I am looking for a Canon Speedlight for my Rebel XS and have been reading some feeds on this site. There were not very many feeds on this topic. I have never purchased a speedlight before and the only Speedlight mentioned is the 430EX II. Are there any others out there or is this the best on to purchase to start out with? Are there any others to consider? Many years ago my wife had a fixed flash that she used and then tried a bounce flash. It this flash a fixed or bounce flash? I am new to this and could not tell reading the literature.
I don't own a speedlite, but I just read a book about lighting. It's called 'Lights, Camera, Capture' by Bob Davis
I would highly recommend this book. He (author of the book) reccomends the Canon 580EX II Speedlite. He does very high-end, professional work.
My lovely husband just bought me the canon 580EXII which is fab but also more than I need at this point (my husband says he is future proofing!) It really is great and I am well happy to recommend it but it is pricey. I read a review comparing the 580 and the 430 and it says that the 430 is also pretty good, although they also said that the difference in price between the two was not big enough for the lesser features.
My advice would be to do a google search for a comparison review and then think about budgets etc...
@cazink Thank you for the link, there is good information on the page. The more research I do the better. I was talking to someone today whose wife is a professional photographer and has both a 430 and 580. He told me that his wife found the 430 work better on her higher end cameras. I am leaning towards the 430 with my XS and my upgrade the flash and the camera as I get better. I have been at this project for a year and 8 months and am still learning.
@cirasj that was my plan too, but my husband got it for an anniversary gift so the 580 was a surprise. He said that in the future when I upgrade the camera body the flash will still be good which makes sense. But if I had been buying I was leaning towards the 430 and thats the one my brother has too. they are both good choices I think :D
I have two 580 EX-II flashes, and an old 580 EX flash, and have had no real problems with them. Their output is definitely superior to the 430 and, of course, recycle times at reduced output is also far superior.
That said, there appears to be an inherent design flaw in the 580 EX-II. There are many, many reports of them breaking, and having to be repaired at the owner's expense because Canon will not admit to there being a problem. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-1001088.html
If I did not need the extra output and faster cycle times, I would actually get the 430 EX-II right now, and avoid the 580 EX-II until a replacement model is released (Canon will be releasing a new flagship speedlight sometime soon).
hmm what will be using the flash for and will you be using it often? I went the 430 ex II and thought its great. That said, I dont really use it much. I also bought a YN465 cos it was cheap and thought what the heck, I can use it for fill and if it turns out to be completely rubbish, then i'll just turf it.
http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Speedlite-YN-465-Canon-Rebel/dp/B004U8W5OC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313501218&sr=8-1
Now when I say cheap, i mean cheap.. this one's just under USD60. I think it may be worth you looking into this if you're not expecting to use it much and / or arent expecting to be able to punch out a huge amount of light. Please note that I havent actually done any studio work with it so I cant comment on it from that perspective
From memory, these two were shot with the flash without much setup
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I use an old 380EX (eBay bargain) with my Rebel XS, works fine ; )
I would highly recommend this book. He (author of the book) reccomends the Canon 580EX II Speedlite. He does very high-end, professional work.
My advice would be to do a google search for a comparison review and then think about budgets etc...
Goodluck :D
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-430ex-Speedlite-Flash-Review.aspx
That said, there appears to be an inherent design flaw in the 580 EX-II. There are many, many reports of them breaking, and having to be repaired at the owner's expense because Canon will not admit to there being a problem.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-1001088.html
If I did not need the extra output and faster cycle times, I would actually get the 430 EX-II right now, and avoid the 580 EX-II until a replacement model is released (Canon will be releasing a new flagship speedlight sometime soon).
http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Speedlite-YN-465-Canon-Rebel/dp/B004U8W5OC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313501218&sr=8-1
Now when I say cheap, i mean cheap.. this one's just under USD60. I think it may be worth you looking into this if you're not expecting to use it much and / or arent expecting to be able to punch out a huge amount of light. Please note that I havent actually done any studio work with it so I cant comment on it from that perspective
From memory, these two were shot with the flash without much setup