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12/05/2005 08:22:21 PM · #1 |
Does anybody have/use the Canon 580ex flash? If so, how well does it work? What kind of spread/range do you get with it? Is it worth the $300-500 price tag?
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12/05/2005 08:32:42 PM · #2 |
| I personally love it - the recycle time is awesome, the coverage is good too. Will have heaps of use this weekend. I haven't had much use of yet though as I do mainly landscapes so take my opinion with a grain of salt, plus here it was cheaper than the 550ex. |
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12/05/2005 08:37:35 PM · #3 |
Love it! Very fast recycle time, very powerful, very accurate...Best Canon Flash so far!
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12/05/2005 08:46:29 PM · #4 |
I have the 580, the 550 and the 420 and like and use all three. The 580 is my favorite, though I honestly don't see much difference (except size and weight) between it and my 550. Recycle times should be quicker but it's probably hard to notice without shooting side by side.
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12/05/2005 08:48:26 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by dwterry:
I have the 580, the 550 and the 420 and like and use all three. The 580 is my favorite, though I honestly don't see much difference (except size and weight) between it and my 550. Recycle times should be quicker but it's probably hard to notice without shooting side by side. |
Ever use the 420 and the 550 as slaves? I was wondering how well it works.
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12/05/2005 08:53:44 PM · #6 |
| I use mostly for my job and in first I used 14mm lens and it was ok but now I'm going down to 10mm and somtimes I see dark corners. But nothing disturbing thoug. |
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12/06/2005 12:41:00 AM · #7 |
I've used vivitar 283's, Canon 550ex and Canon 580ex units. I like the 580 a lot, especially with the third stop in manual mode, and faster recycle times (size doesn't matter a lot to me, but I do appreciate it).
If you own a 550, you should be ok for now, and should jump on a 580 once you've taken care of some other camera needs, since the difference is NOT night and day between the two.
If you don't own any flashes, the 580 is very good and would be what I would get.
Oh and for anything less than 17mm on a 20D, you need to use some sort of diffuser or light spreader. Your best bet is a westcott softbox, a lightsphere or something of that nature.
Max |
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12/06/2005 02:24:53 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by orussell:
Originally posted by dwterry:
I have the 580, the 550 and the 420 and like and use all three. The 580 is my favorite, though I honestly don't see much difference (except size and weight) between it and my 550. Recycle times should be quicker but it's probably hard to notice without shooting side by side. |
Ever use the 420 and the 550 as slaves? I was wondering how well it works. |
420s work great as slaves to the 580. |
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12/06/2005 02:57:52 PM · #9 |
I borrowed one from a friend for this night football game I was shooting.
With the Sunpac external battery tethered to the 580, and my 1D M2, I got some really nice shots.
The burst adjustmaents with the Sunpac was amazing. The recycle rate was amazing.
I bought one.
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12/09/2005 01:26:30 AM · #10 |
I won't comment on ETTL slave use, but I will say that indoors, the triggering is fairly reliable
Outdoors though, YMMV. I found it nearly impossible to use with 2 550s and an ST-E2. I eventually bought into some PocketWizards.
But for indoors, should be ok.
Max |
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12/09/2005 01:46:46 AM · #11 |
I ran into a situation not long ago where I had to buy a second flash. I broke my 550ex and had to have a replacement immediately. I spend a couple hours trying to decide if I needed the 580 or not. I cold not find adequate justification to spend that much more than the 550 costs. I ordered a new 550ex and had it shipped overnight. I then sent my broken one in for repair and have two 550s now. My 550 has never let me down.
If I were you, I would look at the differences between the two flashes and figure out if you want to pay that much more for what you are going to get. If money is no object, definitely buy the 580.
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12/09/2005 02:29:02 AM · #12 |
That all being said, I would really suggest, if you like control, to get a flash with manual controls.
I found that VERY useful in situations where the ETTL was failing to recognize the situation. Knowing how to manually flash can be a lifesaver.
And the 550 does this well, it's as powerful as the 580, but where the 580 trumps the 550 is in the control sensitivity. The 580 offers 1/3 stop adjustments (very useful), as well as a faster recycle time.
BTW, something a lot of people fail to recognize, is that ETTL or ETTL 2 is a function of the camera, not the flash. ETTL2 cameras will use that to dictate how much flash is needed from an ETTL compatible flash.
Max |
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