580 or 430 ??

Please forgive yet another 580 vs. 430 question

Is the 580 just as good as the 430 if you only need for some indoor & outdoor fill flash and the occasional nightclub style shoot?

Can I assume that for these uses the extra power of the 580 will not be needed?

Wireless master / slave & multiple strobe setups are not in my immediate (or future) plans. So basic on camera fill is my sole requirement .. is the 580 overkill for me?
Thanks,
Mike

ya id think the 580 is overkill for your needs

but i have the 430 right now, and one thing i DO need that the 430 doesnt have is a way to hook up to an external batterypack. The 430's battery life and recycle times are excellent, but, i still need more power and faster recycling for strange and akward times shooting at professional basketball games.

go with the 430...wanna buy mine..its brand new?

Thanks Poolin that's kind of what I thought. Silly as it may sound the wheel control on the 580 is the most desired feature for me over the 430's button press as I find them very hard to press being so small. But not sure if that's worth $200 more.

If you're serious about selling just PM me,
Mike

mmahoney wrote in post #2681407
Thanks Poolin that's kind of what I thought. Silly as it may sound the wheel control on the 580 is the most desired feature for me over the 430's button press as I find them very hard to press being so small. But not sure if that's worth $200 more.

If you're serious about selling just PM me,
Mike

If you have an XT, then the wheel might be useful for quickly riding FEC. I found pressing a couple of buttons quite easy and intuitive on the 430, though. Hold down the Set until FEC digits flash, then +++ or ---.

I LOVE the 30D because I can set FEC on the body which will control the speedlite and see my settings in the viewfinder to adjust or confirm. No more dropping the camera down to peer at the 430's LCD.

TheSteveMadden wrote in post #2681449
I LOVE the 30D because I can set FEC on the body which will control the speedlite and see my settings in the viewfinder to adjust or confirm. No more dropping the camera down to peer at the 430's LCD.

Is the same feature on the 20D? ..
Mike

mmahoney wrote in post #2681560
Is the same feature on the 20D? ..
Mike

It should be, this is not a new feature.

Press the Exposure Mode/FEC button (rightmost button on the top) then use the main dial on the back to change FEC. The expusure compensation setting should be displayed on the top LCD exposure meter and in the viewfinder exposure meter as you adjust it.

In general useage, the things that require the most flash power are a) outdoor fill in bright sunlight, and b) bounced flash.

In bright sun, you'll need narrow apertures in order to keep the shutter at flash sync speed. Narrow apertures result in reduced range. If the GN of the 430EX is 140 feet and the GN of the 580EX is 190 feet, at f/11 your useful range will be around 13 feet vs. about 17 feet (if you zoom the flash wider than 105mm these distances drop dramatically as the GN goes down).

With bounced flash, that extra stop of power will allow a one stop lower ISO setting while keeping the aperture the same. Depending on conditions and aperture, that may be ISO 200 vs. 400, or perhaps 400 vs. 800.

If money is no issue, get the 580EX. 'Tis better to have more power than needed and never need it than not enough power when you need it most. FEC is also easier/faster with the dial. I'd only get a 430EX if the price difference was nonexistent in my bank account.

Another thing to consider re: power is strain on the flash unit. The 430EX on max power will be something like 2/3 on the 580EX (guesstimate. One of the nerds can give an exact figure.) That means faster recycle times when you do NOT need to max out the flash. Chances are you aren't going to use 100% of the power on either flash unit most of the time, but when you use a smaller percentage of the total capacity of the unit, you get faster recycle times. In other words, 1/2 power on the 580EX will recycle much faster than 2/3 power on the 430EX even though they'd be the same actual output. (again, geeks can provide the real math). So it's not always about what the flash can do at max power.

The power difference is almost half. In other words 1/2 power on the 580 is almost as powerful as full power on the 430 meaning you can get almost 40% further range or use almost one full stop less ISO or 1 stop smaller aperture with the 580. I say almost twice the power, because based on the guide numbers, 430 multiplied by 1.4 = 602, not 580. It takes 4 times the power to get twice the range, notwithstanding zooming flash heads.

Thanks for the advice everyone .. methinks the 430 should do for my purpose. The price difference here in Canada is $220 CDN, which is significant.
Mike

Don't forget to look at the Sigma DG ST and the Sigma Super. I'm very happy with my Sigma DG ST at $150....

Not saying it's for you, but it's worth considering.

This friday am taking pics for my friends Entertainment party at a club. I have the EOS rebel xt and was planing on buying the 580 because I take pictures of cars at the track and I will be doing alot of party pics. the club is dark, once you get inside. so should I go for the 580 since I will be using it at the track and at partys? also I was planning on have the camera set on TV mode.