Get another Canon flash OR ebay trigger & generic flash?

[electron]

I want to do some remote off hotshoe flash photography and wondering which way to go.
I already have a 580EXII and wondering if i should get something like a 430EXII as a slave and retain ETTLII or get a cheapo ebay trigger and a Vivitar 285HV or Sunpack 383 as a generic slave (manual mode). Any advice would be most welcome!

[Trapper]

That depends on how comfortable you are, or planning to be, with manual adjustment of the flashes, what kind of lighting you want to do, as well as your budget.

For the cost of one 430EXII (about $440), you can get two Vivitar 285HV flashes (about $250) and some Phottix radio triggers (look up the MO threads, 1 transmitter and 2 receivers for $46), and have change left over. At the expense of ETTL.

Or you can go with the 430EXII as a slave and use your 580EXII as master, which will also work with ETTL. Only problem is IR signals are not very reliable if you intend to shoot outdoors in bright sunlight.

FWIW, I am going with the cheaper option, and will probably graduate to some PocketWizards or Radio Poppers in the near future.

[malofsg]

hi you guys know where can i get the Vivitar 285HV flashes in Singapore?

[Ninja23XX]

You can try the Nissin Di622, selling for $250 at the MO threads.


GMAN

[malofsg]

Yeah but i want to shoot with a few flashes off my camera. Currently i cannot find any suitable radio transmitters which can tigger the nissin flash off camera. If any 1 knows which radio transmitters can active the nissin flash please share with me.


Thanks

[flipfreak]

Originally Posted by malofsg Yeah but i want to shoot with a few flashes off my camera. Currently i cannot find any suitable radio transmitters which can tigger the nissin flash off camera. If any 1 knows which radio transmitters can active the nissin flash please share with me. Thanks

get a hotshoe adapter for the flash.

[malofsg]

Hi so if i were to attach a hotshoe adapter to the nissin flash it will work? You tried before ?

Thanks

Originally Posted by flipfreak get a hotshoe adapter for the flash.

[flipfreak]

Originally Posted by malofsg Hi so if i were to attach a hotshoe adapter to the nissin flash it will work? You tried before ? Thanks

u just need an adapter to connect the flash to the trigger if it doesn't connect direct. so there will be a wire from trigger to adapter then u mount the flash on top.

[electron]

Wow, i didnt know its quite hard to find Sunpak or Vivitar flashes. The Sunpak 383 no longer in production Only USA seems to have the Vivitar 285Hv and of course ebay.

[electron]

Originally Posted by Trapper you can get two Vivitar 285HV flashes (about $250)

Trapper, is that $250 each or for 2 flashes? And where can i get them?

[chalib]

Originally Posted by electron Only USA seems to have the Vivitar 285Hv and of course ebay.

Bangkok, HK, Jkt

[ST1100]

Originally Posted by Trapper That depends on how comfortable you are, or planning to be, with manual adjustment of the flashes, what kind of lighting you want to do, as well as your budget. For the cost of one 430EXII (about $440), you can get two Vivitar 285HV flashes (about $250) and some Phottix radio triggers (look up the MO threads, 1 transmitter and 2 receivers for $46), and have change left over. At the expense of ETTL. Or you can go with the 430EXII as a slave and use your 580EXII as master, which will also work with ETTL. Only problem is IR signals are not very reliable if you intend to shoot outdoors in bright sunlight. FWIW, I am going with the cheaper option, and will probably graduate to some PocketWizards or Radio Poppers in the near future.

Side notes:

- ETTL is the only way to adjust the output of a slave flash without physically tinkering with the flash. Can be very convenient if you use multiple flashes and they are far apart - saves a lot of walking up and down. The light ratio can also be adjusted at the camera.

- The trigger is the flash from the master itself, not IR. It's not that unreliable in daylight, though radio transmitters are still superior because they do not need line of sight. The ST-E2 doesn't use IR either; it's unreliable outdoors because it uses a low power flash filtered by a dark red (but visible) piece of plastic in front.

[Trapper]

Originally Posted by electron Trapper, is that $250 each or for 2 flashes? And where can i get them?

That's for 2 Vivitars. AFAIK they're only available via internet order sites like Adorama, B&H, MPEX, or eBay. Last time I checked Adorama were selling them at about US$85 each.

