A question about 580EX II vs D-Lite 4

I'm wondering what's the difference in power between the 580EX II and the D-Lite 4... how many f-stop difference at full power??

And perhaps I should say that I'm talking about shooting into umbrellas or soft boxes, so the 580EX II would be zoomed out to 14mm (the little plastic thing over it)

fi20100 wrote in post #5682982
And perhaps I should say that I'm talking about shooting into umbrellas or soft boxes, so the 580EX II would be zoomed out to 14mm (the little plastic thing over it)

Do you really need that if the umbrella is all the way out? I never use it.

The guide number for the D-Lite 4 is 64. The guide number for the 580EX II is 58. Both measured in meters.

Well, I've got a rather large shoot through, where I need to use it to fill it completely

hommedars wrote in post #5683068
The guide number for the D-Lite 4 is 64. The guide number for the 580EX II is 58. Both measured in meters.

But those numbers are not exactly comparable, since the 580EX would be at 14mm? Or at least that's what I would think.

I was rather thinking if someone had tried both and metered them at full power

I thought you wanted to compare power vs power. Of course anything you do to modify the light will influence the amount of light.

Personally, shooting into a softbox or umbrella, I wouldn't see the need to use 14mm.

hommedars wrote in post #5683089
I thought you wanted to compare power vs power. Of course anything you do to modify the light will influence the amount of light.

Personally, shooting into a softbox or umbrella, I wouldn't see the need to use 14mm.

Well, the 580EX does already modify the light with a fresnel lens inside the flash... I think the guide number comes from being zoomed to 105mm... If you are going to compare what kind of f-stops you're getting with the difference strobes, you need to measure them with the modifiers you'll be using (since they are so different) When I'm using my 110cm shoot through or a rather large DIY soft box, I definitely need to put my 430EX to 14mm to get the best coverage. A shoot through umbrella doesn't give you as even light if it zoomed too much, but you want it to cover the whole umbrella.

Hi Stefan,

Here are some numbers that may help you out.

An Elinchrom D-Lite 4 at full power, 6 feet from the subject, measuring at ISO 200 and 1/125s, will give you f/22 + .1 without a reflector and with any standard reflector will increase that by about 1 stop, giving you f/32 + .1

A Canon 580EX II Speedlite, measured using the same values and in the 105mm zoom setting, will give you f/22 + .6

Keep in mind that it's not all about the numbers. Pattern and coverage are important to consider and if you're looking for quantity and quality of light, the D-Lite will be a better, more flexible choice.

Thanks Robert So I would guess if you put the 580EX at 14mm the difference will be quite significant. Thanks for the numbers

fi20100 wrote in post #5683300
Thanks Robert So I would guess if you put the 580EX at 14mm the difference will be quite significant. Thanks for the numbers

Hi Stefan,

Yes, the numbers would be very different. Speedlite's are great for many things but if you need firepower and great coverage then you can't beat studio strobes, which will also accommodate larger numbers of modifiers and light shaping tools.

TMR Design wrote in post #5683317
Hi Stefan,

Yes, the numbers would be very different. Speedlite's are great for many things but if you need firepower and great coverage then you can't beat studio strobes, which will also accommodate larger numbers of modifiers and light shaping tools.

That's true... I just metered my 430EX from 3 meters at full power. At 1/200 and ISO 100 it gave me f/13 at 105mm and f/5 at 14mm So very big difference!

To compare apples to (almost) apples, you'd have to have the 580EX zoomed out to about 35mm or wider, so the comparable guide numbers are VERY different! As Robert said, you cannot beat studio strobes like the D-Lite 4 for raw power and rapid recycling capability, no matter what brand or size hot shoe flash you care to bring.

fi20100 wrote in post #5683115
When I'm using my 110cm shoot through or a rather large DIY soft box, I definitely need to put my 430EX to 14mm to get the best coverage. A shoot through umbrella doesn't give you as even light if it zoomed too much, but you want it to cover the whole umbrella.

I find that I have to zoom out my 580EX to 24mm to almost cover a 43" shoot-through umbrella. A Sunpak 383, which supposedly covers 35mm, actually covers the umbrella more completely than the 580EX set at 24mm (this is with the umbrella as far away from the flash head as possible). So, I suspect you lose a bit more power with the 580EX because of the zoom setting...