Advise needed?


thinkhappy

Member
Feb 26, 2010
56
0
6
Singapore
Hi guys,

I'm stuck in consideration of getting a flash between the nissin Di622 and the canon 430EX II , i know if i got the money i should get the Canon since its better , but then for the price of 430EX , i believe i can get 2 of the Di622. I been to some shop and asked for advise and most of them told me to get the canon one instead. Yet, i'm still unable to make up my mind, hopefully you guys can advise me? Thanks! :D


and i have some questions regarding Master and slaves in flash , i did Google about it but i'm still lost. Am i right to say that with out Master you can only use 1 flash ? :think:
 

One advice: never ask sales men (unless you know them personally very well). The normal sales person will always recommend what gives him/her best profit.
 

Di622 is value for money. It allow automatic flash mode for TTL, manual or use it for slave flash. Diffusing panel and fill-in reflector are build in with the flash which I found it very useful and friendly. :)

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Hey, i also have the same dilemma as you a month back, here is MY findings during testing both flash, first the nissin flash is a bit to the cold side than the canon(but hey i think a color filter or manual AWB can solve this just fine), second i found the flash TTL exposure even without diffuser from canon is much natural and less harsh compared to nissin, and lastly it's a canon ;) yes i know it's minor and there's many custom fix for these minor problem and some might even prefer it, so my suggestion is try both like me and go with the output u prefer + justify the amount that'll be flowing out of your pocket :D
 

Nissin Di622 slave mode, if I'm remember correctly, only work as Slave A and on Channel 1 only. Canon 430exii can select Slave A, B or C and Channel 1 to 4. With flashes set to A/B/C, this allows you to set different ratio for the flashes. More channels can be useful when there are others around you also using wireless flash.

For wireless flash to work, need a Master. Both 622 & 430 cannot work as Master. Some camera buldin flash, eg canon 7D, can also work as Master.
 

I am using a 430EX II and I sort of regret buying it... No doubt u can put it on auto and the photos will come out nicely... But then that is the only thingy the 430 EX II can do... I suggest that u get a Nissin Di866 instead as there are tons of functions on the flash itself which in turns give ya more things to learn and play with.
 

I am using a 430EX II and I sort of regret buying it... No doubt u can put it on auto and the photos will come out nicely... But then that is the only thingy the 430 EX II can do... I suggest that u get a Nissin Di866 instead as there are tons of functions on the flash itself which in turns give ya more things to learn and play with.
430EX can be wireless slave with TTL functionality, if you decide to get a 580EXII at a later date...
who says it's limited ??????

curious what more you can play with on Di866... care to share?
 

430EX can be wireless slave with TTL functionality, if you decide to get a 580EXII at a later date...
who says it's limited ??????

curious what more you can play with on Di866... care to share?

I'm curious what he meant by can only do auto too? 430exii can set manually and work as slave.

Of course there are some functions Di866 can do but not 430exii, eg multi-flash, Master.
 

430EX can be wireless slave with TTL functionality, if you decide to get a 580EXII at a later date...
who says it's limited ??????

curious what more you can play with on Di866... care to share?

I'm curious what he meant by can only do auto too? 430exii can set manually and work as slave.

Of course there are some functions Di866 can do but not 430exii, eg multi-flash, Master.

As said by GRbenji... Di866 got the above functions more than the 430EX II and it is about the same price... Hence it is more bang for the buck... BTW, it can be flash triggered but I find it not very reliable...

What I meant by auto is that 430EX II can meter quite accurately... its auto metering function is good enough for general use. So far it has not overexpose or underexpose any of my photos...

Of course the good thingy about canon products is reliability... But note that u have to pay a premium for it. If u are getting a 430X II, the next step to learn more about flash photography is to get a 580 EX II which is about $600-$700 plus...
 

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As said by GRbenji... Di866 got the above functions more than the 430EX II and it is about the same price... Hence it is more bang for the buck... BTW, it can be flash triggered but I find it not very reliable...

What I meant by auto is that 430EX II can meter quite accurately... its auto metering function is good enough for general use. So far it has not overexpose or underexpose any of my photos...

Of course the good thingy about canon products is reliability... But note that u have to pay a premium for it. If u are getting a 430X II, the next step to learn more about flash photography is to get a 580 EX II which is about $600-$700 plus...
If you only have ONE 430EX, or you only have ONE Di866 (as you seem to indicate, coz you "regret" getting the 430EX and lamented that you should've got the Di866 instead), the added features such as multi-flash, etc doesn't make much difference. Both can only be hotshoe-mounted. So the main difference is in the user interface and the flash power (GN).

It seems like you're paying the same (for the 430EX) for less features, but in reality I don't think you're losing out by much. To me, the difference is in the 'intangibles'. Play around with both for some time (if you have the chance) and perhaps you'll appreciate your 430 more :)
 

As said by GRbenji... Di866 got the above functions more than the 430EX II and it is about the same price... Hence it is more bang for the buck... BTW, it can be flash triggered but I find it not very reliable...
If the additional feature is only available once you extend the setup by at one additional flash then I don't see any reason for your whining. Both work similar when used as hotshoe flash. Get a DI866 as next flash and use the 430 as slave.
"More Bang for a buck" here is quite far fetched, you only have some possible options more which are not even useful / usable right now. Sounds similar like those boys drooling over high fps rates and finally doing landscape photography.
Get the manual for the 430 (in case you have lost it) and check the settings there. Not really intuitive interface, but there are more settings than just 'Auto'.

