Slave Flash Recommendations

[Ralph]

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?

[iND]

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.

[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.

[Sean Setters]

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.

[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.

[peety3]

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.

[Ralph]

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.