Does anyone think this is worth it?

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

06/11/2010 10:13:41 PM · #1

~~This is an Ebay Link~~

I ran across this tonight... and thought it was interesting and was wondering if anyone thought it was worth it.

Ok so the mini flash is a waste LOL

Does anyone know about the Opteka EF-600 DG C Digital Flash for Canon Eos flash??

Message edited by author 2010-06-11 22:49:08.

digichic

06/11/2010 10:27:57 PM · #2

I took a few dollar gamble and bought a lens hood (from China) off Ebay. Cheap and poor quality. But what should I expect for a few dollars? I'm thinking you might want to steer clear of that. Sorry :/

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

06/11/2010 10:36:30 PM · #3

That depends on how you feel about buying a $20 toy... If you don't mind that it's fairly limited, might break quickly or not work at all, and may be an exercise in frustration, yes then buy one..

Frankly, I spent $80 on a 500mm Opteka lens, and I wasn't entirely displeased.. Although I had very realistic expectation... My biggest complaint is that it doesn't seem to focus to infinity... But.. I might have screwed the mount on a wee bit further than your supposed to and, I'm wayy to smart to unscrew that bad boy now... :)

So, it's a matter of what you want and expect... Expect crap and realize that it's a toy then you'll probably be very pleased... Expect professional level performance, and you'll be sorely disappointed.. Then again, it's only $20 :)

06/11/2010 10:42:10 PM · #4

Originally posted by coryboehne:

Makes sense!~ LOL I just put a bid on a different flash. Opteka EF-600 DG C Digital Flash for Canon Eos
So we will see LOL it had pretty good reviews... so if I can get it for a decent price... why the heck not!

06/11/2010 10:43:22 PM · #5

I wouldn't expect much from a brand X product. The Yongnuo flashes are inexpensive models from China, but seem to have a good rep inthe Strobist group on Flickr. I have one of these that I paid $99 for new at a Wolf camera. It's a good value for the money, but I wouldn't go too much higher than the $50 it's bidding for now. I'd suggest at minimum getting something that tilts upward to bounce off the ceiling. Preferably you would like to get something that can also swivel side to side. Believe me, you will be wanting the ability to aim the flash.

Message edited by author 2010-06-11 22:46:19.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

06/11/2010 10:43:24 PM · #6

I'm not sure how worthwhile it is. Sure, you are moving the flash off camera...a little, but, there is no bounce capability. Also, the flash is rather small. All this flash setup will do is move the harsh shadow around the subject a little. You will still be dealing with "harsh light" because the flash itself is rather small.

Also, I'm not sure what the guide number is, but I wouldn't buy a flash unless it had a listed guide number.

I think you'd be disappointed.

I have bought $20 flash units for off camera use. But, they are optically triggered by my 580EX and I can angle them to the ceiling for better light coverage. But, that's about all the utility they have (there is a little more, but that's beyond this post).

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

06/11/2010 10:44:31 PM · #7

I bought a vivitar version of this off woot some time ago for $9. Used it just enough to see if it fired. It did. Haven't used it since. I did get one for my nephew, who has a point/shoot without a hotshoe. The vivitar version has a switch so the slave will fire on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th flash, so it can slave with various point/shoots with preflash/redeye, etc. But it is very direction sensitive as far as the slave sensor is, and it is not very powerful.

So I doubt you will feel it is worth $20, but it depends on how you plan to use it. I thought I would use it as a stick-out-of-the-way-in-tight-spaces kinda thing--but it was too fussy to trigger in those spaces.

06/11/2010 10:46:46 PM · #8

Oh....I just read a little more:

"This mini flash unit can be a slave / compensative flash unit, when you set it on slave or normal position. It have sliding gear Bracket , it can make the photo more clear and flexible."

That may only be partially true. Its been so long since I've used an on camera flash, but if your on camera flash emits a pre-flash, it will trigger the slave flash sensor thus tricking the camera's light meter into thinking that there is more light than is actually there.

In order to make use of this, you need full control over the main flash.

Message edited by author 2010-06-11 22:47:22.

06/11/2010 10:48:10 PM · #9

What about the Opteka EF-600 DG C Digital Flash for Canon Eos???

