byso wrote in post #3277293
I currently have a 580ex flash, which is getting serviced at Canon. Apparently they are working on the flash hood assembly. I’m considering getting the 430ex as a 2nd flash. As it’s a smaller size flash I feel it would be a little better suited as a walk around flash and also for family occasions. When you only throwing the flash 5 – 10 metres. But I do like using an Omni bounce. I’m interested if the flash will work well bouncing off 8 ft high ceilings (with omni attached). Hopefully someone with 430ex and 580ex experience can help. As I have a 2 year old I’m usually shooting at f4 160th sec iso 200-400 indoors. Cheers My first EX flash was the 420EX which outputs just a tad less light than the 430EX (not that you'd be able to tell, though). I was more than satisfied with its performance for use indoors, even with it bounced. So I'm sure you'll find the 430EX adequate for your indoor use, too. The only reason I bought a bigger flash in the form of a 550EX was because the 420EX came up short in the power department when shooting in a large hall or auditorium. I also have the 580EX which is my primary flash. The 550EX and the 420EX are used mostly as slaves now-a=days.
But, as Curtis pointed out earlier, the 430EX isn't that much smaller than the 580EX and for me, the difference in weight would not be enough to make me want to select the 430EX over 580EX as my primary flash.
