Slave Flash Recommendations

Greetings! I was thinking of getting a new cheap flash as a slave that is as good (or preferably better) than my Canon 580 EX II. Since there's many out there (and I don't know how to ready guide numbers properly), could anyone recommend me a good cheaper slave flash? I was thinking of grabbing another 580 EX II.





First requirement is that it could be triggered by IR (since PW comes later). I was checking a third part lens, Nissin and they have the Di-866 http://www.nissindigital.com/en/Di866-1.html. It's about 200 USD cheaper than Canon's. Any other alternatives?

I use 3 flashes all canon 580 EX II. I keep one set as master and two set as slaves. I like to use the same products because if the master fails on shoot I have immediate backups. But probably more important is that all the menues are the same. Trying to trouble shoot a flash on shoot can be nerve wracking. Plus the 580 are the best out there. I use my off camera 580 on stands with umbrellas.


I usually use the IR connections but I do use radio triggers also. This is a whole other topic.


Get the 580 and you wont regret it.

Hi iND,


Could you elaborate on the brand of stands, umbrellas and other hardware that you are using for your 580EX-based rig? I am interested in setting up a very basic rig based on two Canonflashesthat I already own. Thanks beforehand for your input.

Well I guess that's a good statement. Using the same flash for back ups. I'll get another 580 this summer. I had a friendly photoshoot yesterday and a friend was using Nissin speedlite. It flashes when I shoot with my flash. I like the way off camera flash illuminated the subject.

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Originally Posted by Ralph

Well I guess that's a good statement. Using the same flash for back ups. I'll get another 580 this summer. I had a friendly photoshoot yesterday and a friend was using Nissin speedlite. It flashes when I shoot with my flash. I like the way off camera flash illuminated the subject.
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Many flashes have optical triggers, but Canon flashes don't (they have infrared triggers, which expects a coded light signal, not just any flash). Off-camera flash is almost always better than on-camera flash.


Consistency is a good thing. We have four 580EX/IIs. It's very convenient to grab however many flashes I want, and not have to check which one is which. When it comes time to shoot, the Canon flashes are a well-known entity: as far as I know, they're very consistent shot-to-shot, and if you have questions we can help. That alone can be worth the price difference over an off-brand flash.

I read some reviews of Nissin's Di866. Recycle time of 3 secs compared to Canon's .1. That was quite a long wait.





Not to spark any flame here, but how is Canon's 580 II compared to Nikon's top of the line flash? (I think it's the SB900). A friend of mine shoots Nikon and was wondering if the 580 could trigger his flash and/or vice/versa.

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Originally Posted by Luis Diaz Gimenez

Hi iND,


Could you elaborate on the brand of stands, umbrellas and other hardware that you are using for your 580EX-based rig? I am interested in setting up a very basic rig based on two Canonflashesthat I already own. Thanks beforehand for your input.
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Take a look at this thread. It might be a good starting point.