Canon Camera Flash

[mkaslam]

Hi Guys
I am looking for a good camera flash for my canon Rebel XTi...Which one would you recommend.
I was looking at 580EX but it is really expensive. Do you have anything in mind of a good quality?

 

[Big Mike]

The 430EX is cheaper than the 580. It's less powerful but still pretty good. The big difference comes when you have multiple flash units. The 580EX can act as a 'master' and control other 'slave' units. The 430EX cannot be a master, only a slave.

 

[KabeXTi]

I like the affordability and quality of the Vivitar 285HV

 

[Big Mike]

I like the affordability and quality of the Vivitar 285HV

Big difference between that and the Canon units is that this one is not 'dedicated'...it won't use the camera for TTL (through the lens) metering. Then Canon flash units work with the camera to give you auto flash metering and FEC (flash exposure compensation).

Certainly, either way can work to give you great results...but a non dedicated flash requires more knowledge of how to use it, and more time to adjust the settings.

 

[frXnz kafka]

What are you going to be doing with the flash? Will it strictly be on-camera, automatic flash? Or would on-camera, full manual flash be good enough? Or maybe you want to get it off the camera, and then again, auto or manual?

If you're just going to be using on-camera, TTL flash, get the 430ex. As Big Mike said, the 580 is nice because it can act as a master to an off-camera flash (430 or another 580), but if you decide you want to go this route you can always add a 580 to your kit later.

Personally, I use old Nikon flashes. I mostly use them off-camera, but occasionally I'll put the Nikon SB-28 on my Canon. I usually only do this when I'm doing indoor shots and just need some bounce flash. The only downside here is you're working in full manual, so it's a little bit slower (but not much).

 

[Tiberius47]

I'd go for a 430EX. If you want to upgrade to using off camera flash, go for the 580EX then.