Newbie needs a flash!

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Dab

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Hi guys, sorry if this question has been asked a million times before, but i need a new flash for my Canon 450D and i'm a bit clueless. I'm mostly going to be using it at my sisters wedding (there's going to be a proper wedding 'tog so i'm just taking pics for fun), but i can only really afford to spend £100. I'll probably be using it mounted on the camera for ease of use. So far I've looked at the following flashes:

Metz 36AF4 (£75), Jessops 360AFD (£99), Sunpak PF30X (£49), or the Vivitar 285HV (£85).

Any ideas which would be best for a complete flash newbie? Any others I should be looking for in that price range? I quite like the look of the Vivitar 285HV but i'm not sure if it's too manual for me?
 
I'd go for the Metz as you should be able to get one with TTL/dedicated then the Vivitar. You should be able to get a Stofen for either for an extra £10 to £15, it will soften the harshness of the flash.

When's the wedding?
 
The wedding is end of April so if i buy it soon i'll have a bit of time to practice. What will the Stofen do?
 
Try looking around the second hand shops for a 380ex perhaps. There was one going in the for sale section here but i think its gone. That was £105 delivered
 
I started off with a Sunpak (not sure of the model, but its got full ETTL and Manual control) which was £99.99, it was a good flash to start with results wise, but I was very frustrated with the recycle times and also it ate batteries! My advice would be, get the best you can afford, save a bit more and go for a Canon one if possible, recycle times are superb with the new generation units but they are expensive I must admit.

The reason I say this, I was very frustrated with the Sunpak, whilst browsing I discovered the cheap Jessops flash for £35, which was totally automatic and also hopelessly slow, and I still ended up buying a decent Canon model in the end. If I had just bought Canon to start with I'd have had another £134.00 to spend on other toys.
 
Ste Manns said:
If I had just bought Canon to start with I'd have had another £134.00 to spend on other toys.
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While I usually subscribe to the "buy well, buy once" philosophy, I can't really afford the Canon at the moment, especially as I'm already probably spending money I don't have on a Tokina 12-24 :D. I wouldn't mind picking a speedlight up second hand, even an older model like the 380ex but they don't seem to appear too frequently, and I can't wait too long as I'll need time to practice to get the best results on the day.
 
Just managed to pick up a Canon 420EX in the for sale section. Hopefully i can learn to use it before i need to use it in anger.
 
Dab said:
Just managed to pick up a Canon 420EX in the for sale section. Hopefully i can learn to use it before i need to use it in anger.
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Good stuff.

a stofen softens the harsh effect of the flash a little

click here
 
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