Off-camera flash need not be difficult, nor expensive.

A careful read of this thread and the attached PDF file should give you a good handle on the pros/cons of a Sunpak 383 vs. 430EX for off-camera use.

Your friend with the D30 might consider a used 420EX. It has an AF assist light that will help with low light focusing.

Im having a little difficulty understanding all of this. I have an XT and 430EX and just bid on two of the sunpacks to use as slaves. What specifically do I need to fire these? I dont mind using the PC cords if thats the easiest way, but what SPECIFICALLY do I need. Im sort of new to the slave flash world.

2 optical slaves would do the trick. Make sure the 430 is in manual mode. Set up everything manually for your desired ratios.

Headcase650 wrote in post #5116480
2 optical slaves would do the trick. Make sure the 430 is in manual mode. Set up everything manually for your desired ratios.

Well, yes... but 'how?' Im winning two sunpaks to use as slaves. What connectors do I need though? Or are you saying two optical triggersd would work as long as the 430EX is in manual mode?

Yes. 430 on camera turned down a few stops for fill flash in manual. mount the sunpaks to optical slaves shoes then to your light stands with your chosen modifers. Set one on full power for main then the other as hair light, rim light background etc. When the 430 fires the others will too.

Most of the old sunpaks came with a sync cord which has a PC male connector on the end. Most optical slaves have a PC female sync socket. So you probably won't need any extra cords.

So I need to buy 2 optical triggers and thats it? Yay? or nay? lol. Im still not getting the whole picture because ive never used a pc cord. Do i need to buy an adapter too?

Yay. As long as the Sunpaks you bought come with sync cords. What model are they?

383's

I just purchased the Canon 177A Speedlite automatic flash for $35 and the Sunpak 383 for $49 and a Sunpak 10" Coiled Sync Cord, Sunpak to PC for the 522, 544 and 383 for $5.50. Is that all I need to make this lighting setup work as you mentioned? I have a 430ex but cant seem to get it to change the zoom to anything other than 14mm so I'm hoping using this method instead of the 430ex will work out better for me.

mike_wahl wrote in post #5117681
383's

The unit comes with a PC sync cord new. If you're getting them through E-bay then you'll need to check with the seller to make sure the cords are included.

Those cords will plug directly into an optical slave like this:
http://flashzebra.com/​opticalslaves/0050.sht​ml

laurielozano wrote in post #5118167
I just purchased the Canon 177A Speedlite automatic flash for $35 and the Sunpak 383 for $49 and a Sunpak 10" Coiled Sync Cord, Sunpak to PC for the 522, 544 and 383 for $5.50. Is that all I need to make this lighting setup work as you mentioned?

You'll also need some way to trigger the remote flash - either a PC cord or an optical slave.

Make sure the flip-down diffuser panel is pushed in all the way.

So one more time, both of these flashes come WITH the pc cords so im good there. The only other thing I need to buy is two optical triggers? Are triggers the same thing as optical slaves? Sorry to be such a noob, but the guy at the camera shop tried to convince me this was not possible because the '430ex could only be used as a slave and the optical triggers cant read the infrared from the 430ex'. Im pretty sure this dude was full of shiite but want to make sure.

Or could I just buy one of these sets with three receivers and the hotshoe adapter and call it a day? http://cgi.ebay.com …3&_trkparms=its​%3DS%252BI

mike_wahl wrote in post #5118549
So one more time, both of these flashes come WITH the pc cords so im good there. The only other thing I need to buy is two optical triggers?

Exactly.

There is some lack of uniformity in the terminology used. "Slave" can refer to a a flash triggered by another flash, or the device that senses the master flash and connects to the slave flash to trigger it (confused yet?). Those devices have been called slave adapters, slave sensors, slave triggers, slave attachments, etc.

Whatever you call them, they are the superior method of triggering remote flash units or strobes in conditions where they work. They are amazingly fast, extremetly reliable and require no batteries or transmitters.

Radio based flash triggering systems are for those situations where optical slaves won't work, namely outdoors or other places where distance or line-of-sight prevents proper function of optical slaves.