06/11/2010 10:50:17 PM · #10

Originally posted by chromeydome:

I bought a vivitar version of this off woot some time ago for $9.

Is that the same as the Vivitar? If so, then it's junk. I bought one from 1saleaday and it was defective in a dangerous way. After leaving it turned on for about 3 minutes, it smoked. (They said they would send a replacement, which never arrived. After a second phone call, they refunded my money.)

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

06/11/2010 10:51:55 PM · #11

I have a 430EX that I use on camera to trigger a bunch of cheap old (better made) Vivitars that I have optical triggers on.

MattO

Nikon D4

06/11/2010 10:53:48 PM · #12

I would look into the Sigma DG500 flash. You can pick them up used for around $100 or so and are powerful enough use ETTL communication and can be used as a slave in auto mode later on if you buy a Canon flash.

Matt

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

06/11/2010 10:56:02 PM · #13

Originally posted by JustCaree:

What about the Opteka EF-600 DG C Digital Flash for Canon Eos???

Looks like a winner in the cheap flash category..

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

06/11/2010 11:02:26 PM · #14

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

Originally posted by chromeydome:
I bought a vivitar version of this off woot some time ago for $9.

Is that the same as the Vivitar? If so, then it's junk. I bought one from 1saleaday and it was defective in a dangerous way. After leaving it turned on for about 3 minutes, it smoked. (They said they would send a replacement, which never arrived. After a second phone call, they refunded my money.)

the housing looks slightly different, but it appears roughly the same. I didn't see a photo of the rear panel. It looks to be "in family" with that one. Mine says Vivitar SF-3000

06/11/2010 11:02:36 PM · #15

Originally posted by coryboehne:

Originally posted by JustCaree:
What about the Opteka EF-600 DG C Digital Flash for Canon Eos???

Looks like a winner in the cheap flash category..

COOL! I read a lot of reviews too... and it appears to be compatiable with my camera... Ive got a bid on it... so we will see!

06/11/2010 11:02:38 PM · #16

By the mere fact you can bounce the flash, you will get an incredible benefit in light quality. Night and day versus the direct flash.

Originally posted by coryboehne:

Originally posted by JustCaree:
What about the Opteka EF-600 DG C Digital Flash for Canon Eos???

Looks like a winner in the cheap flash category..

06/11/2010 11:04:06 PM · #17

The guide number is also quite reasonable!

06/11/2010 11:07:18 PM · #18

Originally posted by PGerst:

The guide number is also quite reasonable!

I dont know what a quide number is LOL

06/11/2010 11:08:37 PM · #19

Originally posted by JustCaree:

I dont know what a quide number is LOL

A measure of how powerful the flash is.

06/11/2010 11:12:50 PM · #20

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

Originally posted by JustCaree:
I dont know what a quide number is LOL

A measure of how powerful the flash is.

Ohhhh LOL Ok hehehe

06/11/2010 11:23:35 PM · #21

It basically is a number that tells you how far the flash will "reach" and still properly illuminate the subject.

A larger guide number is better.

The guide number = distance x f stop for a properly illuminated subject. This is generally set at ISO 100. So, with a guide number of 150, it means that at f4.0:

the maximum distance it can "reach" is 150/4 = 37.5 feet. Now, objects past that distance will still be illuminated, but you will notice a rather quick drop off in the brightness.

Its funny, when I got my $20 slave it had a guide bar on the back. I used my 580EX against a white board, using the different power options to create a calibration curve using photoshop and the luminosity number. I then measured the slave flash. It was spot on accurate.

Just a little side note....ignore me.

Originally posted by JustCaree:

Originally posted by PGerst:
The guide number is also quite reasonable!

I dont know what a quide number is LOL

06/11/2010 11:24:53 PM · #22

Oh...keep in mind that when you bounce or diffuse your light, you drop the guide number a lot. Don't go by the values I gave you. You need to determine the best distance based on direct or bounce flash by experience, not a number.

06/11/2010 11:25:31 PM · #23

Originally posted by PGerst:

omg i feel like im in algebra LOL jk. Thanks for the info! I like learning!

06/11/2010 11:26:03 PM · #24

Originally posted by PGerst:

ill have to "learn" by practice and experimenting