What I meant by auto is that 430EX II can meter quite accurately... its auto metering function is good enough for general use. So far it has not overexpose or underexpose any of my photos...
The camera does the metering, not the flash. The flash only fires a pre-flash which is analyzed by the camera (see "E-TTL flash metering") and the result is transmitted to the flash to adjust the final output when the flash is firing.
 

If you only have ONE 430EX, or you only have ONE Di866 (as you seem to indicate, coz you "regret" getting the 430EX and lamented that you should've got the Di866 instead), the added features such as multi-flash, etc doesn't make much difference. Both can only be hotshoe-mounted. So the main difference is in the user interface and the flash power (GN).

It seems like you're paying the same (for the 430EX) for less features, but in reality I don't think you're losing out by much. To me, the difference is in the 'intangibles'. Play around with both for some time (if you have the chance) and perhaps you'll appreciate your 430 more :)

I think you misunderstood Multi-flash. Canon Multi-flash mode is also known as stroboscopic flash, that is several flash within 1 shot. 580exii can do this but not 430exii.
 

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If you only have ONE 430EX, or you only have ONE Di866 (as you seem to indicate, coz you "regret" getting the 430EX and lamented that you should've got the Di866 instead), the added features such as multi-flash, etc doesn't make much difference. Both can only be hotshoe-mounted. So the main difference is in the user interface and the flash power (GN).

It seems like you're paying the same (for the 430EX) for less features, but in reality I don't think you're losing out by much. To me, the difference is in the 'intangibles'. Play around with both for some time (if you have the chance) and perhaps you'll appreciate your 430 more :)

Di866 got more flash power... LCD colored user interface... can multi flash...etc and almost the same price as 430 EX II. As I said it is more bang for the buck... The extra features are definitely good to have...

But of course having a canon flash is more reliable due to compatibility issues... As I said before the flash has never failed on me. At the moment I am trying out the wireless flash function on my 60D...

I believe there are threads floating around comparing the 430EX II and Di866... mostly comment that Di866 is pretty accurate on metering and reliable too...
 

I think you misunderstood Multi-flash. Canon Multi-flash mode is also known as stroboscopic flash, that is several flash within 1 shot. 580exii can do this but not 430exii.

OIC.. 430 cannot be used as a wireless e-ttl slave?

You will have to excuse ZCA and myself. We are too used to the much more advanced flash system from Nikon. ;)
 

I think you misunderstood Multi-flash. Canon Multi-flash mode is also known as stroboscopic flash, that is several flash within 1 shot. 580exii can do this but not 430exii.

My bad... Yeah... that is one feature that I wanna explore which is only available in 580EX II or Di866...
 

OIC.. 430 cannot be used as a wireless e-ttl slave?

You will have to excuse ZCA and myself. We are too used to the much more advanced flash system from Nikon. ;)

430exii can use as wireless e-ttl slave (cannot master only), but no stroboscopic flash function.

Just sharing info. Whether nikon is better or not doesn't border me...:)
 

430exii can use as wireless e-ttl slave (cannot master only), but no stroboscopic flash function.

Just sharing info. Whether nikon is better or not doesn't border me...:)

Then 430 is like the SB600 loh. Ok mah.. why TS so miffed?

Just that cannot use pop-up flash as commander (master) unless he is on 7D.

Or TS can just get the ST-E2 if he is not on 7D.
 

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Then 430 is like the SB600 loh. Ok mah.. why TS so miffed?

Just that cannot use pop-up flash as commander (master) unless he is on 7D.

Or TS can just get the ST-E2 if he is not on 7D.

Erm... I am not the TS... =.=

I mention Di866 has the slight edge cause it can do stroboscopic flash and almost the same price as 430EX II. The extra functions or capability like master flash, more flash power, colored LCD screen is not so important IMO... That's why I claim Di866 is more bang for the buck... and the extra power is good to have. :-D

But of course I have said before using Canon flash is more reliable as it will be compatible with newer DSLR... for Di866 u may need to update it before it can be used on the new DSLR. It is still up to TS whether he wanna pay more for the reliability or just make do with a 3rd party with the extra functions... ;)
 

Erm... I am not the TS... =.=

I mention Di866 has the slight edge cause it can do stroboscopic flash and almost the same price as 430EX II. The extra functions or capability like master flash, more flash power, colored LCD screen is not so important IMO... That's why I claim Di866 is more bang for the buck... and the extra power is good to have. :-D

But of course I have said before using Canon flash is more reliable as it will be compatible with newer DSLR... for Di866 u may need to update it before it can be used on the new DSLR. It is still up to TS whether he wanna pay more for the reliability or just make do with a 3rd party with the extra functions... ;)

When dealing with wireless e-TTL, it is always better to get camera brand for full compatibility and reliability. But if doing lots of strobist stuff and not depending on wireless e-TTL, rather DIY power adjustments with light meter... It doesn't really matter. In the end, it is in the requirements of the user, and if the color temperature of the flash can gel with others in a multiflash setup.