Quote Originally Posted by BES


I am about to go out and purchase my first external flash. I decided to go with 430xII.


Question 1):


I seem to remember that it matters which batteries I purchase with it. Could you recommend which ones?


I'd recommend Ni-MH batteries over Alkaline because it cuts the recycle time almost in half. Sanyo Eneloop are what I use and they also seem to be a forum favorite. The best thing about them is that they discharge very slowly so if you leave your flash in your bag for a month or two you can rest assured that you'll still have a charge when you go to use it.


Quote Originally Posted by BES


Question2):


Also, until I get good/comfortable with it, can I use it in auto mode? Is it easy to use?



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Do you mean auto as in E-TTL or auto as in the program mode on your camera? To begin I would start by using E-TTL on the flash and maybe even auto program mode on your camera. If you use aperture priority the camera will meter based on ambient light and the flash will just add "fill". This may result in extremely slow shutter speeds if you're in low light. When using on-camera flash using E-TTL I tend to shoot in manual so that I can control both DoF and shutter speed. Remember that the max sync speed on your 40D is 1/250. You can also use high-speed-sync but that's a whole other topic! Digital is free (except for batteries) so try a bunch of different settings around the house and see what you come up with. For candid shots I like to set my camera to manual and set the aperture to "open" or f/2.8 most of the time and the shutter speed to 1/100. That's usually fast enough to stop action or eliminate camera shake but it's slow enough to let in a reasonable amount of ambient light which I feel makes the overall lighting look more natural.

I hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy A flash can be a game changer when it comes to your photography.