My first Light Question

Ok Like everyone else I have christmas money to blow. I have been lurking in at the Strobist Forums, and its interesting me. However, for my first flash am I getting ahead of myself? I can see myself using on camera flash, as well as off camera, but I cannot see any farther than that.

Do I go with the off cam kits available at Midwest Photo Exchange, or do I get a 430 EX? Are the Vivitars vastly inferior to the Speedlites?

A push from you folks can help me decide what I may need.

well, for starters.. the kit from MPEX is a great start. Vivitars are good flash, it gets the job done fairly cheaply. so even if later on the strobist way isn't the route you wanna go, at least you didn't waste money on a 430EX. but with the lense collection you got going there.. i think just maybe you'll get bite by the strobist bug...

Start with a 430EX.
Learn to use it on the hotshoe, both in E-TTL and manual modes.
Then get a PC cord, hotshoe adapters and related hardware, and experiment with off-camera flash.

The Vivitar 285HV is not an inferior product, it's a very different product than an EX Speedlite. It doesn't have Canon's proprietary technology so it comes quite a bit cheaper. Those units are popular among the Strobist enthusiasts because of their price, and because that proprietary technology is wasted if you're using it off-camera in manual mode.

Curtis,
After reading the Which Flash Stickie, The Sigma 500 DG was mentioned. This somewhat seems appropriate to me. It rivals the 430/550, and works as a master correct? So I could eventually add the 430 down the road.

I really value your input, and would like to know what you think. This flash also has E-TTL, and is only $200 bucks. Otherwise I may be looking at a used 430.

The Sigma Super is a logical choice for those with aspirations for off-camera flash, because of its built-in optical slave. I have a 580EX II but I still keep a Sigma Super in my bag for that reason.

While it claims to have E-TTL master capability, I could never get it to work reliably in that role. It does work well as an E-TTL slave.

But its optical slave capability means that it can work with any flash as its master. When you're ready for a second unit, it could be a Sunpak 383, Vivitar 285HV or a Canon EX Speedlite and the Sigma will work with any of them. Mine even gets use as a background or hair light in conjunction with studio strobes.

Simple "every-day-emergency" location lighting

cool

way to gravedig, lol