Canon 580 Flash

[Primo-Photo]

I think of purchasing the Canon 580 flash. Is the performance of the 580EX noticable better over the 550EX?

With the the 580 flash mounted on the camera, will it fire the 550ex or do I need to purchase the transmitter kit ST-e2?

Thanks for the info....

Primo-photo.com

[pathfinder]

I think of purchasing the Canon 580 flash. Is the performance of the 580EX noticable better over the 550EX?

With the the 580 flash mounted on the camera, will it fire the 550ex or do I need to purchase the transmitter kit ST-e2?

Thanks for the info....

Primo-photo.com


The 580EX has the new ETTL-II settings if you are shooting with a body that supports them - eg a 20D or the newer 1series cameras. The ETTL-II has more sophisticated flash exposure control and has received good reviews by users here. I use both flashes, but if pressed, I prefer the 580ex. It is a litle more powerful also than the 550ex.

The 580ex on your hot shoe will trip the 550ex or the 420ex as a slave. It will even trip the photo sensors on studio slaves. :thumb

The ST-E2 Infrared transmitter kit is for when there are a lot of flashes going off ( think photojournalism or fashion runways ) and you do not want your slaves tripped by someone else's flash.

[Baldy]

As the guy who sees a zillion prints coming through smugmug under all kinds of conditions, I'm starting to get grumpy about the combination of Canon flashes and Canon cameras. Infrared filtration is so poor with them that fair-skinned people with blood vessels close to the surface and little pigmentation can just look awful.

[fish]

As the guy who sees a zillion prints coming through smugmug under all kinds of conditions, I'm starting to get grumpy about the combination of Canon flashes and Canon cameras. Infrared filtration is so poor with them that fair-skinned people with blood vessels close to the surface and little pigmentation can just look awful.
Is that the fault of the flash or the camera? I haven't seen that problem, but then again, I'm not sure I know any fair-skinned people with blood vessels close to the surface and little pigmentation. :huh I'll have to be careful next time I see Johnny Winter.

FWIW, I'm in week 2 of perhaps a 4 week wait while Canon fixes the loose thingamajig that was rattling around in the head of my 580EX. :bluduh

[DoctorIt]

As the guy who sees a zillion prints coming through smugmug under all kinds of conditions, I'm starting to get grumpy about the combination of Canon flashes and Canon cameras. Infrared filtration is so poor with them that fair-skinned people with blood vessels close to the surface and little pigmentation can just look awful.I'm with Fish, can you explain this better? I've been nothing but amazed with my 580 and how much more alive and less washed out people look (in comparison to onboard flash).

As for original question, the 580 is "wickid smaat", it can control just about all the canon flashes. I know a few people who save money by going all 550ex for slaves and just the one 580 for it's brains as the master.