[electron]

Originally Posted by Trapper That's for 2 Vivitars. AFAIK they're only available via internet order sites like Adorama, B&H, MPEX, or eBay. Last time I checked Adorama were selling them at about US$85 each.

Thanks Trapper! Adorama ships via UPS and Fedex - cheapest is UPS at US$44.55. B&H is about the same price. For the same money the other option Nissin Di466 ($200 shipped) is looking better as it has ETTL + 2 mode optical trigger built in and manual mode.
If i decide to go canon i would go for the 430ex/II instead of another 580exII.

What i would like to know is what are the practical advantages of having ETTL with master & slave flash vs using non Canons in fully manual mode? (assume we're indoors or at night - ideal conditions for ETTL).

[munkey]

What are you using your set up for? Indoor portraiture and headshots? Assuming so, then you won't exactly need the eTTL, since everybody that sits on that chair and gets the photo taken is a set parameter of 125, f/8, and perhaps 1/2 power with umbrella 45degrees, or whatever. I dont see why anyone would use eTTL for multiple flashes.

It's precisely the same as your camera. Do you shoot M mode or green rectangle? If you want to master your camera and flashes, go manual. If you wanna make it convenient for yourself but not totally grasp the concept, and have $ to spare, go for Canon slaves.

[Trapper]

Originally Posted by electron Thanks Trapper! Adorama ships via UPS and Fedex - cheapest is UPS at US$44.55. B&H is about the same price. For the same money the other option Nissin Di466 ($200 shipped) is looking better as it has ETTL + 2 mode optical trigger built in and manual mode. If i decide to go canon i would go for the 430ex/II instead of another 580exII. What i would like to know is what are the practical advantages of having ETTL with master & slave flash vs using non Canons in fully manual mode? (assume we're indoors or at night - ideal conditions for ETTL).

If you're going for the Nissin, you can buy them at the MO thread for even more savings. I'm going for the Vivitars simply because they're more powerful than the Nissin 622s, and cheaper. I intend to pair them up with a Wein Peanut Microslave for optical slave usage, or some radio triggers. But either way works

ETTL's advantage lies in fast-changing light conditions; you wouldn't want to be messing around in manual flash output when the ambient changes that quickly. That's what comes to mind readily, I'm sure more experienced people like Flipfreak can chime in with more.

[electron]

Originally Posted by munkey What are you using your set up for? Indoor portraiture and headshots? Assuming so, then you won't exactly need the eTTL, since everybody that sits on that chair and gets the photo taken is a set parameter of 125, f/8, and perhaps 1/2 power with umbrella 45degrees, or whatever. I dont see why anyone would use eTTL for multiple flashes. It's precisely the same as your camera. Do you shoot M mode or green rectangle? If you want to master your camera and flashes, go manual. If you wanna make it convenient for yourself but not totally grasp the concept, and have $ to spare, go for Canon slaves.

Thanks for that answer. Im looking at the Nissin Di466 as a second flash. Unfortunately, most of the time i see people using the second flash behind the subject or group for separation and pop. Since the Nissin is optically triggered, it needs line of sight. And it doesn't work with ebay triggers. So why not go for a full manual like the Vivitar? Because i kinda like the ETTL features when using it on the hotshoe. I guess one can't have everything.

[electron]

Originally Posted by Trapper If you're going for the Nissin, you can buy them at the MO thread for even more savings. I'm going for the Vivitars simply because they're more powerful than the Nissin 622s, and cheaper. I intend to pair them up with a Wein Peanut Microslave for optical slave usage, or some radio triggers. But either way works ETTL's advantage lies in fast-changing light conditions; you wouldn't want to be messing around in manual flash output when the ambient changes that quickly. That's what comes to mind readily, I'm sure more experienced people like Flipfreak can chime in with more.

I think i might go with a second hand canon flash like a 430ex. I intend to use it both in the studio and when outdoors in a dynamic environment. Also need it to be fast so no time to check exposures with test shots too much. I'm thinking with ETTL you can control the slave flash from the master without having to walk up and down from camera to slave/s wasting precious time. That would be an advantage no?

Btw, the Vivitar 285hv is out of production and replaced by a slightly improved Cactus flash which you can buy at Gadget Infinity website for US$100 sans shipping.
Unfortunately it still doesn't have the 1/8th power setting.