sigma ef-500 DG ST flashgun

[ConfusedChicca]

Me again lol, is the sigma ef-500 DG ST flashgun any good?
Will be using it with the Canon 350d. Only looking for a starter flashgun to be honest, because am still getting to grips with the camera itself and too many more settings and things to mess about with will cause my head to explode ha ha ha.


Laura

[Marcel]

I toyed with the idea of getting this for my 30D. In the end I paid an extra 40 quid to get the Canon 430EX. Mainly because the Canon was designed to work with my camera, so I knew there would be no out of the box fiddling or hurdles to overcome (no more than learning flash anyway).

[cwinhall]

I have this flashgun and it has done me fine. For a starting flashgun it is fantastic. Unless you really take your lighting ultra seriously, this should fit your needs perfectly.

[Janice]

I have this too....so has Keltic Ice Man I believe......... but we are still getting our heads round the manual!! :D :lol:

[ConfusedChicca]

Ha ha well I'm still learning the camera manual, but I think I need to know all I wanna know for now.. so can cope with learning about flash ha ha (I think!).
x

[Marcel]

Ha ha well I'm still learning the camera manual, but I think I need to know all I wanna know for now.. so can cope with learning about flash ha ha (I think!).
x

I still carry my 30D quick manual in my camera bag (I keep forgetting which metering modes are which...although Im beginning to remember now). And I still have my 430EX manual in my bag, just incase.

[paulc]

I have one to use with my d70 and am really pleased with it, and it works as a wireless slave with the d70..works fine with my fuji s2 pro too!

[Keltic Ice Man]

I have this too....so has Keltic Ice Man I believe......... but we are still getting our heads round the manual!! :D :lol:

yep - Its good - I think :shrug: :lol:

[Steep]

I have the DG super, it rocks.

[Marcel]

matty has this one too I think (or the non super)

[steveinspain]

I recently bought one from a TP member, and so far it has been as easy as remembering to fit it to the camera - fully auto, it seems to do all a beginner like me needs. I am trying to do other things, but it will work straight from the box, it seems. Fit it, use it, and worry about the clever stuff later - we seem to get bogged down by the technical details ....

[ConfusedChicca]

What's it like on draning power, and what batteries does it take?

[paulc]

sorry, mine is the super, it takes 4 aa batteries, I use rechargables and they last for ages.

[steveinspain]

oops - yes, mine is the super too..

[Mike Fulton]

It's a good flash. The "manual" is almost no help whatsoever. On my Canon, I just set it to TTL and forget it.

The DG ST Super will control another Super which will act as a slave. No big deal there.

If you're doing any kind of pro work, I recommend that you forget the AA batteries as a main source of power and use a Quantum or something similar as your power source. You'll get hundreds of flashes on one charge and quick recycles with a high capacity battery.

On the other hand, this flash is pretty good with alkaline batteries. The DG STs are not power hogs as some other flashes are.

As far as NiMh batteries go, unless you're willing to buy REALLY GOOD ONES at a premium price and use them regularly, they're not worth owning. NiMh batteries need frequent use and frequent drainage in order to be reliable.

Worth looking into is the recently-released Vivitar digital flash DF 400 MZ. It isn't quite as powerful as the Sigmas DG ST (GN 131 vs 165 for the Sigma) but the specs look promising. I'm awaiting a test sample from a dealer. I should be able to give a report on this flash in a few weeks.

[ConfusedChicca]

Well its due to arrive tomorrow, and I have 4 rechargeable AAs and 4 high power non rechargeables as backup. I'm out tomorrow night locally you see.
Can someone please explain the difference that using a flashgun rather than built in flash?
x

[blinkerz]

You have a more powerful flash with more control, mainly for bouncing off surfaces to create soft light to illuminate the subject without harsh shadows to create a more natural looking photo. Also very useful for fill flash when used with HSS.

[ConfusedChicca]

Well, according to the Royal Mail website track and trace thingy.. it'll arrive before 1pm on 30th, so looks like I'm not getting it til Monday! :razz:
Although ya never know, fingers crossed it'll come tomorrow, but it's not essential til a week tomorrow.
xxx