never used a flash

Hi, i have a 40D and would like to get a flash. Obviously i know about the 430 and 530 flash, and i was wondering if a 430 would be suitable for me.

I know nowt about it and don't even know what E-TTL means.

I hope you can advise.

Thanks all

Ian

The best flash to get kind of depends on what you plan on doing with flash now and in the future. The 430 is an all around good flash and will suit most people's needs. It's plenty powerful enough and does most of what the 580 will do. If you want to use two or more flashes and have them wirelessly triggered by the Canon system then i don't think the 430 has the ability to be a master (trigger), only a slave. The 430 is less powerful than the 580, but still plenty of power for most needs. So you could get the 430 now and if you want wireless Canon ETTL with another flahs you could get the 580 later.

If you were to only shoot the flashes in manual mode it would be much cheaper to get some third-party brand flash and trigger them with some radio triggers like Pocket Wizards.

E-TTL is Evaluative Through The Lens. In a nutshell what this means is the flash will figure out automatically how much power to deliver to expose your shot properly. Of course as with all 'automatic' settings this system can also be fooled.

for manual, ie strobist stuff, i would get sunpack 283 or Nik*n SB-24's and if u really wanted u can even use a nik*n sb 24 on a canon hotshoe in manual mode.

As Dermit said, it depends on what you want to do with flash. Full auto mode shooting will cost you a bunch more than full manual by a factor of 3x or more. And more power generally means more money in either mode.

For an all around, useable flash to learn with I'd go with a 430EX. It offers full automatic (ETTL) mode and can be used in manual mode if desired. It's the lowest priced of the current lineup of Canon flashes.

Thank you for your replys. i am gonna get the 430.

Ian

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