third party flash or Canon
Aug 6, 2012 22:34:13 #
I am considering getting an external flash & would like to know if anyone uses the less expensive 3rd party flashes or the pricier Canon Speedlites. There's a huge difference in price. Is there a huge difference in performance? Does anyone have the Nissin Di 466? It is a substitute for the Canon 430EX flash. Bower, Neewer, & Sunpack make flashes for Canon from $41.00 to $64.00. Are they junk?
Aug 6, 2012 23:17:08 #
cameranut wrote:
I am considering getting an external flash & would like to know if anyone uses the less expensive 3rd party flashes or the pricier Canon Speedlites. There's a huge difference in price. Is there a huge difference in performance? Does anyone have the Nissin Di 466? It is a substitute for the Canon 430EX flash. Bower, Neewer, & Sunpack make flashes for Canon from $41.00 to $64.00. Are they junk?
Look up the specs of the knockoffs. Do they have hi-speed sync? Second or rear curtain sync? ETTL? Look at user reviews for durability.
IMAO hi-speed sync is an absolute must to use flash daytime outdoors. I use my flash more outdoors than indoors.
My vote is for the Canon, you'll be happier. :D :D :D
Aug 6, 2012 23:23:00 #
robert-photos wrote:
quote=cameranut I am considering getting an exter... (show quote)
Thanks for looking & replying. That's kind of what I thought but want to get it from those who know.
Aug 6, 2012 23:47:13 #
cameranut wrote:
I am considering getting an external flash & would like to know if anyone uses the less expensive 3rd party flashes or the pricier Canon Speedlites. There's a huge difference in price. Is there a huge difference in performance? Does anyone have the Nissin Di 466? It is a substitute for the Canon 430EX flash. Bower, Neewer, & Sunpack make flashes for Canon from $41.00 to $64.00. Are they junk?
Hi Cameranut: I have the Yongnuo YN560 which I use on my Canon 5D Mark II, it is not an ETTL and makes a great slave light, however Yongnuo does make speedlights that do have ETTL. Keep in mind I'm what I would call a casual shooter and not into portrait photography for what I do it works well for me. One word of caution concerning Yougnuo speed light, their written instruction book was written by someone who's second language is not English or maybe ever their third or fourth. In other words be prepared for a laughing good time interpeting the book. I laughed myself silly...
Aug 7, 2012 07:24:32 #
Aug 7, 2012 08:29:22 #
I also considered a third party flash for my Canon 50D, but eventually settled on the Speedlite 430EXII. No regrets, despite the increased cost. I would not go with the cheap flash, as you will probably just end up replacing it later anyway.
Aug 7, 2012 08:47:53 #
I am not an authority, but I decided to go with a 430 ex II because I wanted to be sure to have full use of all the capabilities of the camera-flash combo. No complaints. Check shop.usa.canon.com for a refurb.
Aug 7, 2012 09:17:29 #
I use primarily Canon Speedlites. In the studio setting I use some older Vivitar flashes to shoot through umbrellas.
If you are using a Canon body, I would recommend that the first flash unit you purchase be a Canon Speedlite. There are some nice generic units out there and some have a lot of good features, but to start with you would want one that can utilize all the features of your camera.
If you don't care about the automatic features and prefer to manually control everything, then some of the generic flashes may be what you are looking for.
If you are using a Canon body, I would recommend that the first flash unit you purchase be a Canon Speedlite. There are some nice generic units out there and some have a lot of good features, but to start with you would want one that can utilize all the features of your camera.
If you don't care about the automatic features and prefer to manually control everything, then some of the generic flashes may be what you are looking for.
Aug 7, 2012 09:31:49 #
I have been using Nissin 866 for over a year and found nothing it can't do that Canon does. I use it almost daily and getting ready to purchase a second one. It is easier to use and more simple to understand the settings. Another pro recommended it to me and I highly recommend it to you. The warranty is great if you ever need it. I use it for all my outdoor portrait work and if you use TTL it is right on. Good luck with your choice
Aug 7, 2012 09:55:43 #
Aug 7, 2012 10:50:31 #
ronz wrote:
I have been using Nissin 866 for over a year and found nothing it can't do that Canon does. I use it almost daily and getting ready to purchase a second one. It is easier to use and more simple to understand the settings. Another pro recommended it to me and I highly recommend it to you. The warranty is great if you ever need it. I use it for all my outdoor portrait work and if you use TTL it is right on. Good luck with your choice
Does it do high speed sync? The specs don't say.
Aug 7, 2012 14:24:18 #
Aug 7, 2012 14:38:31 #
I would say it depends on what you plan on doing with the flash unit.
With the Speedlites, some of the newer cameras can control the options on the speedlight from the menu (rather than having to use the cumbersome controls on the flash unit). With a 3rd party flash, you wouldn't have that option.
The speedlites also send white balance information to the camera, but not sure if the 3rd party units will do this.
I think there is also some multi flash control and synchronization that can be done from the camera if the unit is a speedlite, but I don't believe this is available with 3rd party flash units.
However, if you are just needing a simple flash unit and aren't concerned about those features, and don't believe you will in the future, then 3rd party might be the way to go.
With the Speedlites, some of the newer cameras can control the options on the speedlight from the menu (rather than having to use the cumbersome controls on the flash unit). With a 3rd party flash, you wouldn't have that option.
The speedlites also send white balance information to the camera, but not sure if the 3rd party units will do this.
I think there is also some multi flash control and synchronization that can be done from the camera if the unit is a speedlite, but I don't believe this is available with 3rd party flash units.
However, if you are just needing a simple flash unit and aren't concerned about those features, and don't believe you will in the future, then 3rd party might be the way to go.
Aug 7, 2012 15:56:45 #
i have 2 canon 580 ex2, 4 yongnuo yn560, and 1 yongnuo yn467. i use the heck out of those yongnuo yn560's. they have never failed. they are manual flashes, not ttl, but i don't use ttl anyway.
the yn467 is a smaller ttl flash..similar to the 460ex2
the yn565 is a ttl flash..i think it's about $165.
the yn560's are under $70. i have used all 4 with the 2 580ex2 in 1 shot.....they all work great. can't say a bad thing about them!
the yn467 is a smaller ttl flash..similar to the 460ex2
the yn565 is a ttl flash..i think it's about $165.
the yn560's are under $70. i have used all 4 with the 2 580ex2 in 1 shot.....they all work great. can't say a bad thing about them!
Aug 7, 2012 19:35:25 #
travlnman46 wrote:
quote=cameranut I am considering getting an exter... (show quote)
I have seen a couple of those in Asian/English & they can be downright hilarious. The one I remember best was at a Chinese restaurant. On the soup bar was a sign for Crab Meat Soup;can you guess how crab was spelled? I could barely eat for laughing & when I pointed it out to the waitress (non-asian) she couldn't stop laughing long enough to wait on the customers. Oh well, back to the subject: at this point I'm just trying to pick the brains of those with some experience with flashes. I have NO experience except with in camera flash & I hate those. I will pick up an "Understanding flash" book at the library before making a major decision. Thanks for responding.
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