Alternative Ebay Flashguns for Canon 500D?

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zakmuh

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Hi All,

I hope this post finds you all well.

I'm an amateur photographer and I have a Canon 500D one (looking forward to replace it with 650D soon) and my lens is Tamron 18-270. I want to buy an external flashgun for indoor/night casual shootings. I want to buy a cheap mid-range ETTL (auto) one from Ebay to get the hang of it.

1. Please could you suggest me an alternative ones for Speedlite 430EX II ( not Yongnuo models)
2. Would a universal flashgun work with 500D?

Any advice would be highly appreciated :)

Many thanks
 
One more vote for the Yongnuo brand.

I've had the 560's, 565's, 568's and now I'm on the 600's.

An excellent brand and exceptional value for money.

Edit: Just read your comment on not Yongnuo's. May I ask what your reason is for this?

I've also used jessops own version which is ok, but can be a little hit and miss
 
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Thanks for your replies :)

I think Yongnuo is a brilliant product but at the moment I just want to try with a cheap one. How about the universal ones available on ebay for £20?

Cheers
 
See if you can pick a Canon 430EX or 580EX Mk1 in both cases, I seem to recall seeing a 580 for about £50 somewhere.
If you get a Canon flash it will work with the camera.
I am sure the others will but the older used Canons seem quite cheap for what you get
 
zakmuh said:
Thanks for your replies :)

I think Yongnuo is a brilliant product but at the moment I just want to try with a cheap one. How about the universal ones available on ebay for £20?

Cheers
Click to expand...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Spe...98144&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=canon+flash&psc=1

The one above is manual control only as you can see from the single pin on the hot shoe connector. TTL flash will have the full 5 pins much like this one below

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Spe...id=1483998318&sr=1-4&keywords=Canon+TTL+Flash
 
Neewer one looks good to me. I think I should use a manual one to learn. So any universal ones with 5 pins is auto I guess?

I'll check for 420EX as well.

Thanks for yo valuable replies guys!
 
zakmuh said:
Neewer one looks good to me. I think I should use a manual one to learn. So any universal ones with 5 pins is auto I guess?

I'll check for 420EX as well.

Thanks for yo valuable replies guys!
Click to expand...

At the end of the day it's up to you, but I'm just trying to help you avoid doing what I did. I tried to buy a cheaper flash in the beginning and I just ended up spending more than if I just spent a bit more in the first place, I would have saved myself a fair amount of money.

Think about it this way. Spend £47 on the Neewer and then you want to upgrade to off camera flash with easy control from the camera. That means you have to go and buy a new flash (£50) plus the transmitter (£30) means you have spent £127 in total. Or just buy the better flash to begin with and save yourself £47.

Like I said, it's entirely up to you, but you should ask yourself the following question. "Are you going to want to progress with flash work at a later date?" If the answer is yes, then think about where you want to get in the long run and keep that as your goal.
 
Morning

True that twhite87. No, I don't do much photography and I hardly do night shootings. So I won't be progressing with flash work later. So I reckon, a manual one like Neewer you've suggested would be Ideal for me.

Thank you very much
 
twhite87 said:
Have you thought about this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/YONGNUO-YN...=1483998420&sr=1-1&keywords=yongnuo+yn560+iii

It will work TTL (Auto) when on the camera, but once you get a bit more comfortable, you can buy the transmitter below for off camera flash. I believe this will only be manual off camera, but it puts you in a great position to learn lighting and to move on from there.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yongnuo-YN...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XWKAKRJ8JGZ31GXX31GE
Click to expand...
The YongNuo YN 560 III (& IV) are NOT TTL flashes.
The YN560 TX allows you to manually remotely control the power output, it does not give TTL control.

If you want TTL then you need the YN-568 or YN-600.
 
I found that the Yongnuo version of the Canon 600ex rt to be OK at best. Good points, better focusing assist beam and battery indicator. The bad the rubber on the hotshot plate was so loose it would fall off in the wind. A lot slower to recycle and the colour of the light was a lot cooler than canon which made using both makes tricky.
 
Thanks but I'm confused.com

I thought TTL is manual flash power setting and ETTL sets it automatically according to the setting in the camera. But I was wrong - TTL and ETTL, both do the auto but the ETTL is the one for DSLRs? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Would this do the auto setting from the camera?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flash-Spe...833862?hash=item3a8db94a86:g:UFYAAMXQuTNTMT-s

Please note that I'm not expecting and trying to buy a cheap with all the functions that 468EX II would have, its that's I'm trying to know the differences of flashguns
 
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+1 for the yongnuo 600ex-rtlosing the rubbers, I have lost one of mine already! Also one came doa which the eBay seller informed me was pretty common.




17475-1483964224-7db28f3daed04d4e7d995fe39b1a94f1.jpg
 
zakmuh said:
Thanks but I'm confused.com

I thought TTL is manual flash power setting and ETTL sets it automatically according to the setting in the camera? please enlighten me

Would this do the auto setting from the camera?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flash-Spe...833862?hash=item3a8db94a86:g:UFYAAMXQuTNTMT-s

Please note that I'm not expecting and trying to buy a cheap with all the functions that 468EX II would have, its that's I'm trying to know the differences of flashguns
Click to expand...


