Looking at buying the Canon 430EX II... quesitons

[Dr Croubie]

Canon intentionally makes the 430EX only swivel one way to annoy people into buying the 580EX.

My 430EX mk1 swivels both ways not one, with the camera at your eye normally it goes 90 degrees right or 180 degrees left. Which is fine, but when you're in portrait that turns into 90 degrees to vertical, or 180 degrees past the ground to straight behind you.
Which (as I think Bryan noted in a review) is the completely pointless direction, because the best direction would be overhead behind you where that won't reach. Or is that what you meant by 'one way'?
(unless you hold your camera in portrait the 'wrong' way with shutter on the bottom like i've seen a lot of people do with a P&S, even my mum holds her K5 like a gumby in portrait because her left eye is better (or something).
But doesn't the 580EX do that too? or does the 580 go 180 degrees both ways?

Sounds like these metz ones might not be too bad in theory if they go the whole way, do they work as an optical-slave from, say, a 7D?

[Squidy]

I was using the onboard flash on my 650D and was getting so-so shots. I splashed out for the 430EX II and the difference is night and day. The 430EX II is an amazing flash, and to be honest I don't know how I even did without it before.

[DavidEccleston]

I didn't think the 430 did 90/180, that changes things a bit. The Metz goes a bit further (300 degrees total instead of 270), but I had thought the 430 only went one way (because you hear of people complaining about it not swivelling for portrait use).

Yes, the Metz supposedly works with the 7D style optical triggers. I was mainly looking at them because I thought the 430 was more swivel-limited that it was. Still, it's a bit cheaper, with a bit stronger flash. I saw the new 52 has an AF assist LED, and the touchscreen auto rotates if you place the flash in a portrait orientation, making it easier to fiddle with. Assuming anyone who has used one can give Metz flashes a thumbs up, they could be a decent option.

[Black_Dog]

The 430EX II is a great flash. While not as powerful as the Canon's flagship flashes, it does pretty well for itself - especially in its price point.

See Speedlights.new Power Index for a comparison to other flashes. Again, pretty great bang for the buck (considering full ETTL II comparability).

The optical trigger built into your 7D's popup flash works quite well in relatively enclosed spaces, such as in a typical home. In my home I've been able to trigger my 430EX II around corners (i.e. out of line-of-sight), which is technically not supposed to happen because there's enough light generated by the pre-flash trigger to bounce into the next room. So, I've been able to get creative without the bother of cords or radio triggers, which is a nice convenience.

The 430EX II would be perfect for indoor photos of your new baby and it will give you a lot of additional capabilities that you can explore.

[DavidEccleston]

try to locate a ProPhoto store near you. Think there are a couple in the Ottawa/Hull area. They tend to put the Metz flashes on sale a couple of times a year.

I've never heard of ProPhoto, and, it seems Google doesn't know it either. We've got Vistek, Blacks, and a handful of Henry's (Where I previously saw the 50 AF-1 for $199 instead of $249), and the big box stores (FutureShop, BestBuy, Staples). Vistek and Blacks are often one of the most expensive options in Canada that there is, according to photoprice.ca. Henry's varies from normally priced to super expensive item by item. It's why all my gear is from the US, aside from the 70-300L which is from Aden in Toronto.

When I ordered my first kit (T1i+50mm+85mm+battery+SD), Adorama was $800 cheaper than Vistek even after shipping and currency conversion. I'm not exactly thrilled with the local stores I know of. If there's a secret store in town with reasonable prices, I'd love to know about it.

[DavidEccleston]

Thanks. Enjoy the sun.

[Photog82]

Thanks everyone for your advice, I took it all in and watched some Canon DLC videos on the subject and decided to give it a try. WOW! I love this flash, I shouldn't have waited this long! I bought it at Best Buy, stopped at my parents house and put it on the camera and played with their cat. I'm very pleased with the results, I hadn't even read the directions at that time.