Flash Recommendation


ghost7

New Member
Dec 11, 2011
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Singapore
Hi guys,

I am planning to purchase my first flash for my canon 550D and would like to seek some opinion from you all.

The reason why I plan to purchase a flash is I felt that the power of the build in flash is not strong enough and also, the siveral head could not be rotate to make it into a bounce flash. ( Pardon me if I use the wrong term, first time buying flash)

For my flash, I am not using for strobist work or studio work, but just as fill flash when shooting portrait or in a dark environment.

From what I read from the previous post regarding flash, I shortlist a few such as the yongnuo YN-565. Would you guys recommend that flash for my purpose stated above??

Another question is, for beginner like me, is TTL flash a must? Because from what I know yongnuo YN-560 is a better flash compare to 565 but it do not have any TTL.

I hope I provided enough information, if there is anything I miss out, do let me know.

Thank in advance.
 

Hi guys,

I am planning to purchase my first flash for my canon 550D and would like to seek some opinion from you all.

The reason why I plan to purchase a flash is I felt that the power of the build in flash is not strong enough and also, the siveral head could not be rotate to make it into a bounce flash. ( Pardon me if I use the wrong term, first time buying flash)

For my flash, I am not using for strobist work or studio work, but just as fill flash when shooting portrait or in a dark environment.

From what I read from the previous post regarding flash, I shortlist a few such as the yongnuo YN-565. Would you guys recommend that flash for my purpose stated above??

Another question is, for beginner like me, is TTL flash a must? Because from what I know yongnuo YN-560 is a better flash compare to 565 but it do not have any TTL.

I hope I provided enough information, if there is anything I miss out, do let me know.

Thank in advance.
TTL is not a must but is good to have, especially when you are just starting out.
 

I am using a YN565EX and I like it. I could not say that it is 100% that of 580EX II, but it is pretty close (in my own opinion), and so far I have no issue with it at all. And at that price, it is really an excellent piece of equipment.

As for the TTL, I would say that it definitely make things easier, so for a beginner, it is a great feature to have.
 

@bradpom : Thank for your reply, I will choose one with TTL.

@rhino123 : Thank for your reply, just to check, what do you use ur YN565Ex on?? Because YN565ex does not have any high speed sync, will it affect the photo greatly?
 

@bradpom : Thank for your reply, I will choose one with TTL.

@rhino123 : Thank for your reply, just to check, what do you use ur YN565Ex on?? Because YN565ex does not have any high speed sync, will it affect the photo greatly?

if you not shooting at shutter speeds exceeding 1/200 , then HSS not needed...but its a good-to-have feature
 

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if you not shooting at shutter speeds exceeding 1/200 , then HSS not needed...but its a good-to-have feature

Thank for the reply. Since I am using for outdoor , shutter speed is likely to exceed 1/200 so does that mean Yn565ex is not recommended? From my research, I believe HSS is only available on canon flash and some other higher end brand. So it is better for me to save up to purchase those instead of yongnuo??

Thank you.
 

Thank for the reply. Since I am using for outdoor , shutter speed is likely to exceed 1/200 so does that mean Yn565ex is not recommended? From my research, I believe HSS is only available on canon flash and some other higher end brand. So it is better for me to save up to purchase those instead of yongnuo??

Thank you.

For me the first flash, i will always get the main brand's flash

Since your not doing any studio work and needs the hss for outdoors, i reco you save up and get a canon flash first...next time when you need multiple flashes, then perhaps you can look into yongnuo.
 

Thank for the reply. Since I am using for outdoor , shutter speed is likely to exceed 1/200 so does that mean Yn565ex is not recommended? From my research, I believe HSS is only available on canon flash and some other higher end brand. So it is better for me to save up to purchase those instead of yongnuo??

Thank you.

HSS will come in handy when especially shooting in daylight and against the sun. (Imagine you meter the sky with the sun in it, then with your subject back facing the sun), you will likely require something > 1/200s to expose the face without overexposing. With HSS, you can also turn early hot afternoon into evening :p

If you have to shoot in these kind of conditions, I think it's better to get the Canon flash. E.g. 430ex and 580ex..
 

HSS will come in handy when especially shooting in daylight and against the sun. (Imagine you meter the sky with the sun in it, then with your subject back facing the sun), you will likely require something > 1/200s to expose the face without overexposing. With HSS, you can also turn early hot afternoon into evening :p

If you have to shoot in these kind of conditions, I think it's better to get the Canon flash. E.g. 430ex and 580ex..

especially with the release of 600ex, the 580 price have been dropping in BnS, quite worth it to get now
 

For my flash, I am not using for strobist work or studio work, but just as fill flash when shooting portrait or in a dark environment.

Thank for the reply. Since I am using for outdoor , shutter speed is likely to exceed 1/200 so does that mean Yn565ex is not recommended? From my research, I believe HSS is only available on canon flash and some other higher end brand. So it is better for me to save up to purchase those instead of yongnuo??

