I knew I shouldn't have come here.

[R.T.]

:lol: I just ordered most of my new camera equipment from B&H.

I just hope this camera is not more then I can chew. I'm new to digital photography, but after reading several post here, it sounded like it should be OK and maybe even easier to learn on, yes?

Canon Eos 20D
Canon 50mm 1.8 lens.
Canon 100mm Macro 2.8 Lens
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di Auto-focus Lens
Sandisk 1GB Ultra II Compact-Flash Card
1 Multi-Card Reader
Canon ACK-E2 AC Adapter Kit
Remote Switch RS-80N3 for Canon EOS
Misc. filters

Can anyone tell me if a Canon 540EZ flash from an old Canon A2E will work on this new camera? Thanks!

R.T.

[slin100]

:Can anyone tell me if a Canon 540EZ flash from an old Canon A2E will work on this new camera? Thanks!
R.T.
The 540EZ does not support ETTL. At best, it will only fire at full power. At worst, it won't fire at all.

[Andy_T]

R.T.,

sweet list!

Unfortunately, the 540 EZ flash will not work to its full potential.

You'll have to go for the EX line to take the full advantage of flash fotography on the EOS.

Best regards,
Andy

[cmM]

wow.
Neat!

Welcome to the club. That's a lot of cool stuff you got yourself there.... You should be fine for a while...couple weeks or so :P

[Andy_T]

PS:

take a look at this: http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Best regards,
Andy

[defordphoto]

Great start there RT! Now you need a bag to put it in! ;)

[R.T.]

Thanks everyone!

OK then, it looks like a new flash is the way to go then, so of the 3 below which one should I get, is the cheaper one good enough and is the top dog over kill? Thanks!

1. Canon 420EX Speedlite TTL Shoe-Mount Flash (Guide No. 138'/42 m at 105mm) $179.95

2. Canon 550EX Speedlite TTL Shoe Mount Flash (Guide No. 180'/55 m at 105mm) $319.95

3. Canon 580EX Speedlite TTL Shoe Mount Flash (Guide No. 190'/58 m at 105mm) $479.99

Andy, thanks for the link, that should keep me busy for a while. :)

R.T.

[Andy_T]

I'd say ... go for the middle ground, it's a good compromise ...

The 420 EX can't trigger slave flashes.

the 580 EX might give you a better range, because (according to the marketing infos) it will know that the 20D is a 1.6 crop camera and adjust the FOV accordingly. (Personally, I don't understand why Canon did not put that feature into the camera itself. The 10 year old Metz MZ-42 on my G2 knows that it should select 35 mm zoom when I have the camera at 7 mm actual focal length :wink: )

But I feel the 580 EX is quite pricey as opposed to the 550 EX.

Other than that, I've heard nothing but praise about the 550 EX so far .... hmm, that is, as long as people are not referring to its ergonomics and user friendliness :wink:

Best regards,
Andy

[mr.photoguy]

Does anyone have a photo of the 550ex on a Canon 20D.

I hear the flash is bulky.

I am looking at the Sigma DG super . ( I think I have the name right)

[Adam Hicks]

Hey RT, that's an excellent choice of lenses to get you started, and all are lenses that won't be on eBay in 6 months either. You'll quickly add a 70-200 or a 100-400 to the mix, and you'll have all the bases covered!

Don't forget a Rocket Blower for cleaning the sensor (search B&H for Rocket Blower) and when you DO get your 550EX (GET THE 550. I have the 420 and 550, which is nice, but I wish I had bought the 550 first. SO much more control and so much less frustration.) make sure to get some sort of bouncer. I like the OmniQuest pocket bouncer kit with the inserts. I think it's about $36 at B&H and will make every flash shot you take more usable. It's worth it's weight in gold!

If you do much portrait shooting (sometimes the magazine tells me they want a cover shot, so I'll take 300-400 shots in portrait mode) then the grip is a must, but not if you are worried about battery life. You'll get 1,000+ shots per charge on a single battery!

Good luck with it, can't wait to see some shots!

Adam

[WestFalcon]

The 580EX flash is $439 at Canogacamera.com and they are very reliable.

[Whaler]

Dell is selling the 580 for $361.00

[R.T.]

Thanks Adam, yeah I was tempted to get a 70-200 but I needed to cut corners a little. I already have an older Canon 75-300 F4-5.6 that I've never used. Got it about 5 years ago when I bought my first camera (35mm) which was stolen along with a 50mm lens. So I can use 74/300 until I can get a good one. I'll check into the Rocket Blower, sounds like good thing to have.

Whaler, appreciate the info on Dell, that sure is a great price, I might just go ahead and get one. Thanks!

R.T.

[WestFalcon]

Whaler ...thanks for the tip.....I may send my 580ex back to B&H since they won't match the price....I just ordered one at Dell at a great price plus my states sales tax.

[R.T.]

Whaler, thanks again!

I ordered the 580EX from Dell @ $361.00 , thats almost $120.00 cheaper then B&H @ $479.99...... Sure hope it turns out to be the same thing and not a refurbished unit or something. :roll:

R.T.