External flashes

[shutterbug3070]

My husband has agreed for me to buy an external flash and bracket and power pack for my Rebel XTi. We looked on eBay and online stores....We really aren't sure what is good/what is not.

If you have any advice, please help.

Thank you.

[Max@Home]

Hi Shutterbug3070,

Do you mean a (Canon) flashunit that you can use on the camera and on a bracket and/or lightstand, or do you mean a bigger studio-like flashunit, that will not be mountable on your camera ?

If the former, the Canon 430ex(II) is an excellent match for your XTi, if the latter, many here go with/start with AlienBees

...hope this helps some, *my* €0.02 worth...

Kindest regards,

Max@Home

[aam1234]

She mentioned a bracket so she probably was referring to a flash not a strobe, I would think.

Another recommendation is the Canon 580EX II.

As for the bracket, you will probably get more answers if you ask in this section.

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by aam1234

She mentioned a bracket so she probably was referring to a flash not a strobe, I would think.

She also mentioned a power pack... that is more studio-strobe/flashunit-like, hence I asked

Kindest regards!

Max@Home

[aam1234]

Doesn't Canon make a power pack (forgot the exact name) for its flashes.

[shutterbug3070]

I am looking for one to bracket to my camera ... not a studio set up.
I am going to check out all those links. Thank you. I just didn't know if there are better brands and brands from which to stay away.

I have heard of Vivitar, Metz, and Speedlites. Does anyone have a preference? How do I know if they will fit my camera?

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by aam1234

Doesn't Canon make a power pack (forgot the exact name) for its flashes.

check my signature: CP-E4 for 580exII , but it is more a 'battery-pack' than a 'power-pack'

Kindest regards,

Max@Home

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by shutterbug3070

I am looking for one to bracket to my camera ... not a studio set up.
I am going to check out all those links. Thank you. I just didn't know if there are better brands and brands from which to stay away.

I have heard of Vivitar, Metz, and Speedlites. Does anyone have a preference? How do I know if they will fit my camera?

In general, the Canon Speedlights work (together) best with the Canon bodies.
Having said that, the Metz units are highly regarded by our Wedding-Pro's.
You forgot to mention SIGMA who also makes a decent unit, and *I* would stay away from Vivitar, but that is me

...just €0.02 more...

Kindest regards!

Max@Home

[swampler]

Originally Posted by Max@Home

If the former, the Canon 430ex(II) is an excellent match for your XTi, if the latter, many here go with/start with AlienBees

I'll be the first to vouch for the greatness of the 430EX flash; however, unless the 430EX II added an adapter for a battery pack, I would recommend the 580EX for that purpose.

[E-Man]

The 430 EX is a pretty nice flash. I contemplated the 580, but didn't really like it at nearly twice the price of the 430. For brackets, two popular ones are the Stroboframe quick flip 350 (I used this for about 15 years and find that it works well) and the Demb Flash Products - Demb Flash Bracket which is smaller and lighter than the Stroboframe (nice for traveling with a small camera bag), but costs 2-3x more.

The 430 EX won't take an external battery pack, but the 580 will. I had on old Transistor Pack E that I just sold (you can find one on e-bay for $30-50). It had a 6-cell C-size NiCd pack in it. If you need FAST recycling time (shooting weddings and events) you will likely benefit from an external battery pack. If you don't need rapid fire ability, using 4 high-capacity NiMh AA batteries will probably be good enough.

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by E-Man

If you need FAST recycling time (shooting weddings and events) you will likely benefit from an external battery pack. If you don't need rapid fire ability, using 4 high-capacity NiMh AA batteries will probably be good enough.

...likely benefit...

In a decent lit environment (wedding party) the 580exII and CP-E4 will give you almost 5 FPS w/flash for short bursts



Max@Home

PS: added in edit mode: explanation of 'almost 5 FPS' : if you set it up like that, and start shooting, of ~5 to ~8 frames ~1 to ~2 might not be lit

[E-Man]

Originally Posted by Max@Home

...likely benefit...

In a decent lit environment (wedding party) the 580exII and CP-E4 will give you almost 5 FPS w/flash for short bursts



Max@Home

PS: added in edit mode: explanation of 'almost 5 FPS' : if you set it up like that, and start shooting, of ~5 to ~8 frames ~1 to ~2 might not be lit

Wow - 5 FPS IS fast! I see why you were poking fun at my "likely" statement. I'm not surprised, though to find that you might have one or two dark ones creep in there...

[E-Man]

The topic of flash refresh rate made me curios, so I played around with my 430EX. With a set of 2100 mAh low-discharge batteries, I got 3 frames in a row with the camera set to 3FPS (flash pointed toward ceiling in the house with a bounce card attached) before I got a dark one. Each of the three were well lit with no noticeable light fall off across the three exposures.

This was better performance than I was expecting.

[dougsmit]

How rapidly can you fire a 580 before it overheats and blows? Max@ used the term 'short bursts'. Some flashes are more sensitive than others on this and I have not heard it discussed on the 580.