580EX overheating issue / Alternatives

[phm1]

Greetings,

I've always thought the 580EX speedlite flash was great when I first got it (comparing it to 550EX), it's smaller, has more features, recycle time faster, etc. But now IMO, it's the worst flash to own simply because it overheats every time there's more than 15-20 continuous flashes. I understand there's a warning and it needs to rest 10 minutes. But this seem to be a design flaw as the 550EX did not have this problem.

I have (2) 580EXs and both died this past weekend in the middle of an event. I'm planning to buy a non-canon flash or buy back a used 550EX. Can someone please recommend an alternative flash that does not overheat for 20D? I'm looking at either a Sigma EF-500 DG or Metz 58 AF-1. Thanks for your help. Greatly appreciate it.

 

[mpoirier]

Hello,

I also have (now) 2 580EX in my bag. What I do basicaly is to switch back from one to the other after a period of time. This way, it can cool off.

I had a chance to try out the Sigma 500. It's a great piece of technology but I prefer the light of the Canon.

Sorry!
--
Michel Poirier
http://mpoirier.zenfolio.com

 

[Lenny L]

I don't have experience, but this thread may help suggest alternatives:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1019&message=20707437

 

[traxiii]

I was using one of mine for fill outside on a warm day and after 30-40 shots in 5 or 10 min. and it just quit, and never worked again. The 580ex and the batteries were very hot, but the batteries were always hot when I changed them. The unit was only 2 months old, so I sent it to Canon and they fixed it. They said they replace a circuit board. I now take as many breaks in shooting as I can, and avoid taking lots of rapid shots if I can.
--
Living life at Mach 3.5!
Bill
http://www.pbase.com/traxiii

 

[phm1]

Hello Michel,

I was switching between both of my 580EX throughout the night but they still broke. Maybe it's just bad luck. I'll check out Sigma 500, thanks for the recommendation!

-Henry

 

[phm1]

Thanks! I'll take a look at this thread.

-Henry

 

[phm1]

That's my grudge against Canon 580EX, it shouldn't change the way you normally shoot. Taking a 10 minutes break to cool off after firing 15-20 shots is unacceptable; especially when there's stuff going on you need to keep shooting. IMO, the 580EX speedlite needs an internal fan or better ventilation.

-Henry

I was using one of mine for fill outside on a warm day and after
30-40 shots in 5 or 10 min. and it just quit, and never worked
again. The 580ex and the batteries were very hot, but the batteries
were always hot when I changed them. The unit was only 2 months
old, so I sent it to Canon and they fixed it. They said they
replace a circuit board. I now take as many breaks in shooting as I
can, and avoid taking lots of rapid shots if I can.
--
Living life at Mach 3.5!
Bill
http://www.pbase.com/traxiii

 

[Carskick]

Just out of curiosity, does the weaker 430EX suffer from the same issue?

I want to get a Canon TTLII flash eventually, and was planning on the 430EX just because of budget constraints, but was curious if it was less prone to the overheating? I would assume so, being a much weaker flash, but thought I'd ask anyways.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carskick
http://picasaweb.google.com/Carskick/
http://carskick.blogspot.com/
http://s6000fd.blogspot.com/

 

[Josh4fun]

Greetings,

I've always thought the 580EX speedlite flash was great when I
first got it (comparing it to 550EX), it's smaller, has more
features, recycle time faster, etc. But now IMO, it's the worst
flash to own simply because it overheats every time there's more
than 15-20 continuous flashes. I understand there's a warning and
it needs to rest 10 minutes. But this seem to be a design flaw as
the 550EX did not have this problem.

Sorry to hear about your 580. At the rapid rate of firing your flash like that, the 580 within its physical limitation can't go on and needs to cool down which you already knew. Either you shoot within the safety limits of the flash or upgrade to one that can accomodate your needs. I haven't tried the Metz 58 AF-1 or the Sigma however they are shoe mount type and no different than your 580 but I hope they perform better. I spoke to a Quantum rep from WPPI and he said their flashes, the QDFlash series can hold on to the rapid flash torture more than the shoe mount type camera flashes. Sad thing is they're very expensive along with their whole system, batteries, etc.. Ultimately this is where I'm heading for my future upgrades.

Quantum: http://www.qtm.com/QFlash/?res_set=yes&res=1024

--
Jonji
Please visit my gallery at:
http://www.fotop.net/Josh4fun

 

[phm1]

I'm not sure, someone else might be able to answer this. But I'm guessing if it's weaker output, it should generate less heat as you've stated.

Just out of curiosity, does the weaker 430EX suffer from the same
issue?

I want to get a Canon TTLII flash eventually, and was planning on
the 430EX just because of budget constraints, but was curious if it
was less prone to the overheating? I would assume so, being a much
weaker flash, but thought I'd ask anyways.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carskick
http://picasaweb.google.com/Carskick/
http://carskick.blogspot.com/
http://s6000fd.blogspot.com/

 

[phm1]

Thanks Jonji, I wish I have more self-control.. but when things happening.. it's hard to stop shooting and wait for a cool down. After reading a few reviews, it looks like I'll be trying the Metz 58 AF-1 and see if that's any better. If not, I might have to save up and go with the more expensive QDFlash series. Thanks for the input.

