Which speedlight for Strobist?

Vivitar 283/285, Sunpak 383. Dirt cheap new, dirter cheaper eBay.

my vote is the SB-800s or we just got a new 580 and thrilled it has a sync port

the sunpack 383 are great. I dont even use my 580 except for the rare occasion I throw it on the camera.

azpix wrote in post #5845753
the sunpack 383 are great. I dont even use my 580 except for the rare occasion I throw it on the camera.

Same here! I used to have two 580EX and some older 420EX flashes, have now kept only the one 580EX for on-camera E-TTL use. The rest are Sunpak 383 Supers!

Okay, I think I am a bit of a dumb-@ss......how (INVALID EMAIL) do I hook my old flashes to my Rebel XTi with the 580 EX II on top? What setting does the 580 have to be in to fire the old flashes? I couldn't find anything in the 580's manual aboot hooking flashes to it?

Rrdstarr wrote in post #5846953
Okay, I think I am a bit of a umb-@ss......how (INVALID EMAIL) do I hook my old flashes to my Rebel XTi with the 580 EX II on top? What setting does the 580 have to be in to fire the old flashes? I couldn't find anything in the 580's manual aboot hooking flashes to it?

You can't use a 580 to fire a Sunpak or Vivitar directly; through using something like an optical trigger you could.

Look at post #10:
Simple "every-day-emergency" location lighting

sunpaks and sb26's are going fast. whats next? 430ez?

bimmeracer3 wrote in post #5918210
sunpaks and sb26's are going fast. whats next? 430ez?

The Canon 420EZ and 430EZ would make very annoying off camera flash units.

The built in standby mode cannot be disabled requiring you to return to the flash about every 90 seconds.

The standby mode in the 540EZ can be turned off.

Enjoy! Lon

580 EXII then take your pick.

doidinho wrote in post #5919297
580 EXII then take your pick.

That's an expensive flash for Strobist-style manual off-camera flash photography!

Rudi wrote in post #5919312
That's an expensive flash for Strobist-style manual off-camera flash photography!

But you get the ETTL for on camera (when you want it).. My point was that ETTL has it's place and is nice, but after you have one flash w/ it, it doesn't matter as much for the second or third flash. Some units only have zoom, some have more light output levels, but the 580 has it all. Odds are you won't need to zoom all the way out on both flash units and that you will probally have some sort of lighting ration going on, so you will likley be able to get the lighting you want w/ a 580 and any of the other mentioned flashes.

Fair enough! I kept one 580EX for just that reason, as I replaced all my other hot shoe flashes with cheaper alternatives. The best part was that selling off my other 580EX's paid for the rest of the gear and more!

Rudi wrote in post #5919312
That's an expensive flash for Strobist-style manual off-camera flash photography!

It is also very powerful and recycles fast!!!

pcunite wrote in post #5921428
It is also very powerful and recycles fast!!!

The Sunpak 383 and Vivitar 285HV are just as powerful, it's just that the Sunpak does not zoom and the Vivitar zooms manually. At half-power, the Sunpak recycles in around two seconds, same as the 430EX at full power. And guess what? At half-power the Sunpak is as powerful as the 430EX at full power!

Yes, you give up a little with the Sunpak or Vivitar, but for off-camera Strobist use, not as much as some might think!