering if i should source a replacement for the connected diffuser.

[PacAce]

As long as you were able to push the remaining piece back in and the 14mm setting went away, you should be OK. With the lenses you have you're not going to need the 14mm wide panel.

[Ducky 2.0T]

Many thanks. I spent about an hour last night setting up pictures and playing with the settings of the flash. It seems to be functioning normally.

[FiveWaysNowadays]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I just got a used 430ex from a friend today and I had a similar problem. Is the panel replaceable, or is there a way to physically reset the position/trip whatever mechanism tells the camera whether the panel is in or out? This one is completely detached from the flash.

[rosscoid]

Hi. Did anyone learn if a replacement part is available? I've busted the wide panel on my 430EX, completely removed, and it's stuck in 'wide mode' (blinking LCD).

Thanks