Need help deciding which flash to get...

[BigWebb83]

I'm currently looking at purchasing a usedexternal flash and I've looked at several including the 540ez the 430ex and the 430 exII. I've read about them but to be quite honest I'm not up to speed on all the technical aspects of flashes. I see that I can get a 540ez for probably about $75 locally (used) while the 430exII is running about $330-$350. And it doesn't look like the regular 430ex is much cheaper than that at all. So can someone kind of give me some ideas here on what I should be taking into consideration here with these flashes and what is the reason for the large price gaps? I don't need anything fancy, I just want a good solid reliable flash for my 400d because the OC flash is worthless at this point since i've moved to a larger lens. As always, any input would be greatly appreciated.



-Daniel

[gonzogolf]

Look on the forum here, there are sellers listing 430ex, not the two, but still a very good flash for under $200. I'd also take a look at the 550ex as it has the ability to serve as a master flash for the canon wireless system.

[bobbyz]

Do you need eTTL or not?

540ez can't do eTTL but it is just like 550ex in all other respects. Better than 430ex IMHO if you only need to use as OCF. If you need eTTL, look at used 550ex, which typically go for $200-$225.

[BigWebb83]

so just to be clear, ettl is where there is a pre flash to help with getting an automatic exposure setting? so if i shoot in manual mode most of the time i shouldn't really miss that to much right?

[bobbyz]

so just to be clear, ettl is where there is a pre flash to help with getting an automatic exposure setting? so if i shoot in manual mode most of the time i shouldn't really miss that to much right?

Agree.

With eTTL, camera/flash decide what flash power to use. With manaul flash like 540ez you decide the flash power.

One thing, with 540ez on my 1dmk2 (on hot shoe), even with flash in manual mode, I can't control what power it puts out. I set the flash to say 1/16 power but it will only flash at full power. I think I need to cover flash pins except the center one.

[gonzogolf]

so just to be clear, ettl is where there is a pre flash to help with getting an automatic exposure setting? so if i shoot in manual mode most of the time i shouldn't really miss that to much right?


Thats the gist of it, but it also allows you to use high speed sync. If you are ever going to use it on your camera, you might want ettl on at least one of your flashes. If you going off camera exclusively then it doesnt matter and there are lots of cheaper options like the vivitar 285hv's

[BigWebb83]

this will actually be exclusively ON CAMERA. So why would it not be good for that again?

[gonzogolf]

this will actually be exclusively ON CAMERA. So why would it not be good for that again?


If you are going to get it for On-camera use exclusively then you want one of the canon ex models with ettl. As you already know the canon flash sends out a preflash that determines the amount of light needed to properly expose the subject. The TTL in ETTL is Through The Lens meaning the exposure is calculated on light that come back through the lens to your cameras processor. In non ettl flashes most rely on some form of auto thyrister where there is a sensor on the flash that records how much light is bouncing back from the subject and shuts off when a certain level of exposure has been achieved.

Neither of the systems is perfect, but in ettl you can compensate for bad exposures using the camera or flash menus, pretty easily and in my mind it more accurate overall.

You can also get ettl capable third party flashes from sunpak and metz but I dont have any experience with them.

[BigWebb83]

so for ettl, assuming that I want to stick with canon flash units, my best bet as far as price is concerned is probably the 430ex right?

[gonzogolf]

The 430ex, or 430exII are great flashes. The 430ex shows up on the sell forum here for under $200 pretty frequently if you are interested in going for used flash. Another bargain option would be to look for a 550ex or 580ex used. After using the 430ex for a while I decided to get the flagship 580exII because its a stop more powerful, can serve as a wireless master to the 430ex, and has a pc port so I can use cybersyncs with it if I want without purchasing an adapter. The nice thing about starting with the 430ex is that if you decide you want to go with something like the 580exII later is you can either keep it and use it as a slave or sell it for a small loss and upgrade.

[bobbyz]

If you need to power your canon flash with battery pack like cp-e4 then you need to look into 550ex, or 580ex. 430ex doesn't have high voltage input.

[Maurice A.]

For the price and quality you can also look at the metz 48 AF 1.