Decent flash for canon under 200.00?

[Matt24138]

Is it possible? The reviews for most of the stuff I see are terrible.

 

[analog.universe]

I use LumoPro LP160's, they're well under $200 and perform beautifully, but they are all manual. You didn't mention if you needed eTTL, if so I'm not really well versed on that stuff. I learned about these flashes from Strobist, which is a great off-camera-flash resource, and they've done everything I've needed so far.

 

[bazooka]

Yeah, the 160's are awsome, I use them primarily and put them through a lot. No problems yet. If you need eTTL, you can get a used 430EXII for around $250 and they're capable from what I've seen.

 

[KmH]

I feel the LP160 is over-priced for what it can do.

I have a bunch of these and think they are a better value. They are not limited to manual only because of the thyristor they use, but they don't do TTL: Vivitar 285HV Auto Professional Flash

 

[bazooka]

It doesn't seem to have an optical trigger, pc-sync/1/8th" port, zoom, and only has 4 "stops". Does it have Manual mode at all? The product description is pretty lacking... it's hard to tell what it does. Could you give the details?

The LP160 has 1/1 through 1/64 power, slave optical and intelligent slave (ignores first flash for TTL, although I've never used this), full pan and tilt head, pc-sync, 1/8th" port, large zoom range, auto-power saver, 140 guide #, comes with a plastic foot for sitting on the ground, and a wide angle attachment which is also handy for holding gels and diffusion. And it's tough as nails, I've dropped one of mine from about 6 feet up onto hard thin carpet and it keeps on tickin'.

 

[TheBiles]

Don't skimp on your flash. Get a good one and you can use it for life.

 

[SecondShot]

There's always the Yongnuo option, which is probably the cheapest, but it has a sketchy success/failure ratio. Might want to also look into Nissin and Sigma. Older models, like the Canon 550EX, 420EX, 430EX (I) may be worth looking into as well.