Low Light shooting - Fast 50mm F1.4 Prime or 580EX II?

I have a 30D and a 17-55 F2.8 IS that I am very happy with. However, lately, due to the cold winters here, I find myself doing a lot of shooting indoors and light has become scarce. My subjects are usually family/friends/pets and sometimes museum exhibits and the like.

I've come to realize that I'm not 100% happy with how low my shutter speeds have been or the high ISO's I've been using to compensate. So I'm willing to dish out some $$ for either a 580EX II or a fast 50mm Prime. The 50mm focal length works pretty well for me on my crop body but it's not as versitile as my 17-55mm.

Just wondering if you guys/gals have any suggestions of which route I should take. Over time I'll probably get both but which would be more help for me in the short term?

Thanks!

Bottttttttttttttthhhhh​hhhhhhhhhh!!

Normally I'd recommend the 50 1.4, but since you have the 17-55 already, get the flash first, it'll open up a whole new world if you learn how to use it. The 50 1.4 can wait for now, though the extra 2 stops are really, really handy - if you wanna shoot with only ambient light, this is the only way you'll get those shutter speeds you lust after.

Get the flash. If you are going to get both anyway, why not get the unit which synergies the whole rest of your kit?

If you like ambient lighting and/or shallow dof, the 50.
If you like flash and versatility of the 17-55, the flash.

You need both, but I'd get the flash first. There are times and places where the 50 1.4 isn't fast enough and you just have to add light.

Another vote for the flash. Even when it warms up and you shoot outdoors, you'll find lots of use for the flash.

Bob R

For the type of shooting you are doing, flash of course. 50 on a 1.6x camera is too long for group shots.

Embrace the flash...as said above, it will open up worlds of possibility for you.

Flash!

Another vote for the flash. That's what I did.

I actually sold my nifty fifty and bought a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 instead. I like that focal length on a crop a lot better.

I would get the flash. Fast primes are great (I have the 30mm & 50mm), but even when using those, I still bounce flash indoors. With shutter speeds of 1/40 - 1/80, you can still keep much of the ambient light but the flash will freeze motion and fill in shadows.

Here's one at ISO 400, 1/60, f/3.2 with the 580EX bounced in ETTL mode

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

Thanks for all the overwhelming comments for the Flash. I'm definitely looking at ordering the 580EX II. Too bad the price at BH went back up a bit. There will be a learning curve for me as I've always tried to not use the flash (but then again, I've never had the nice bounce flashes.)

tiktaalik wrote in post #4944019
You need both, but I'd get the flash first. There are times and places where the 50 1.4 isn't fast enough and you just have to add light.

x 2 !

FLASH!

(and then the 50mm too)

I just posted this earlier today, but here's what you can do with a 580EX II (or 430 for that matter)

djeuch wrote in post #4803959
Practice, practice, practice! Bounce flash is awesome - check this out:

By no means a proper, studio, controlled experiment, but it does demonstrate a "quick" grab the camera and take the picture example of 3 scenarios with flash. EXIF headers intact. ZERO post processing. Shot flash and simply converted and resized to JPG with defaults in DPP.

40D with 580EX II bounced off ceiling (actually with a ceiling fan in the way)

40D with 580EX II pointed at subject

40D with on-board flash

40D no-flash, same camera settings (for reference on how dark it really is)

I'm no expert, but the first one almost looks like "natural" light! Only until you see the last one can you really tell what the flash is doing.

I'd get a 430EX and the 50mm f/1.4. But the flash would certainly come first.