Canon 580EX II vs 430EX II: what do you gain with the 580EX II?
Asked 7/15/2010
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I’m choosing between the Canon Speedlite 430EX II and 580EX II for a Canon DSLR. Before paying more for the 580EX II, I’d like to understand what practical advantages it offers over the 430EX II, especially for on-camera and off-camera flash use. If you’ve used both, when is the 580EX II worth the extra money?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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More power! Master capability. PC port. Retractable bounce card. "Weather sealing" at the hot shoe. The 580 will also swivel further to the right and a little more downwards.
The 430 is a great flash though. I don't think you'd regret it. Too bad you just missed Canon's summer rebate on the 580! It was going for $400. If you got the 430 and eventually upgraded to a 580, you'd still have a nice slave and a great backup. Get what you can afford.
Originally by user50. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user50
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The main benefits of the 580EX II over the 430EX II are:
- more flash power
- optical master capability for controlling compatible slave flashes (the 430EX II can be a slave, but not a master)
- a PC sync port for studio/trigger connections
- a retractable bounce card
- somewhat better hot-shoe weather sealing
- more flexible head movement, including farther swivel to the right and slightly more downward tilt
In practice, the biggest deciding factors are usually power and master capability. If you want to run Canon optical wireless flash from the camera without extra gear, the 580EX II is the more capable unit. If you mainly use manual flash with remote triggers, some of those extra features may matter much less.
The 430EX II is still a very good flash, and many users would be happy with it. A common upgrade path is to start with the 430EX II, then later add a 580EX II and keep the 430 as a slave or backup. So the 580EX II is worth it if you need the extra power, optical master function, or PC sync connection; otherwise the 430EX II is often the better value.
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