Yes you can use that flash in auto according to the title


edit: but the main description gives me the impression it's a manual only
 
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twhite87 said:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Spe...98144&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=canon+flash&psc=1

The one above is manual control only as you can see from the single pin on the hot shoe connector. TTL flash will have the full 5 pins much like this one below

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Spe...id=1483998318&sr=1-4&keywords=Canon+TTL+Flash
Click to expand...


Thanks

According to twhite87's comment, the DEK one in the Ebay link I gave above is only manual - 1 pin on the hot shoe. I think any flashguns with a LCD display would be a TTL one?

Cheers
 
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I think expecting much less than £50 is overly optimistic.
You can spend that in a year in batteries.

The Neewer one looks OK for the money, if you want better build quality, look for an older Canon flash, but bear in mind they don't last forever.
 
Brian G said:
The YongNuo YN 560 III (& IV) are NOT TTL flashes.
The YN560 TX allows you to manually remotely control the power output, it does not give TTL control.

If you want TTL then you need the YN-568 or YN-600.
Click to expand...
My Apologies. You are quite right. It seems I am remembering it wrong. I've been through so many now it's hard to remember what worked and what didn't. Perhaps I used the 560's off camera in manual mode only.
 
twhite87 said:
My Apologies. You are quite right. It seems I am remembering it wrong. I've been through so many now it's hard to remember what worked and what didn't. Perhaps I used the 560's off camera in manual mode only.
Click to expand...
The 560s work as an Ettl remote using the near ir system IIRC.
 
Phil V said:
The 560s work as an Ettl remote using the near ir system IIRC.
Click to expand...

Did they work E-TTL on camera? I can't remember. I know I had one of my old flash work as TTL, but I can't remember if that was the 560's or my old Canon 420EX.
 
twhite87 said:
Did they work E-TTL on camera? I can't remember. I know I had one of my old flash work as TTL, but I can't remember if that was the 560's or my old Canon 420EX.
Click to expand...
No they won't work on camera, only 1 pin.
 
zakmuh said:
Thanks but I'm confused.com

I thought TTL is manual flash power setting and ETTL sets it automatically according to the setting in the camera. But I was wrong - TTL and ETTL, both do the auto but the ETTL is the one for DSLRs? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Would this do the auto setting from the camera?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flash-Spe...833862?hash=item3a8db94a86:g:UFYAAMXQuTNTMT-s

Please note that I'm not expecting and trying to buy a cheap with all the functions that 468EX II would have, its that's I'm trying to know the differences of flashguns
Click to expand...
I think TTL and ETTL are the same thing, ETTL is just Canon's name for it (EOS -TTL)
TTL is NOT manual flash power setting
TTL flash metering measures the burst of flash output light reflecting back from the subject and takes its reading through the lens.
The ebay item you linked to might SAY it's TTL, but nowhere in the description or the spec does it confirm that, and it only has a single hotshoe contact, so it's most unlikely that it is TTL.

You get what you pay for, and for 20 quid you're not going to get very much...
 
I was a bit suspicious of the earlier Yongnuo offerings in terms of reliability and built quality, so I stuck with secondhand Metz flashes, I've got 2 x AF 48, 1 x AF 50 and 1 x AF 58. These have proved to be very reliable and have stood up to some rough and tumble. The AF 48 models upwards are firmware upgrade-able and Metz are pretty good at keeping these flashes up to date. The availability of the new low priced offerings from Yongnuo/Godox/Neewer has meant that Metz secondhand prices have fallen quite a lot and so some flashes that were very expensive when new aren't worth much now. They can be readily sourced from places like Ebay, LCE, MPB and Ffordes. Other options are Nissin di622 or di866 flashes, these are not firmware update-able so best to go for the Mk 11 versions for better compatibility., I have the di622 but prefer the Metz interface, so the Nissin gets little use. All these flashes will work in manual or ETTL modes.

I do use and highly rate the Youngnuo YN 622C remotes, which enable off camera flash and saw some today on Facebook at just £10 each secondhand. Mine just never miss a beat, great bit of kit.
 
Hi All,

I'm back with a Ebay flashgun Powerextra. It's the very same one like DEK - as it's Chinese make, this particular DF400 one comes with many different trade names I guess. I've attached herewith some pics....

Even though I don't really know how to use an eternal flash, I'm very pleased with its performance. This DOESN'T have TTL - fully manual. Therefore the external flash settings gets disabled in the camera menu.

Please would anyone can help how to know/what flash power level to use for indoor shooting? Is the power level related to the shutter speed or ISO?

Cheers
 

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Yes, The flash power need to adequately light a scene will depend on what settings you have in terms of ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. The best way to figure it out is to have a play and take some shots. If your shots come out too bright, you can reduce the power on the flash. You can also change the settings on your camera instead, but this will also affect the ambient light and is a more advanced technique. My advice would be to just have a play with it first and watch a few YouTube clips on basic flash lighting.
 
@zakmuh I'm sure this has been mentioned loads of times, but I found the site strobist.blogspot.com (the lighting 101 series of articles) really inspirational. Its a good place to have a read in peace and then come back and ask lots of questions :)
 
Flashguns require a shutter speed less than the cameras sync speed, but shutter speed has no bearing on exposure*.

The variables to match are flash power, ISO and aperture.

There's no right or wrong, it's about choosing what you need for what you want to achieve.


*some flashguns use technology to go above the sync speed, but that's a bit complex for someone who hasn't grasped the basics.
 
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