Which flash best suits me?

The 580 EX/EX II or the 430 EX?

I will be investing in a flash in the next few months, I hope, and having next to 0 experiance with any flashes other than my own Sunpak Auto 144 D. My flash was made for film, it is 3rd party, and it had NO auto features on any camera I have ever used it with.

I had a nice flash with the Oly I had way back when, but I never really had much chance to use it.

So, enough background. I would be using the flash mianly for close up nature, and people. Shots like these...

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Couldn't see your pictures. 430EX will be fine. Not sure you want to use a flash on fish, that sounds like a bad idea to me, but all I know about fish is they taste good battered with tomato sauce. A flash might get them half way there.

tim wrote in post #5868455
Couldn't see your pictures. 430EX will be fine. Not sure you want to use a flash on fish, that sounds like a bad idea to me, but all I know about fish is they taste good battered with tomato sauce. A flash might get them half way there.

I reposted the images.

I know that it may seem an odd idea to shoot fish in tanks with flashes, but it is something that is very common among fish keepers like myself. I have been at it for almost 4 years, and I am actually quite good at it, if I do say so...

tim wrote in post #5868455
Couldn't see your pictures. 430EX will be fine. Not sure you want to use a flash on fish, that sounds like a bad idea to me, but all I know about fish is they taste good battered with tomato sauce. A flash might get them half way there.

I forgot to mention; I use a pair of studio strobes for the fish. I want to switch to the flashes for more control.

Nice fish photos! I'm sure a 430EX would be enough power for you. 580EXs are good for being a master and good for faster recycle time and power. It doesn't sound like you'll be needing any of those for the time being. If you need a master you can always buy the 580 later and use your 430 as a slave.

430EX is perfect for what you describe.

How will shoe mount flashes give you more control than studio strobes? Do flashes ever stun/kill fish?

tim wrote in post #5868869
How will shoe mount flashes give you more control than studio strobes? Do flashes ever stun/kill fish?

First off, the fish never seem to pay any notice to the flash. I was worried about that too at first, but they never so much as flinch. I would not intentionally stress my fish out for any picture. I love them

The strobes I have are cheap ones from eBay with no controls whatsoever beyond on/off. They have the ability to act as slaves to onboard flash, but I do not like to use direct flash for the fish shots. I use a pc-sync cord for that.

A master/slave flash set up would give me ETTL metered control over the flash, so that I could get a bit more creative with my images, and do so with less difficulty. It is the setup that most fish photographers use. I would love to have the option to get a real studio setup with all the fancy dohickies and whatnot, but the flash setup would be a more useful tool overall for me, plus it costs considerably less.

Maybe you could get an avatar that isn't blurry too

Note that the 430EX does not have a PC jack.

DDCSD wrote in post #5869017
Note that the 430EX does not have a PC jack.

Yeah, but the the 580ex II does, and as I said, the fish thing is a future concern, so I could take some time to build the system, while getting good use out of the individual parts in the time being.

tim wrote in post #5869016
Maybe you could get an avatar that isn't blurry too

Why are you trashing my avatar?

almo wrote in post #5869054
Yeah, but the the 580ex II does, and as I said, the fish thing is a future concern, so I could take some time to build the system, while getting good use out of the individual parts in the time being.

Just wanted to put it out there and make sure you knew. Most people assume it has one.

DDCSD wrote in post #5869071
Just wanted to put it out there and make sure you knew. Most people assume it has one.

To be honest, before my research tonight I would have guessed it did. I just found that out for myself...

almo wrote in post #5869054
Yeah, but the the 580ex II does, and as I said, the fish thing is a future concern, so I could take some time to build the system, while getting good use out of the individual parts in the time being.

The 430 will always be a good wireless slave, or you can add a hotshoe with a PC port if you need one.

almo wrote in post #5869060
Why are you trashing my avatar?

Because i'm bored.