Opinions/ Advice Re: 580 ex ii

Hi, i'm seeking your thoughts on the new speedlight compared to the older version. ( 580 ex)
I'm about to purchase one, but a fellow photographer has had some issues with her new version and i wondered if anybody else has had issues?

She only purchased her 580 ex ii a few months ago and had it replaced within a matter of weeks. It failed to fire during a wedding she was shooting. The second unit also missfires.. alternating between shots in which it will work. Seems it is taking a long time to recycle compared to shooting in the same fashion / conditions with the older version.

She has used lithium batteries for the last shoot, but still isnt happy with this flash... to the point she is now using the older unit in preference.
Does anybody find this newer flash uses power faster than the older version?

Can anybody else give me thier thoughts? I dont want to purchase the newer version and have these problems too if it can be helped.
I only have the 420 speedlight at present so i have no firsthand knowledge of the 580's.

Thanks in advance for your time and help,
Nic

Put NiMH batteries in them, not Lithium. Can't help otherwise.

Hey scarlett.

I have both the 580 and 580 II. Honestly, the 580 is awesome and does the job totally well. I can see the necessity of the 580EX II only if you have a 1-series body and want to shoot in the pouring rain for a long time.

The 580 II recycle is totally silent. Some think that's great. I don't. I've grown so accustomed to listening to the sound of the capacitor charging to know exactly how much juice I have left in there and when I can squeeze the trigger. It also recharges faster, but it's hardly noticable. Just a tiny bit faster.

There is an auto thyristor sensor on the 580 II. I originally bought the 580 II JUST FOR THIS SENSOR because I thought it would make my off camera lighting easier. well.. IT REALLY SUCKS BAD!! I don't EVER use it. It's exposure is SOOOO inconsistent and all over the place, but NEVER right. I no longer even consider it a feature of the II because it's so utterly useless.

So my preference is for the version 1 model. I love it. The problem is, ever since the II came out, the prices for the I skyrocketed. Sounds backwards to me, but that's what happened. Maybe because most realized the new features are mostly fluff or something. The used 580 I units out there are selling for more than I originally bought them new, which was years ago.

and yes, put niMH batteries in. They are the best for flash by far!

Also, maybe check to see if your friend's hotshoe is loose. My 20D hotshoe came loose which let the flash kind of wiggle around. It wasn't secure. Eventually that can lead to misfiring and unreliable triggering. I was about to send it in to Canon but Toogy here showed me it's an easy 1 minute do-it-yourself fix, and it was!

I don't have the older model just the new 580EX II. I have four and they seem to work very consistent and reliable on my 40D. True about the silent recycle time is you don't know where the flash power is at after firing. But they are not making anymore old 580EXs so you might as well get used to it.

Thankyou Tim, Lloyd & pcunite.
Very helptful Lloyd, i appreciate that. I just managed to find a 580 model for sale so i snatched that up. ( the 580 ii's are out of stock at my local camera stores as well as Canon). I always heard the 580s were excellent, so it should be no drama, and as you said it isnt going on a 1 series body so no biggie.

The NiMH batteries are rechargeables arent they? I usually use them and they do die off pretty quick.. and they were even less impressive in my friend's new flash too.. i usually use throw aways once the rechargeables are all used up.
Thanks heaps for your help.
Nic

As far as batteries, I strongly recomened new generation sanyo's 'eneloop'.
These come charged, no memory effect, much lighter, you can charge them, pick them up in a month or so and they will have the same amount of charge and the main reason i gave them a try was the fact that they use much less toxic chemicals in production.
I've been using them for 6 months now and haven't noticed any problems with performance. I pack 12 of these for all day events. That's all i need, 4 go into 580 while 8 remaining into canon's power pack. That setup recycles instatntly for the whole day.

oh i forgot ..some more info here:
http://www.eneloop.com​.au/whatseneloop.html

My 580ex II works great.... no complaints here!