60D flash units

im rather new to photography, and I'm sure this has been asked a million times. i tried to search it bout nothing came up. I own a 60D i was wondering if some 1 can point me towards a few good flash units that are good for low light events such as EDM shows. So i can eliminate most motion blur and keep a low shutter speed.

the best canon flash is a 580EX
but as i dont know what an "EDM shows" is not sure if suitable

I have an old 550ex flash on my 60D and if an edm show is like a rave or something, I used a 430ex on my old xti at one and it worked great.

The 60D has a Wireless Controller which means you can position one or more compatible flashes in a room and program them through the popup flash.

The commands are optical flashes from the popup flash and it stands to reason that they do not have the range (or effectiveness) outdoors that rado controllers have. But radio controllers cost money.

Compatible Canon flashes in decreasing cost are 580 EXII or EX, 430 EXII or EX, 320 EXII and 270 EXII (I don't know about an EX model and compatibiity in the last two).

Compatible flashes are made by Nissin, Yongnuo and Metz. You will have to research which models.

There is a greater variety of E-TTL flashes which will work on camera (on the hot-shoe) or off-camera but connected through an E-TTL cable. I have no experience on the whys and the hows of this category.

I am sure that other users will pitch in their help.

Electronic Dance Music. The 430EX2 is quite a bit cheaper and almost as powerful in real life conditions.

I prefer the 550EX. It is almost as powerful as the 580EX II, is easier to switch modes (master, slave, adjustments) and it is half the price of a 580EX II. I use two 550EX and a 430EX II with my 60D. Main problem is the 60D won't manage a group C. If I need a group C, I have to use one of the 550EXs as the flash commander, which takes me down to 2 OC flashes. I need another 430 EX II for background. Or a 7D, or maybe a 5D3. Anyway, the 550EX is a very nice unit, if you can still find one.

Just don't let anyone sell you an "older", perhaps used unit at a great price, stick within what you can afford in the Canon Speedlight line. They integrate very well with the 60D.

The older flash units, non-Canon, if mounted to the hot shoe, apply a voltage to a circuit in the camera. Modern cameras, like the Canon have a maximum of about 6 volts, while some flashed from not too long ago put out about 50 to 60 volts. In the 1980's and 1990's the Vivitar 283 and Sunpak 411 were very popular and many are seen at flea markets, garage sales, etc. for $5. Just not worth it!

John from PA wrote in post #14569335
Just don't let anyone sell you an "older", perhaps used unit at a great price, stick within what you can afford in the Canon Speedlight line. They integrate very well with the 60D.

The older flash units, non-Canon, if mounted to the hot shoe, apply a voltage to a circuit in the camera. Modern cameras, like the Canon have a maximum of about 6 volts, while some flashed from not too long ago put out about 50 to 60 volts. In the 1980's and 1990's the Vivitar 283 and Sunpak 411 were very popular and many are seen at flea markets, garage sales, etc. for $5. Just not worth it!

I have heard this before. I don't know, but honestly believe it is propagated by Canon to get people to buy new Canon flashes. The camera only supplies a trigger current to trip the flashes internal mechanism. The voltage the flashes uses to fire has absolutely nothing to do with the signal that tells it when to fire. If the camera powered the actual flash, the flash would not need batteries. I use a Popular 25THC flash, and a Kalimar 171A AUTO flash on both my T1i and my 60D. They were both made in the late 1970s, early 1980s. There is only one contact on them, which means the flash does not talk to the camera (no voltage or current at any of the other hot-shoe contacts) and therefore can not possibly do anything to the camera. Of course, I have to do some manual flash calculations (remember - f/stop = GN/distance) in order to use them effectively. However, they do work fine on modern cameras. If you had to use OEM flash units, aftermarket flash manufacturers would not exist.

You can search 'Flash Trigger Voltage' in the Internet. I don't think it is a Canon scam, but the tests of what is safe and what is not show widely varying results.

Your Kalimar 171 is reported by somebody to put 238V across the terminals. I sincerely doubt this... But I am not willing to risk my camera on a $10 flash. Anyway, I use the more sophisticated E-TTL/Wireless Controler all the time and for those I need the latest generation Canon EX/EXII

http://www.botzilla.co​m/photo/strobeVolts.ht​ml

Well sambarino, should you really think this info concerning trigger voltage is Canon propagated and a scam, then it must have spread because at http://dpanswers.com …genrc_flash_mea​suretv.php there are cautions listed for Canon, Nikon, Leica, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax and Sony. Not only is the voltage a concern, but the voltage polarity may also be a consideration. Like MakisM1, "...I am not willing to risk my camera on a $10 flash."

I have a 60d and a 430exII.
the combo is great.

sambarino wrote in post #14569300
I prefer the 550EX. It is almost as powerful as the 580EX II, is easier to switch modes (master, slave, adjustments) and it is half the price of a 580EX II. I use two 550EX and a 430EX II with my 60D. Main problem is the 60D won't manage a group C. If I need a group C, I have to use one of the 550EXs as the flash commander, which takes me down to 2 OC flashes. I need another 430 EX II for background. Or a 7D, or maybe a 5D3. Anyway, the 550EX is a very nice unit, if you can still find one.

Check ebay. I got lucky and found a 550EX here and snagged it for a good price, but I went there to find one to show a friend, and found out they go really cheap there sometimes. Considering getting one as a slave flash if I ever have the need for it. Still don't know where it would come in handy for what I do though.

sambarino wrote in post #14570318
I have heard this before. I don't know, but honestly believe it is propagated by Canon to get people to buy new Canon flashes..

!!
I've even heard some people get great results with cheap non-Canon flashes!
ask in the flash section

i have a 550EX - great flash gun and used at various parties groups with film and now using on my 60D and so far so good

you may want to look out for a used one - not sure what country you are in

the guide number on the flas is 55m at iso100 at 105mm - so quite poweful

the 550EX has a guide number at the following distances

http://photonotes.org …s.pl?flashType=​canon550ex
At 17mm (with the flip-down diffuser in place) the guide number is 15.
At 24mm the guide number is 28.
At 28mm the guide number is 30.
At 35mm the guide number is 36.
At 50mm the guide number is 42.
At 70mm the guide number is 46.
At 80mm the guide number is 50.
At 105mm the guide number is 55.

so you should be able to work out the coverage of the other flash units

what sort of focal length are you using - i suspect 28-50

the 580ex has a guide number of 58m at iso 100
http://photonotes.org …s.pl?flashType=​canon580ex
http://photonotes.org …s.pl?flashType=​canon430ex

watt100, it isn't an issue necessarily with "...cheap non-Canon flashes", some of which work very well with the Canon line of cameras. The issue is more about age. If you look at my original post about these concerns I cite two common flashes (Vivitar 283 and Sunpak 411) you see for purchase used. Both were great flashes in their day (1970's) but the trigger voltage is to high for most dslrs. Relatively old Canon flashes are OK, one of mine is a Speedlight 380EX that dates from the 1980's. Integrates very well with my 60D.