What do I give up by choosing a manual flash like the Vivitar 285HV or LumoPro LP160 instead of a Canon 580EX?
Asked 10/8/2010
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I'm buying my first hot-shoe flash for a Canon camera and I'm deciding between a TTL speedlite such as the Canon 580EX and lower-cost manual flashes such as the Vivitar 285HV or LumoPro LP160.
What important features or real-world usability would I lose by going with a manual flash instead of TTL?
Also, between the Vivitar 285HV and the LumoPro LP160, are there meaningful differences in features, reliability, triggering, or power that make one a better buy?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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Aside from the obvious thing you're missing (automatic exposure control) the 580EX (and the cheaper 430EX) have an AF-assist LED light which is activated during focussing that can be very useful in low light. It also allows second curtain sync (flash which fires as the shutter closes rather than opens, useful for when doing long exposures with flash), as well as high speed sync which pulses the flash for use with shutter speeds above 1/200s. On a 1 series body the 580EX offers weather proofing.
I have shot events with a manual flash, it's doable but you will get a lot of over/under exposure if you bounce as the flash as the amount of light returning from the ceiling/walls varies as you move around.
If you mainly do creative lighting / portraits and fun experiments rather than shooting events I would wholly recommend the manual flash, it's an excellent learning tool. I've had mixed experiences with the modern Vivitar 285HV (the old Vivitar 285 non-HV are reliable but have very high trigger voltages so may not be safe for shoe-mounting DSLRs) build quality (two were DOA), as the LumoPro was designed by and for enthusiasts I would definitely give it a try.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A manual flash can work very well, but the main thing you give up versus a Canon 580EX is TTL automatic flash exposure. In practice, that matters most for fast-moving shooting like events or bounce flash, where subject distance and ceiling/wall reflectivity keep changing. With manual, you’ll need to adjust power yourself and can get more over/underexposed frames.
Compared with the 580EX, you also miss Canon-specific features like AF-assist, high-speed sync, second-curtain sync, and other TTL-related functions.
Between the two manual options, the LP160 is generally the more flexible choice. From the answers provided, it offers a standard 3.5mm sync port, built-in optical slave capability, and works well with radio triggers. The 285HV has an autothyristor mode, but new versions are not regarded like the older Vivitar units, and its sync port is non-standard. The 285HV also lacks a 1/8 power setting.
The LP160 may be a bit less powerful than a 580EX and can recycle more slowly, but users still report it performs well for the price.
Bottom line: for convenience and changing environments, get TTL; for off-camera/manual creative lighting on a budget, the LP160 is the stronger manual option.
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