Differences in Speedlites?

I've seen some ads of Nikon Speedlite and Canon Speedlite flashes on the Sell forum.

This may sound like a pretty silly question, but will a Nikon Speedlite flash work on a Canon XTI camera or do I have to / should I stay with Canon?

Thanks in advance...
Al

to shoot on the canon camera you really want a canon flash. Provided you get a compatible one, the ex line. You will get access to ettl and the other advanced features. You might be able to get the nikon flash to fire, but it would only work in manual mode. Most of the users here purchase the nikon flashes to be used off camera with radio triggers in manual mode.

For ETTL, you need a Canon or a Canon-compatible (e.g. Sigma, Metz) A Nikon flash is only Nikon iTTL compatible; it can be used off-camera in Manual mode (or in Auto mode if it has its own photosensor)

In The EOS Flash Bible (link in my signature) the article explains the difference between dedicated and non-dedicated flash units. It's worth a read.

The camera tells the flash what to do. You need a flash that speaks the same language as your camera.

Thanks everyone for your quick replies.

I will definitely give the article a read.

Al