Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras by Canon
|
List Price: Our Price: $444.00 You Save: $346.00 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $419.00 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: Best flash gives best results
Summary: 5 Stars
I was told by a professor & a camera sellsman, how great this item is. I took there advice & purchased the 580EX II. I must admit that they were correct. I was getting greater range in the detail of the pictures I had taken. although it's pricey, it was worth the extra bucks.Digital camera Review: Best flash out there
Summary: 5 Stars
After trying to save money on a Sigma and not getting the results I needed for shooting weddings, I moved up to the 580 EXii and each frame is perfect. I highly recommend this flash to professionals and amateurs who want the best.Digital camera Review: Best flash we have
Summary: 5 Stars
The flash is an improvement over the previous 580EX. The base is more solid and the lockdown is improved. The battery compartment is a much better design than the older 580EX, refresh time is better. It is just an overal better designed flash.Digital camera Review: Best on camera flash made
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the best on-camera flash Canon makes. I'm sure you can look at any number of full out reviews to tell you all about the specs. I just have 3 things to say.
1. I love this flash, I use it almost every time my camera is in my hand and I'm always happy with the results.
2. You must have a Sto-Fen Omni Bounce for event photography. It's really worth the extra couple of dollars and it makes your results look great!
3. I gave this product 4 stars and not 5 because the user manual that came with the flash, and the menus built in, are USELESS. There are several third party companies that make "cheat-sheets" for this flash. Why can't Canon make one and send it with their $400+ flash? The instructions that came with my 40D were great.
Anyway, as far as quality of build, and images - Nothing is better. I actually bought 3 of these for my mobile studio. Good luck with menu if you're not using a guide.
Digital camera Review: Beware of slave trigger issues
Summary: 3 Stars
You want to use the 580EX II in a simple task by working as a hair or back light with your more powerful studio strobes? Then you will be in for a rude surprise when you connect an inexpensive photo-optical slave-triggering hot shoe to the 580's hot shoe foot. With the 580 set on manual, it will flash once and then lockup. Yes, the dreaded internal SCR lockup will require you to power off and on to reset the flash to fire another shot before it freezes again. Repeat off/on and shake your head at this dare-I-say expensive toy.
Is Canon trying to screw us by not telling about this issue in their instruction manual? Who knows. This is a well known problem since the 580EX. To our rescue is Michael Bass Designs' blog which walks us step-by-step on obtaining a compatible Sonia photo-optical slave trigger with the proper cord to the FINALLY new PC sync terminal to be able to perform a very simple task of using a slave triggered strobe.
But, not all is well with the new sync terminal. According to Michael Bass, the terminal is not active in the Manual-Master mode. Now, this would require a further modification by Michael to make this flash work as required.
Also, there are some compatibility issues with the Canon EOS 1D Mark III. This is Michael's quote, "When this flash is used with the Canon 1D Mark III, the sync jack will NOT output a signal to fire a radio transmitter, even if this mod is done. Doing the mod will, however, allow the flash to output a signal to fire a transmitter with all the other Canon bodies, and will also allow an input signal from a radio receiver in all 6 of the operational modes, regardless which Canon body is being used. Testing is in process to filter the trigger output so this combination of flash and body works just as it does with the other Canon bodies." Good grief!!!
The 580 is great as an on-camera walk about flash/camera combo. It even works well in the master/slave setup or with the expensive and 10 year old Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. I also love the new metal hot shoe foot which slices like a knife into the tightest hot shoe umbrella adaptors. But, if you don't want the hassles of spending more money on third party parts to use the 580 as a slave with strobes, then buy (for example) a cheap Vivitar 285 and put a cheap photo-optical slave trigger on it for carefree studio work with the big boy lights.