580EX II or...

Getting an "on-location" studio and event lighting kit setup and need a bit of advice. I currently have a 430EX II with all the bits and such to take it OC. Now I want to start getting more lights.
I am looking for something more powerful than the 430, the primary purpose would be to bounce-off a ceiling to light up a room (ie. wedding reception) or to stick in modifiers such as a medium soft box. I do not need nor desire E-TTL for these flash heads but am I better off going with the 580EX II or is there something thats just as/more powerful and cheaper without the E-TTL? I've been looking at the HV285s and he LP120s but am not too sure if they are less powerful and am not too familiar with the "guide number games" manufacturers play.

As always, thanks for the help.

-Matthew

Matthew, For your stated use, have you considered a portable studio flash like the alien bee or calumet genesis? With any single hotshoe flash you are going to have a hard time lighting up a room.

gonzogolf wrote in post #9827353
Matthew, For your stated use, have you considered a portable studio flash like the alien bee or calumet genesis? With any single hotshoe flash you are going to have a hard time lighting up a room.

Sorry, I did make it sound like I only intended using one. My intention is to acquire 2-3 more flashes for a total of 4.
I would eventually like to have some more powerful studio flashes but portability is a big need as of yet, as well as a low cost. And I think speedlites are the way to go here.

Before I give up the topic of strobes, alien bees are not that much less portable than hotshoe flashes especially when you need fewer, and if you are considering multiple canon speedlites they are cheaper too.

But if you are dead set on speedlites, look at the YN 460II's. Cheap enough and work well in manual. But you are going to have serious issues with recycle time with any hotshoe system.

This kind of floated to the bottom before I really got any kind of answer. I am looking for a manual, non-ETTL flash for doing OFC work. What are some flashes that are as powerful as the 580EX II but are more economical than using a bunch of Canon Speedlites with E-TTL that I will not be using.

Thanks for any help.