intechpcx
22nd of March 2005 (Tue), 09:30
Well I've finally decided I really want an E-TTL capable flash for the D-Reb. I don't need anything too fancy but I do want a decently high guide number and bounce capability. I'm debating between the Canon 420EX and the Sunpak PZ40X (I really like the Sunpak I have now). Below is kind of how I look at the comparisson. I'd like to get some thoughts from you folks on anything I'm missing or misunderstanding in my comparisson and also your feedback in general when looking at the two flashes. Thanks in advance for the help .
Guide Number: The Canon has a guide number of 101' @ 35mm and 138' @ 105mm, meanwhile the Sunpak is 65 @ 24mm and 133 @ 80mm. The two are pretty close but seems the Canon would have more range on wider angle shots.
Angle of Coverage: The Canon goes from 24-105mm while the Sunpak goes from 24-85mm. Either will provide coverage for the kit lens I've got with the D-Reb.
Flash Head: The Canon has both tilt and swivel while the Sunpak only has tilt. However, I have to admit I've never used the swivel on my 433D so I'm not sure this is a big deal. One thing the Sunpak has is a motorized Auto Tilt feature, not sure what good if any that is.
LCD Display: Canon - none, Sunpak - Full TTL Information display
Manual Settings: Canon- none, Sunpak - Power (100% - 1/16), Auto F/Stops ( 4 & 8 )
Slave Feature: The Canon's slave feature is a neat addition. However, I'm not sure how often I'd really use it. If I'm going to do studio work, I'd think I'd be investing in studio style lighting, not trying to half-ass it with hot-shoe flashes (am I missing something here?).
Power Source: Canon - 4 AA's, Sunpak - 2 AA's. Fewer batteries to carry around for the Sunpak. I've got a set of 4 NiMH's for the 433D now would be nice to have instant spares.
Recycle Time (NiMH @ Full Power): Canon- 4 sec, Sunpak - 8 sec. The Sunpak seems pretty slow, I'm pretty sure the 433D I have is much faster. This could be a big decision making factor.
Weight: The Sunpak is considerably lighter on the no battery weight, add the additional batteries that the Canon needs and the difference is even more notable. Most of my flash work is handheld so the lighter flash might mean better balance overall.
Price: The Sunpak is $55 cheaper at most places. I try to use flash as little as possible so not spending a lot of money on it is attractive to me. However, I do want to make sure I don't limit myself or end up looking for another flash 6 months from now.
Right now I'm leaning a little toward the Sunpak because it seems to match up pretty well with the Canon and for a much more reasonable price (means I could get it and the 50mm f/1.8 lens for the almost same price as the Canon). However, I want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything or misunderstanding the specs in a way that I'd be sorry for not getting the 420EX. Please pass along your thoughts.
Guide Number: The Canon has a guide number of 101' @ 35mm and 138' @ 105mm, meanwhile the Sunpak is 65 @ 24mm and 133 @ 80mm. The two are pretty close but seems the Canon would have more range on wider angle shots.
Angle of Coverage: The Canon goes from 24-105mm while the Sunpak goes from 24-85mm. Either will provide coverage for the kit lens I've got with the D-Reb.
Flash Head: The Canon has both tilt and swivel while the Sunpak only has tilt. However, I have to admit I've never used the swivel on my 433D so I'm not sure this is a big deal. One thing the Sunpak has is a motorized Auto Tilt feature, not sure what good if any that is.
LCD Display: Canon - none, Sunpak - Full TTL Information display
Manual Settings: Canon- none, Sunpak - Power (100% - 1/16), Auto F/Stops ( 4 & 8 )
Slave Feature: The Canon's slave feature is a neat addition. However, I'm not sure how often I'd really use it. If I'm going to do studio work, I'd think I'd be investing in studio style lighting, not trying to half-ass it with hot-shoe flashes (am I missing something here?).
Power Source: Canon - 4 AA's, Sunpak - 2 AA's. Fewer batteries to carry around for the Sunpak. I've got a set of 4 NiMH's for the 433D now would be nice to have instant spares.
Recycle Time (NiMH @ Full Power): Canon- 4 sec, Sunpak - 8 sec. The Sunpak seems pretty slow, I'm pretty sure the 433D I have is much faster. This could be a big decision making factor.
Weight: The Sunpak is considerably lighter on the no battery weight, add the additional batteries that the Canon needs and the difference is even more notable. Most of my flash work is handheld so the lighter flash might mean better balance overall.
Price: The Sunpak is $55 cheaper at most places. I try to use flash as little as possible so not spending a lot of money on it is attractive to me. However, I do want to make sure I don't limit myself or end up looking for another flash 6 months from now.
Right now I'm leaning a little toward the Sunpak because it seems to match up pretty well with the Canon and for a much more reasonable price (means I could get it and the 50mm f/1.8 lens for the almost same price as the Canon). However, I want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything or misunderstanding the specs in a way that I'd be sorry for not getting the 420EX. Please pass along your thoughts.