Advice on the Canon 430EXII Flashgun

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toto8462

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Mike
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Hi all,

I'm new to these forums and was wondering if I could get some advice from 430EXII owners.

I have had a 450D for a few months now, but have really hated the on-board "pop up" flash. I hate the harsh lighting effect in gives. In particular for portraits, I hate the fact it can often blow out parts of the face or leave harsh shadows, whilst failing to give a balanced exposure for the rest of the image. So much so, wherever possible I shoot with a longer exposure and a tripod to save using the flash. This obviously has serious limitations and I think its time I get a proper flash.

(I should add, the problems I have with the on-board pop-up could well be mostly just due to the fact I am a novice!) I don't know whether a 430EXII would be a solution to my hatred for the flash, or whether I just need to learn some technique to use the built-in flash better.

What I would really like some kind 430EX owner to do, is to take a shot of something with and without the 430EX (i.e. once with the standard flash and once with the flashgun) so I can see the comparison. I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, or something is wrong, but I just want to be able to achieve better results with a flash :bang:

Thanks.
 
Its safe to say the speedlight will be lightyears (pun intened!) ahead of the onboard. If you want to do portraits etc... then its essential. Biggest benefits being able to bounch and the flash being further from the body.
 
Matt T said:
Its safe to say the speedlight will be lightyears (pun intened!) ahead of the onboard. If you want to do portraits etc... then its essential. Biggest benefits being able to bounch and the flash being further from the body.
Click to expand...


:agree:
 
The external flash will be miles better purely because you you will be able to utilise bounce flash instead of direct flash that will give you a much softer lighting and a better photo.

Do have a look at something like a sigma EF 530 DG Super as you get a pro level flash for not much more than the cost of the 430.
 
Hi

please excuse quality of photos as they are just a quick comparison- shot in Program in RAW with no processing other than resizing just for you!


1. On board flash
20090107_2670a.jpg




2.
430EX II - flash just bounced slightly to right & off ceiling - no other adjustments
20090107_2671a.jpg


The second is much softer, and this is probably the worst you can do with this flash!!!:LOL:
anna
 
That's a fab illustration Anna!

The other big advantage of a separate flash is that you can start getting it off camera. You can start fairly cheaply with a cable but beware! once you start, you won't want to stop!

The other big advantages of proper flashguns is the level of intelligence built into them. I recently did a wedding where the formal shots had to be taken with a low winter sun almost directly behind the group. First thing I did was move them in front of some foliage to block some of the light but the ETTL on the flash did a fab job of balancing the shots and it even zooms the flash suit the lens focal length. Now that's clever! (That's a 580ex MkI)
 
Wow, thanks so much anna, I've been on google for quite a while trying to find such a comparison. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that, it's exactly the difference I wanted to see. OK, so the inevitable question, is which flash should I go for...

I can see that the Sigma EF 530 DG Super is around £150 and the Canon 430EX is around £170. Which is better?
 
:) Can't help you there! ..... unless someone with the Sigma wants to pop round and snap my daughter in her jamies!!!:LOL::LOL:

I do love my canon though...
 
Im interested in this also as im likely to be buying either the sigma or the 430 next week.

where did you see the sigma for £150??? Best i could find was £173 on ebay. Is it deffo the Canon version and Super, not the ST?

Done a bit of reading up and the sigma offers 580ex features for a lot less. Although its maybe not put together just as well. Ive read some mixed opinons on the accuracy of the ettl function compared to canon.
 
just to let you know that kerso sells the 430ex for 140 + 10...:D
 
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