Best Fill Flash for outdoor wedding?

[fsadams]

I am getting married in Lake Tahoe this summer and am planning on having a friend take photos with my Digital Rebel. I do have a hired photographer as well. My question is, which fill flash would work the best for the conditions? Tahoe is very sunny, but the ceremony will take place at sunset. The photography will be done in the automatic modes. I also want a fill flash that will be good for general purposes (automatic and manual) after the wedding.

[kawter2]

I would sugest a 580ex or a used 550 you need FEC (flash exposure compensation) and because it isn't a feature of your camera body, you need a flash to accomodate that. These are both of the Canon flavors, i don't know much about the sigma's & sunpack's etc... someone else want to chime in on those

[etaf]

am planning on having a friend take photos with my Digital Rebel. I would make sure he/she know's how to use the camera/len/flash combo, and has some practice

[DavidEB]

Most of the time the rebel will correctly meter fill flash, but sometimes you'll want to be able to dial in flash exposure compensation to reduce amount of flash. With the rebel (unless your friend has hack firmware) this means not using a 420EX which doesn't have FEC in the flash. I use a sigma 500 super (proper name of this flash has a whole alphabet of letters, like an advanced degree) and it works well.

But the big limitation of on-camera fill flash in bright sun is that it limits you to having the flash in the line sight of the lens. Pictures will look better if the flash is set on a tripod about 90 degrees to the incident light, and the camera is free to move around. Unless using manual flash setups, this means having 2 E-TTL flashes. I use a sigma 500 super on--camera with a 420EX as slave on a tripod. I dial the flash output of the sigma down about 2 stops (that is, set A:B flash ratio at 1:4) in the flash and then use in-camera FEC to control overall flash exposure level. The weaker on-camera flash then provides a catch-light in the eyes.

good luck, and practice before event. also, congrats on marriage...


David

[badrotation]

580ex is my recomendation. great flash.

[lostdoggy]

I must agree the 580EX is a great flash, but $500 is much. 500DG Super is about $200 less. You can possibly buy 2 500DG Super for the price of 1 580EX. But, considering the built quality of 580EX it is a great flash.

[Jon]

$500 for a 580EX? Where are you shopping? B&H has it for $389 before rebate, while the Sigma's $240. So about 50% more for the Canon.

[robertwgross]

580EX or 550EX.

---Bob Gross---

[check_this]

580EX

[fsadams]

Thanks for helping me narrow down the search. Sounds like the 580EX is the flash of choice.

Thanks again for the replays, better start saving money :confused:

[tim]

Don't forget that flash photography is hard, both you and your friend will have to do lots of practice in real-world situations to get great pictures. Sure you can stick it in P mode and fire away and the pictures should come out good, but getting great images with flash is hard.

[starryman]

Hi,

If you are committed in taking good pictures with a flash - the 580EX is definitely the way to go. If you aren't going that route try sticking to knock-off flash from SunPack for under $90 since you will have good flash coverage. I tried almost every flash combo including the 420EX. $479.99 for the 580EX is a lot of money and I just couldn't justify it. So I bought the 420 EX - I got the same snap shot look like my built on flash (I have the Rebel XT). So then I figured I'd save some money and bought a cheap SunPack... well pretty much the same results. Both had better coverage than the built in flash but didn't do anything to improve the pictures.

SOOOOOOOO... I took the plunge and bought the 580EX flash. I went to a authorized Canon dealer with my camera. Put it on... the rest was history. I bought it for $479.99 and with tax it came to $511 and change. I know I could have gotten it cheaper throught BH for $379.99 but suffice to say, I had to have it "now". At this point, I definitely think the flash (indoor wise) is more important than the camera. The 580EX is my #1 recommendation for any Canon EOS.

It's a lot of money. In my game, it's really really really a lot of money. But the overall results is amazing.

Nicholas:)

[Jackal]

How is the 580ex better than the 420ex for straight on flash and not bounce?

[Marvinspu36]

The 580EX is a great flash. You can pick it up at B&H for $370 after $20 rebate. I buy nearly all my equipment from B&H. Great prices, great service.

Click here for 580EX at B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=348457&is=USA)

[lostdoggy]

Sometime I hate living in NY. The two of best camera store is in NY.

You got to go to B&H!!!

[lostdoggy]

:bowling:

[DavidEB]

The Sigma 500 Super will do almost everything the 580EX will do for much less money.

Both: e-ttl II, FEC, high-speed sync, strobe, wireless control (all functions), use as wireless master without firing, other stuff
580EX only: manual settings with strobe. external power supply.
Sigma only (I think): set as slave in manual mode (fires off the on-camera flash) -- very useful sometimes.

The sigma is lighter weight, but the build quality is good enough unless you're using it 8 hours a day every day. The 580EX has slightly higher light output.

For me, the difference in features is small -- both handle all the main requirements -- and the difference in price is large.

[Incomplete Pete]

The 580EX is the best flashgun on the market, you can't beat. But for your needs perhaps seek out a second hand 550EX. Also invest some cash into a Sto-Fen Omnibounce Diffuser, will make a big difference.

[robertwgross]

How is the 580ex better than the 420ex for straight on flash and not bounce?

1. Bigger Guide Number.
2. More controllable for power level.

---Bob Gross---

[Jackal]

The XT has FEC so does that extra control over power matter? I guess having control of the zoom on the models above the 420ex is a plus..

Also, I say the 420ex is extremely powerful outdoors if you turn up the FEC. Unless the subject is REALLY far away. But then again I haven't experimented much with shooting people from afar with the 420ex set to max power so I could be wrong. I should test it out when I get the chance....

Now to find a model! =)

[Jon]

The 420 has about 80% of the range of the 580 in any given situation, all else constant. With the 420, you'll be working on or over the edge a lot of the time; with the 580 you'll have some margin. 13 vs 16 ft range at ISO 100, 24 mm lens, f/11 background exposure and flash set for f/5.6 as - 2 stops fill . For more fill, you'll have even less range.

[Photo's by Mike]

I use a Sunpak 550 for all my fill flash here is an example

[pierrot]

What do you think of this one? :mrgreen:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/ardrich7/MF2D0657copy2.jpg

[kwang0429]

What do you think of this one? :mrgreen:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/ardrich7/MF2D0657copy2.jpg

LOL!! where can i get that? :o