Flashes

[Xavier]

Ok, I don't know if I'm posting this in the right subforum but I recently saw this pic of a Canon EOS 400D with a 3rd party flash.

So, my question is, are these third party flashes good enough? And which one's the best?
The cheapest Canon speedlite is available for around 11k I guess and that's pretty much out of my budget range.
Experts, please share your knowledge regarding this :)

Oh and by the way, the lens attached to the body is the Sigma 70-300 el cheapo lens which I'm gonna buy soon :P

[KrishnenduKes]

Query Approved

[powerslave]

I have a 430EXII, but a cheaper (and more powerful) option is the Sigma 530 DG Super.
It has some advantages over the 430exII, mainly it's more powerful at G.N. 53 and can act as a master.
The 430exII has better build, recognises all AF points through its focusing system and works well with 580exII as its slave.

The sigma is amazing value for money.

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-EF-530-DG-EO-ETTL-Electronic/dp/B000V7TJHC/ref=pd_cp_p_2?pf_rd_p=413862901&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000UHIMG2&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DVNB88WPJVJCZJWH6Y4

[Xavier]

I have a 430EXII, but a cheaper (and more powerful) option is the Sigma 530 DG Super.
It has some advantages over the 430exII, mainly it's more powerful at G.N. 53 and can act as a master.
The 430exII has better build, recognises all AF points through its focusing system and works well with 580exII as its slave.

The sigma is amazing value for money.

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-EF-530-DG-EO-ETTL-Electronic/dp/B000V7TJHC/ref=pd_cp_p_2?pf_rd_p=413862901&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000UHIMG2&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DVNB88WPJVJCZJWH6Y4


Wow! Cool! Thanks PS! :)
Can you please explain the meaning of 'master' and 'slave' w.r.t flashes? I'm a complete n00b when it comes to this :(

[Vicky]

Though this might not be the answer you are looking for, but I'll still say this again...there's no cheap shortcut ot glory in the DSLR world!:)

In your other thread for cheap tele lens, I advised you to wait and save till you could afford the Canon 55-250 IS instead of going for the sigma 70-300. Similarly, I'll advise you to wait and save till you can afford the 430ex instead of going for any other third party flash.

Also, the Sigma 530DG will not be substantially cheaper than the 430EX... the former is selling for 9k whereas the latter will be around 11k:)

[powerslave]

Although, I agree with stcking to Canon flashes, the price difference is not just INR2500, but also with the range and features. You're getting almost everything with a (far) more powerful flash (53G.N. vs 43 G.N.) for a lesser amount.

And reviews for the DG are good.

If you want something super cheap, go for the Vivtar 285HV. You'll learn the manual modes and it's hardly INR3500. It does not support E-TTL, but it is a GREAT investment for the price you pay. Something like the nifty 50 of flashes.

http://www.amazon.com/Vivitar-285HV-Auto-Professional-Flash/dp/B00004TVSP

And if you want to learn more about flashes, you will have to do quite a bit of reading. I spent days reading up on the topic and I'm just familiar with it. To get any good, there's truckloads of techniques, permutations, tutorials and your experimentation to do.

Best of luck, I like to call it 'Painting with light'. Buying a flash reduced my lust for fast glass. It also improved all my glass from entry level to a notch above.