430ex head. Swivels the wrong way... why?

What is with this... the 430ex ii will swivel left all the way backwards, but right only to 90 degrees.

When i have the camera in portrait orientation and i want to aim the flash at the ceiling, i have to keep the camera at most, level.... anything pointed down will not be directly at the ceiling anymore.

Swiveling left helps me out almost none at all, but swiveling right would help me by lighting the ceiling in portrait orientation... is canon just not logical in their design?

It SHOULD swivel right, all the way to back, and on the left, if it only went to 90 degrees, thatd be fine... but its not that way.

?

It wasn't too long ago that flashes didn't swivel at all. Upgrade to the 580EXII.

40Dude6aedyk wrote in post #6941873
It wasn't too long ago that flashes didn't swivel at all. Upgrade to the 580EXII.

i've got a 580exii.
but why even make the 430ex swivel fully left, but not fully right..... i find no purpose to ever go past 90 degrees left, but i do right.

DUH canon?

Oh, you're holding your camera upside down when you go to portrait mode. Turn it the other way.

40Dude6aedyk wrote in post #6941908
Oh, you're holding your camera upside down when you go to portrait mode. Turn it the other way.

nay. i have a vertial grip. there's only 2 ways for me to hold the camera for me.

If you read the spec before you buy....

i just don't understand why canon would do that... if it physically needs a spot to stop in order for wires not to twist (or whatever the reason).. why not have it lock on the left side?

That really annoys me with my 430EX II also. I'm about to sell it and buy a 580EX or something.

funk1196 wrote in post #6942337
i just don't understand why canon would do that... if it physically needs a spot to stop in order for wires not to twist (or whatever the reason).. why not have it lock on the left side?

Product differentiation. There are reasons why the higher model 580EX II costs more, and here's one of them. Like Lotto said, it's very important to read the specs - since this issue seems to be one which displeases you to a high degree, I presume you didn't read the specs properly.

On the record, I agree with you. I've got a 580EX and a 430EX, but I bought the 430EX as a stationary secondary so it's not an issue.

I agree!! I really wish they designed it so it swivelled the other way. I know I can hold the camera differently in portrai mode, but it feels so uncomfortable.

Why are we presuming the OP didn't read the spec? It is a different class of flash than the 580EX II. You can't just say, "should've gone with the 580EX II". If there was the option of the 430EX left swivel or the 430EX right swivel, then the OP should have read the spec. That's like me saying I wish my Rav4 had a V8, 4x4, and a tow package...I should've read the spec and gone with the twice as expensive 4Runner.

The consequences of the rotation lock might not be obvious to everyone. I knew about it but after I started using the flash I realized how limiting it was.

Oddly enough, the Canon guy at my local shop turns his camera CW for portrait, so it works well for him. He's left-eyed and spins the body around so his right thumb is on the shutter.

Me, I want it to work for 'normal' rotation so I'm going to make it do that. Just need to find the last screws to get the housing apart.

I hardly ever use my 430 ex except for backgrounds for this very reason. Drives me crazy also. Like the others said, buy the 580 ex II and you'll be happy.

I think I've got it. I'm reducing the amount of lockout and moving it to the left side. Not hard at all. I'll post pics in the other thread.

I don't know if anyone has noticed but why is the 430 made in China and the 580 in Japan ?