60D - External Flash

Just wondering what everyone is using for a external flash? I have a 60D and recently purchased a Tokina 77mm F2.8 wide angle lens. Well so much for the internal flash with this lens. Have a huge shadow at the bottom of all my photos. Now I have to look into a external flash that is tall and a flash that will clear the lens. I found a couple on amazon for about $75 bucks with good reviews. What you guys recommend?

I use Canon's 600 EX-RT. But that's quite a bit more expensive than the one you've been looking at. Works well, though.

riverratmike wrote in post #16907764
Just wondering what everyone is using for a external flash? I have a 60D and recently purchased a Tokina 77mm F2.8 wide angle lens. Well so much for the internal flash with this lens. Have a huge shadow at the bottom of all my photos. Now I have to look into a external flash that is tall and a flash that will clear the lens. I found a couple on amazon for about $75 bucks with good reviews. What you guys recommend?

I use Canon 430ex ll's and a YN468. Yongnuo's are hard to beat for the price and performance.

430 EXII. If you live in the States sometimes Canon has good deals on their refurb site.

I use original canon 580ex's, but I use my flashes a lot and need the external battery connection to speed up the recycle rate. Some of the cheaper flashes overheat quickly and then slow down their rate.

I've thought about getting the phottix with built-in ettl radio, but I am not sure I am ready to trust it

Make sure that you buy Canon E-TTL compatible flash. I have 2 Canon 430 EXII, I've read that Yongnuo makes one equivalent to this flash, but I am not sure of the model number.

The E-TTL is not only useful if you use the flash in the E-TTL mode. With your 60D you can use the popup flash as a master and the E-TTL flashes as E-TTL slaves for Off Camera Flash (OCF) photography. Then, you can set them as manual flashes and control their power from the camera for 2 groups of flashes. This is very useful, if you put you flashes high in stands, inside modifiers etc.

Alternatively, you can buy inexpensive radio controllers (like the Yongnuo 622C) but then you commit to buy gear for photography that you may decide you are not interested in.

Here is the setup for some OCF tests I was doing, and the final result. Nothing on the art department, I was just testing a concept.

IMAGE LINK: http://s37.photobucket​.com …on/IMG_5748setu​p.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s37.photobucket​.com …IMG_5746DPPg102​4.jpg.html

I use a 580EX II on-camera, and I love it. When shooting off-camera, I also have a 550EX and a 430EXII. The 550EX and 430EXII are quite reasonable used.

CollegeKid wrote in post #16908776
I use a 580EX II on-camera, and I love it. When shooting off-camera, I also have a 550EX and a 430EXII. The 550EX and 430EXII are quite reasonable used.

I'll second the 550EX. I've used one since it was new(ca. 2000 or so) and never had a problem with it. It has nearly the same power and features of the latest Canon flashes, in fact when I bought it, it was the flagship model. The only downside is that you can't use the in-camera menus to set anything but FEC, you have to reach up a whole 3 inches to set it on the flash itself.

They can be had for $250ish in good condition on the used market.

What type of flashes did you find on Amazon? What make? Do you want ETTL or just manual flash? I'd be careful about that for $75. May not have ETTL.

apersson850 wrote in post #16907899
I use Canon's 600 EX-RT. But that's quite a bit more expensive than the one you've been looking at. Works well, though.

I really like the button layout and menus on the 600. The LCD lighting up when you press any button was a big improvement.

thanks everyone for the responses. I'm was looking on Amazon and likeed the Neewer flash. Cheap with decent reviews. Can't spend over $100 on this flash. So looking to purchase something cheap that does a nice job.

Just a tiny bit more than your $100 budgeted, but I think one of these would be a good start. Cheetah v850 Flash

I don't have one yet, I use 2 430 EXII, with Yongnuo 622C triggers. I think my next flash will be a Cheetah.

I don't need anything fancy. Just something cheap that works good and can take the place of my internal flash.

riverratmike wrote in post #16913791
I don't need anything fancy. Just something cheap that works good and can take the place of my internal flash.

I'm still using the Yongnuo YN-465 ETTL flash on my 60D - $40 but that was years ago

riverratmike wrote in post #16907764
Just wondering what everyone is using for a external flash? I have a 60D and recently purchased a Tokina 77mm F2.8 wide angle lens. Well so much for the internal flash with this lens. Have a huge shadow at the bottom of all my photos. Now I have to look into a external flash that is tall and a flash that will clear the lens. I found a couple on amazon for about $75 bucks with good reviews. What you guys recommend?

Heya,

I use a fleet of Yongnuo's: 565EX TTL and a few 560 III's. I use Yongnuo RF-603CII transceivers. Get generic light stands ($20ish) and off-camera flash shoes that mount there. You can either use them like that, or you can use umbrellas as diffusers or bouncers, or you can get portable softboxes that collapse. I use my flashes in manual mode mostly, TTL is not perfect and often is just a waste of time in my book, unless you're running & gunning and don't have a second shot at the image (like travel or something). I use manual for everything else and expose it myself.

560 III
565EX TTL
RF603CII trasceivers
Lightstand
Sandbags
Stand Flash Shoe (and umbrella mount)
43" Umbrella
24x24" speedlite softbox

Inexpensive and is portable, wireless, and is great lighting for the buck.

Very best,