Hello to the forum, hope I can find some advice on a new flash.
I want to get a seperate gun for my 50D, and am undecided between a 430EX II and a Nissin Di866, both of which are similar prices, but the latter is aimed at the 580EX / Nikon SB900. Is the compatibility of the Canon gun a bigger advantage over the power advantage / head flexibility of the Nissin? Both get great reviews...Help!
430EX II
Where do you find great reviews of the Nissin? I never hear of them, let alone read great reviews.
As they say in Ghostbusters, "Who ya gonna call?" if your Nissin flash doesn't work well? None of us will know what to tell you.
Also, head rotation appears to be the same for the 430 and the Nissin: 270 degrees. You want the full rotation of the 580, so I'd save up for that. Why? Rotate your camera for a vertical orientation, shoot a subject that's close to you but perhaps 1' shorter than you. If you have a ceiling any higher than 2' above your head, your primary bounce is behind your subject; you can never bounce off the ceiling directly above you if your camera is vertically oriented but pointed down.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
Thanks for replies. I read about the Nissin in some Canon DSLR magazine, which prmpted me to search the net, which turned up some pretty favourable comments. I am defaulting to a Canon for obvious reasons, but before I part with my cash I wanted to check that there aren't better value alternatives.
One other question - I know the 430 can only be used off camera with the wireless trigger, i.e. the on board flash wont fire the 430 as a slave. Is this also true for the 580? Or will I need to get the infra red trigger for this too? The cost of the wirless trigger isw somewhat outrageous, given Nikon and Olympus manage to build it into the bod...possibly my only grip about the XXD bodies.
The 50D onboard flash will not trigger any remote flashes. You can trigger Canon remote flashes with the 580EX or 550EX series of flashes, or by the ST-E2 trigger.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
Also with the new 7D's built-in flash. Hopefully we will see this feature on all new Canons.Originally Posted by peety3
OK thanks, thought that was the case. OK if I use the ST-E2 wireless trigger, clearly I cannot se the on board flash as fill in, unless the hot shoe cable will still fit with the flash up. Presumably the 430 cannot act as a master to another 430?
The on-board flash cannot be used with something in the hot shoe.
The 430 cannot be a master flash.*
*It can be a quasi-master when used with Pocket Wizard ControlTL units.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
Just to complete the list, the macro-specific flashes (MR-14EX or MT-24EX) can also act as masters in a Canon wireless flash system.
OK the next dilemma is:
1. 430EXII + ST-E" triiger
2. 580EXII
I am not going to do weddings, only perhaps some portaits / still life for microstock. I will use a lot on camera at informal gatherings etc but not for commercial purposes. I like the idea of the flexibility that off camera can give, especially with a simple stand and reflector set up, but maybe the extra power of the 580 would be useful. I am leaning twards the 430/st-E2 combination as the next investment. Any advice?
Thanks
Steve
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