Thank you.

hmm if just read your initial post then YN565ex would be a good choice cost wise

however if you plan to use fill-flash in relatively bright sun then you have no choice but get a Canon flash (not sure which other brands support high speed-sync but from what I know Yong Nuo and Nissin doesn't)
 

Instead of spending extra $300 for a canon flash, why not increase the shuttle speed for example, lowering iso and increasing aperture?? I felt it is not worth paying just for that HSS
 

Yeah, after hearing what u guys say, I guess I had to save up and purchase a canon flash, for their hss.

@soundofsilence: Ya, saw a lot of post in the BNS regarding 580 but had to save up first as initally my budget is below $200:eek:

@ A-tangy: For outdoor daylight shooting, My iso is always 100. As for aperture, not every shot could be taken at F22 thus personally I do not think it is possible to increase the shuttle speed.
 

Instead of spending extra $300 for a canon flash, why not increase the shuttle speed for example, lowering iso and increasing aperture?? I felt it is not worth paying just for that HSS

you are getting more than just HSS

better build quality, weather-sealing (if paired with weather-sealed bodies), faster recharging after full power blast, more consistent exposure and results, most importantly it will fire CONSISTENTLY, sometimes 3rd parties flashes may misfire
 

Instead of spending extra $300 for a canon flash, why not increase the shuttle speed for example, lowering iso and increasing aperture?? I felt it is not worth paying just for that HSS

In indoor shooting there is usually no need for HSS, but for outdoor shooting in daylight, HSS is a must. Even at F22 and ISO 100 you may not be getting a shutter speed lower than 1/250, depending on the amount of light. Also if you are shooting outdoor portraits it is highly unlikely you want to use F22; you'd want to use a large aperture to get shallow depth of field. So HSS is a must in that kind of situation, and maybe even a ND filter.
 

For a start, canon 430ex2 is a good buy.

The only reason I intend to sold it soon is because I need:
A. Faster refresh (match you body fps)
B. support more focus points (match your body focus pts)
C. Built in white card can be very convenience (lazy)
 

ahboy168 said:
For a start, canon 430ex2 is a good buy.

The only reason I intend to sold it soon is because I need:
A. Faster refresh (match you body fps)
B. support more focus points (match your body focus pts)
C. Built in white card can be very convenience (lazy)

Camera body will automatically not use HSS if not needed. (below max flash sync speed)
So, I just set it HSS as my flash default mode.
 

Hi guys. Sorry for bringing up this thread again.
Today i head down to a shop wanting to buy/try the canon 580ex. However, after explaining my usage and purpose of the flash, a customer in the shop advise me to stick to yongnuo.

He mention that for daylight fill flash, in camera flash would be able to do the job. As for night, HSS would not be neccesary?, thus yongnuo would be a better choice. I am a bit confuse thus would like to check wit u guys if his recommendation is good??

Thank you
 

Hi guys. Sorry for bringing up this thread again.
Today i head down to a shop wanting to buy/try the canon 580ex. However, after explaining my usage and purpose of the flash, a customer in the shop advise me to stick to yongnuo.

He mention that for daylight fill flash, in camera flash would be able to do the job. As for night, HSS would not be neccesary?, thus yongnuo would be a better choice. I am a bit confuse thus would like to check wit u guys if his recommendation is good??

Thank you
For daylight, if you want your fill flash to be direct, harsh flash, then yes the in camera flash can do the job (depending on subject distance as well - if your subject is too far then the in camera flash will be too weak).

If you want your fill light to be directional, then you need an external flash with HSS. At night, your shutter speed is most probably going to be quite slow anyway and that's why HSS is usually not needed (again, this depends on what you want to do - if you want to totally kill off the ambient light, you may need HSS)
 

Hi guys. Sorry for bringing up this thread again.
Today i head down to a shop wanting to buy/try the canon 580ex. However, after explaining my usage and purpose of the flash, a customer in the shop advise me to stick to yongnuo.

He mention that for daylight fill flash, in camera flash would be able to do the job. As for night, HSS would not be neccesary?, thus yongnuo would be a better choice. I am a bit confuse thus would like to check wit u guys if his recommendation is good??

Thank you
For daylight, if you want your fill flash to be direct, harsh flash, then yes the in camera flash can do the job (depending on subject distance as well - if your subject is too far then the in camera flash will be too weak).

If you want your fill light to be directional, then you need an external flash with HSS. At night, your shutter speed is most probably going to be quite slow anyway and that's why HSS is usually not needed (again, this depends on what you want to do - if you want to totally kill off the ambient light, you may need HSS)

I would like to say that it's more of "if you want the light from your flash to be the key light", that is, you want to overpower the sun (not literally, but rather to give that effect in the final shot). It is ONLY THEN that you would need HSS. Otherwise, you can fill flash with anything. A YongNuo has pretty decent power to do a fill flash under just about any condition (except dead noon sun backlight and your subject is shaded by bending down or something and stands more than 3m away). The condition which YongNuo flashes will not suffice due to power is very specific.

I personally own a YN 465 which is a TTL flash. Very easy to use and has enough power for most things. Only trouble I face is if I use a diffusing umbrella, then for some times the power isn't sufficient.
 

Hi friend, just to "steal" your posting. What about Yongnuo YN460? I am holding onto EOS600D and thought of getting the flash from Aliexpress.