-Henry

Sorry to hear about your 580. At the rapid rate of firing your
flash like that, the 580 within its physical limitation can't go on
and needs to cool down which you already knew. Either you shoot
within the safety limits of the flash or upgrade to one that can
accomodate your needs. I haven't tried the Metz 58 AF-1 or the
Sigma however they are shoe mount type and no different than your
580 but I hope they perform better. I spoke to a Quantum rep from
WPPI and he said their flashes, the QDFlash series can hold on to
the rapid flash torture more than the shoe mount type camera
flashes. Sad thing is they're very expensive along with their whole
system, batteries, etc.. Ultimately this is where I'm heading for
my future upgrades.

Quantum: http://www.qtm.com/QFlash/?res_set=yes&res=1024

--
Jonji
Please visit my gallery at:
http://www.fotop.net/Josh4fun

 

[Kevin Coppalotti]

The 580EX cannot sustain hard professional use, - I know, I've blown two of them thru overheating. Canon should have an inbuilt protection against this that prevents over use.

When you get really busy at work you simply cannot count the number of flashes fired. The Metz range also warns about this problem. Flash designers need to redesign for the digital age, - to cope with the extra workload and large volume of pics taken.

Greetings,

I've always thought the 580EX speedlite flash was great when I
first got it (comparing it to 550EX), it's smaller, has more
features, recycle time faster, etc. But now IMO, it's the worst
flash to own simply because it overheats every time there's more
than 15-20 continuous flashes. I understand there's a warning and
it needs to rest 10 minutes. But this seem to be a design flaw as
the 550EX did not have this problem.

I have (2) 580EXs and both died this past weekend in the middle of
an event. I'm planning to buy a non-canon flash or buy back a used
550EX. Can someone please recommend an alternative flash that does
not overheat for 20D? I'm looking at either a Sigma EF-500 DG or
Metz 58 AF-1. Thanks for your help. Greatly appreciate it.

--
Kevin Coppalotti
http://razorsharp.smugmug.com
http://maxhr.zenfolio.com/

 

[bimmerman]

I fire off around 200-300 shots per 30 minute session without overheating or thermal shutdown. But! My flash does not always fire at 100% power because I don't use diffusers or bounce. Just fill in. No problems here.

 

[Tom Long]

What ISO are you shooting at? It would probably do better at a higher one.

 

[phm1]

At ISO 400.

What ISO are you shooting at? It would probably do better at a
higher one.

 

[phm1]

You're right, 580EX is a toy. And the Metz I was looking at turns out to have the same problem. I ended up ordering a Quantum QFlash T5D-R with an extra bulb. I believe each bulb will handle 10,000 shots ($50 each bulb) before breaking down. It does 150watts per second. I think it's a bit overkill but I'm feed up with constantly repairing the 580EXs. Thanks for the insights.

-Henry

The 580EX cannot sustain hard professional use, - I know, I've
blown two of them thru overheating. Canon should have an inbuilt
protection against this that prevents over use.
When you get really busy at work you simply cannot count the number
of flashes fired. The Metz range also warns about this problem.
Flash designers need to redesign for the digital age, - to cope
with the extra workload and large volume of pics taken.

--
Kevin Coppalotti
http://razorsharp.smugmug.com
http://maxhr.zenfolio.com/

 

[phm1]

The problem with my 580EX is I'm always shooting at 100% power. After about 200 shots or so, I try swapping the unit to cool off but by then it's already too late.

I fire off around 200-300 shots per 30 minute session without
overheating or thermal shutdown. But! My flash does not always fire
at 100% power because I don't use diffusers or bounce. Just fill
in. No problems here.

 

[Troy Carter]

OK the obvious is turn up the ISO as high as you can accept for your work and open the aperture if you can so that it's not always using 100%.

However, consider using the external batter packs for them, canon, quantum, whatever you like. This will remove most of the heat generated by the internal AA batteries from the flash unit and seems to go a long way to keeping them cooler. Even with the older transistor pack e my 580ex stays considerably cooler.
--

Old gear - KM 7D+VC-7D, 7D, Sigma 15-30, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Minolta 28-135 4-4.5, 70-210 4, Tamron 70-210 2.8, 28 2.0, 50 1.7, 5600 HS, 7500DX - New gear - Canon 30D, Sigma 10-20, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Canon 70-200 2.8 IS, 580EX

 

[phm1]

Thanks Troy, I'm shooting at ISO 400 at 2.8 using a Quantum 2x2 Turbo and the flash setting is set to use external battery only (to avoid heating up the AA batteries) But the flash unit itself still gets too hot. I try swapping with another 580ex unit to cool off but by then it's too late.

OK the obvious is turn up the ISO as high as you can accept for
your work and open the aperture if you can so that it's not always
using 100%.

However, consider using the external batter packs for them, canon,
quantum, whatever you like. This will remove most of the heat
generated by the internal AA batteries from the flash unit and
seems to go a long way to keeping them cooler. Even with the older
transistor pack e my 580ex stays considerably cooler.
--
Old gear - KM 7D+VC-7D, 7D, Sigma 15-30, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Minolta
28-135 4-4.5, 70-210 4, Tamron 70-210 2.8, 28 2.0, 50 1.7, 5600 HS,
7500DX - New gear - Canon 30D, Sigma 10-20, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Canon
70-200 2.8 IS, 580EX

 

[Lenny L]

Out of curiosity, do you use a diffuser, and if so, what kind? Just wondering if a diffuser will shorten the life of the flash.

I'd like to know how your Quantum flash works out after you've used it for a while.

Good luck.