Flash for banquets & weddings Im a noob

[mikediamo]

in the last few months my photography has gone from hobby to people asking me to shoot retirement ceremonies and foreign banquets in the miltary. on my first banquet shoot i had lots of low lvl light issues with the stock flash on my xt. i plan on buying a 40d in the next month or to but having a hard time on buying what i would assume is a well needed flash. the 580 ex is out of the question to expensive for me. i found the 430ex referbed for $199 but im a cheap person and was wondering what i would sacrafice if i went with the Sigma EF-530 DG ST E-TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Canon EOS with E-TTL II Operation . thanks

[bigjon0107]

Your money will be better invested in a better lens (something faster, even if it is like a Sigma 24-70 2.8), and a better flash rather then a new body. The 430 is a great flash, but you will greatly enjoy the 580 for the power and faster recycle time. As far as the sigma flash, i have heard about some reliability issues with them, but i have heard good stuff as well...I would stick with canon flashes just to you can utilize the IR ETTL triggering system.

[Curtis N]

The Sigma ST model you referred to will work great for low light situations. While it doesn't have much for manual capabilities and can't be used off-camera, it will do the job for 99% of what people use a flash for.

It's not adapted for more creative endeavors but will work well as an on-camera workhorse.

[steve547]

I'm happy with the Sigma ST flash. As long as you just use it on the camera as a flash and dont need it to do strange things, it gives as good results as the more expensive flashes. You still have to learn how to use these new flashes designed for the dSLR. They're not as easy to use as the old film SLR flashes. Even the Sigma ST has more options than you'll really need for most pictures.