External flash for Canon Rebel.

kygirl79 · Apr 26, 2008

I'm needing to get a basic external flash for my Rebel. What other brands besides Canon is compatible? I'm looking for something on the affordable side with boucing capabilities. What do you suggest?

usayit · Apr 26, 2008

May I ask what is your budget? My information is dated but last time I checked there were a few third party flashes taht implimented (backward engineered more like) Canon's E-TTL. However, most had issues. If I were you, I'd probably stick to Canon and perhaps find a used 420EX or 550EX flash for cheaper. My local shop carries "Promaster" branded flashes that have a interchangable module to accomodate various brands/models of digital cameras. No personal experience with them though.....

You can always shoot the flash in full manual.... but there are other things to take into consideration including Trigger Voltage. Some older flashes have high Trigger Voltages that can render you camera a door stop in an instant.

Tiberius47 · Apr 26, 2008

If you get the 430EX (a very popular flash), you'll be able to use it as a slave if you ever upgrade to a 580.

250Gimp · Apr 27, 2008

I have the 430 EX and am very happy with it!!

Big Mike · Apr 28, 2008

I also have the Canon 430EX and recommend it. It's fully compatible with your camera and it's a great unit. It's not really cheap though. The 580EX would be a step up but it's even more expensive.

There are other flash units that are compatible with Canon's flash metering. Sigma, Metz and some others have models that are 'E-TTL' compatible or 'Dedicated' for Canon. I haven't used any of these, so I can't say for sure, just how compatible they are.

Another option, would be to get something like the Sunpak 383. It's a fair bit cheaper than the 'dedicated' flash units...but it doesn't communicate with the camera for flash metering. You have a few settings on the flash, which would have to be matched up on the camera, in order to get proper exposure. So you could save some money...but you would need to learn how to use it, for it to be quick and easy to use.

It's much easier to use a model with E-TTL metering.