Comparing flashes: Sensor size detection & downward tilt

I'm looking for a flash (to be used with a 7D and a 60D). I've no prior experience with flashes, other than a day's playing with a borrowed 580EX. I don't want to stretch to a 580EXII, so took a look at some comparable units (most info from speedlights.net). Details here:

1858 x 196

EMBED PREVENTED, IMAGE TOO LARGE: http://spikyfish.com/f​lashes.png Click here to see our image rules.

In the end, I went for the Nissin.

Impressions so far are good. Build quality feels decent. The menu system is easy to use, and the flash seems to integrate well with the camera (accessing the flash options via a 7D).

The flash does crackle away when powered, but isn't offensively loud. Recycling time doesn't appear to be an issue, at least for my style of picture taking.

Wireless firing (using the 7D's flash) works well in all but very large rooms/outdoor when the flash is behind the camera (which is fair enough). I've not tested the flash as a wireless master (as I don't have a second flash that's compatible).

With a cheap set of Cactus v5 wireless triggers ($60) and an old manual flash ($0 ) I've found you can remotely fire the old flash using the Cactus (connected to the 7D with the supplied short PC cable), trigger the Nissin off camera using the 7D's flash, and use the 7D's flash for a little fill-in, i.e. three simultaneous lights for less than the cost of a 580EXII.

sploo wrote in post #14314771
I presume that on a crop body, as the effective focal length is 1.6x that of full frame it means the flash will be too 'wide' when used on the camera in auto zoom mode. Other than being less effective for a subject at distance, is this a big deal?...The Yongnuo is obviously the best priced, and I guess with the wireless master capability of 7D and 60D the lack of it on the flash isn't such a big deal. No HSS at all though. Is that really an issue unless you shoot into the sun all day?

Let's assume that you mounted a 50mm lens on your camera. On APS-C, that frames about 25 degrees (horizontal), while on FF that same lens frames 46 degrees (horizontal). So a flash which fails to understand the format implication would spread the beam over a wider area for FF coverage, causing a shorter maximum flash distance when used on APS-C camera. Given the loss of flash power and distance attributed to HSS, that exaggerates that problem even more!

sploo wrote in post #14314771
I was also looking at the Metz, as I guess for wired off camera work you could add a PC sync/hotshoe adaptor to make up for the lack of PC socket. Is the missing HSS in wireless a big deal?

PC socket only supports triggering...you lose ETTL, you lose HSS, you lose communication between camera and flash for auto selection of flash shutter speed, you lose flash ready light and flash confirmation light. Not having a PC output on the Metz simply means you need to use an accessory hot shoe rather than plug the PC cord into the flash...no big deal.

I ended up getting the Nissin also on my search for a good cheap flash.

Can't beat the power/features/price combo imo.

As you mentioned, the sensor size detection isn't a problem when bouncing, not when using with umbrellas etc also. And with a fixed lense you can set the flash into manual zoom to compensate for the 1.6 crop.

I also got this battery pack from this seller, which fixed the recycle time

At 1/8th (+1/3) power or lower, you can fire that baby off till it melts. At full power, the recycle time is around 1 sec.

Wilt wrote in post #14624845
...Given the loss of flash power and distance attributed to HSS, that exaggerates that problem even more!

I hadn't specificially considered format issues + loss of power when using HSS, and granted that may be an issue. The Nissin is slightly more powerful than the 580EXII, but I don't know if that makes up for the failure to recognise the format.

As most impromptu shooting is using TTL, that automatically compensates for the wider spread, and I've not yet found the flash to be lacking in power (though I admittedly haven't tried any HSS yet). As Audionut11 notes, you can always override the autozoom and set it manually (though granted that's slightly clunky).

Wilt wrote in post #14624845
...PC socket only supports triggering...you lose ETTL, you lose HSS, you lose communication between camera and flash for auto selection of flash shutter speed, you lose flash ready light and flash confirmation light. Not having a PC output on the Metz simply means you need to use an accessory hot shoe rather than plug the PC cord into the flash...no big deal.

Yea, PC socket is basic, and the Cactus triggers make a long PC cable unnecessary. Not a big factor in a flash choice for me, but probably better to have one than not I guess.

Audionut11 wrote in post #14627057
I also got this battery pack from this seller, which fixed the recycle time

At 1/8th (+1/3) power or lower, you can fire that baby off till it melts. At full power, the recycle time is around 1 sec.

Thanks for the info. Very cheap product, so well worth considering if you're doing a lot of repeated flash work. Not something I've needed yet, but might do!