Need to buy a flash!

[AprilRamone]

Hey Guys,
I used to have a decent flash, but unfortunately, I lost it on a photo shoot. Plus, it really didn't seem like it worked that great with my 20D. I used it mostly with my Canon AE1. In any case, in August, I'm doing a wedding for an old friend and most of the shots are probably going to be indoors so I really need to invest in a good flash to use at this wedding. Any recommendations? I am probably looking for something in the mid price range...Also, does anyone know how much those frame things are (can't remember what they're called, they keep the flash aways from the camera)?
Thanks in advance for any help
-April

 

[Cuervo79]

I have a speedlite 420ex, and its worked fine with my 500n (rebel in the us) and I've been experimenting with it with my rebel XT and it does the job pretty good. I have used it mostly for events like the one you describe above and it works very nice, although it really eats the bateries (4 AA) so you have to keep more of them handy...

 

[usayit]

Canon EOS DSLRs require Canon "ETTL" compatible flashes. Probably the reason why your old flash didn't work well with the 20D.

I'm no pro-wedding photographer but I would imagine that a wedding is going to really push the abilities of a flash. You are going to need something that has fast cycling time and good output. I've had good portrait results using a 550EX (now replaced by the 580EX) on a stroboframe that can easily position the camera in portrait. The cycling time and longevity of the AA batteries was not really all that great. For a wedding I'm sure an external battery pack is going to be necessary. No experience with them but I hear people mentioning Quantum all the time.

Using parts from Radio Shack, I have a 4 D-cell battery pack that feeds my 550EX. The pack hangs on my waist via a lens case. It doesn't improve cycling time much but they last longer than AA's. The cycling time doesn't degrade as quickly.


Good luck...

 

[AprilRamone]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to check out those flashes!

 

[Big Mike]

I just typed this out in another thread

You can get an auto thyristor flash...which does not talk to your camera like a Canon EX will...but it has it's own sensor which measures the reflected light. So all you do is set the ISO & F-number on the flash and then match those settings on the camera.

I have been using an auto flash made by Braun, on my 20D with pretty good results.

Vivitar makes some great auto flash units. I think the Vivitar 283 is one of the most popular. I'm not sure if they still make them new...but they can be found used for pretty cheap.

The Canon 430 EX (or discontinued 420 EX) is the mid/higher level flash in Canon's line up. Decent size and power and should work well with your camera. The pro model is the 580 EX (or discontinued 550 EX)