Real world "Alternatives" to 420Ex Flash

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately (which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Derek,

I'm a HUGE proponent of the Vivitar 283.

It's inexpensive ($150 CDN), versatile (works with my G1, Pentax SL totally manual camera, Pentax MZ-5N and Pentax 645n) and powerful enough to do the job.

One thing though.. DO NOT BUY USED... You're really taking a chance if you buy used equipment and try to use it on your Canon digicam. We know that the new equipment (i.e. a new vivitar 283) will work, but the older used models DO have voltage issues that can fry your cam.

If you need to see samples.. let me know.
Cheers,
Dave

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

I have used a Sunpak 383 w/o any problems, as long as you don't mind experimenting with the manual output settings. But this is the beauty of digital - you see your results immediately and adjust accordingly. This flash can be had for under $100.

I've also used a Canon 540EZ that I already have for use on my EOS A2. Again, manual adjustment of output is necessary because it does not support E-TTL, but it has more power and adjustability than the Sunpak.

I recently picked up the Sunpak EF-500 Super which claims to support E-TTL. There have been users that tried it with the D30 and have reported it to be a near clone of the 550EX - full E-TTL, wireless functionality, etc. plus the benefit of full manual control - all for the same price as the 420EX (which does not have manual control). My experience with it on the G1 is that direct flash will greatly over-expose the photo, but bounced shots are teriffic. I've kept it as I know I'll eventually have a Canon digital SLR.

Hope this helps,
Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Meant to say, no matter what you get you should look for a tilt & swivel head - a must for bouncing the flash. Do pay attention to Kevin Bjorke's recommendations, particularly about trigger voltage (the Sunpak 383 and EF-500 Super are both less than 6V). If you get anything other than a Canon -EX, be sure it has full manual control.

Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I have a few clarification questions. I am new to external flashes. So let me know if I understand this correctly.

The major disadvantage to non-CanonEx flashes is that they do not automatically adjust the flashes' output based on in-camera's settings(f-stop/shutter speed/flash exp. comp. etc...).

So when using alternatives, they will fire at "full power" unless they have manual settings. In these cases one can experiment with various strenghts in different settings (Outdoor day/night/indoor, etc...). Is this correct? If so, how big of a disadvantage is it to have to use these manual controls vs. the the 420Ex's auto adjustments. Is manual setting something that you can get pretty good at estimating with experience?

-Derek

Mark B. said:

Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Mark B. said:

I have used a Sunpak 383 w/o any problems, as long as you don't
mind experimenting with the manual output settings. But this is
the beauty of digital - you see your results immediately and adjust
accordingly. This flash can be had for under $100.

Click to expand...

1) I think any flash which is within the trigger voltage specs is probably fine. Incidentally, my Sunpak syncs fine at Tv 1/250 which is just fine with me because of its tremendous output in M mode.

Member said:

I've also used a Canon 540EZ that I already have for use on my EOS
A2. Again, manual adjustment of output is necessary because it
does not support E-TTL, but it has more power and adjustability
than the Sunpak.

I recently picked up the Sunpak EF-500 Super which claims to
support E-TTL. There have been users that tried it with the D30
and have reported it to be a near clone of the 550EX - full E-TTL,
wireless functionality, etc. plus the benefit of full manual
control - all for the same price as the 420EX (which does not have
manual control). My experience with it on the G1 is that direct
flash will greatly over-expose the photo, but bounced shots are
teriffic. I've kept it as I know I'll eventually have a Canon
digital SLR.

Click to expand...

2) Does your EF-500 actually function as an e-TTL? Some other people have posted that it, like the Metz function ok but aren't really e-TTL. Incidentally, my experience with the 420ex on the G1 is that it tends to overexpose with direct flash as opposed to bounce to a much greater degree than on my Canon SLR's.

Member said:

Hope this helps,
Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Get anything compatible with Kevin's recommendations, tilt & swivel head and emiautomatic, where you can preset the flash to some aperture setting. After some experiments you can use this aperture automatic, I have used Nikon SB-26, where it was possible to say to the flash, that I am using say aperture 4 / ASA 100 - G1 was usually set to 5.6 ... good results, better than 420EX, which I have now.
pka

Derek Sedillo said:

The major disadvantage to non-CanonEx flashes is that they do not
automatically adjust the flashes' output based on in-camera's
settings(f-stop/shutter speed/flash exp. comp. etc...).

So when using alternatives, they will fire at "full power" unless
they have manual settings. In these cases one can experiment with
various strenghts in different settings (Outdoor day/night/indoor,
etc...). Is this correct? If so, how big of a disadvantage is it
to have to use these manual controls vs. the the 420Ex's auto
adjustments. Is manual setting something that you can get pretty
good at estimating with experience?

-Derek

Mark B. said:

Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Derek Sedillo said:

Thanks for the tips. I have a few clarification questions. I am
new to external flashes. So let me know if I understand this
correctly.

The major disadvantage to non-CanonEx flashes is that they do not
automatically adjust the flashes' output based on in-camera's
settings(f-stop/shutter speed/flash exp. comp. etc...).

Click to expand...

1) The main advantage of the e-TTL system is that the camera and flash work in sync. to adjust the intensity/duration of the flash before the shot. E-TTL fires a preflash and "evaluates" the scene through the lens before the actual "exposure" takes place. In contrast, TTL just fires the flash and adjusts the output as the exposure is taking place. It essence, TTL is not quite as sophisticated as e-TTL. In theory the G1 should be able to operate in TTL mode but I cannot get Canon to verify this.

DerekSurfs said:

So when using alternatives, they will fire at "full power" unless
they have manual settings. In these cases one can experiment with
various strenghts in different settings (Outdoor day/night/indoor,
etc...). Is this correct? If so, how big of a disadvantage is it
to have to use these manual controls vs. the the 420Ex's auto
adjustments. Is manual setting something that you can get pretty
good at estimating with experience?

Click to expand...

2) Most other non-Canon flashes are simply TTL. Theoretically, they should function as TTL assuming they are made with the correct shoe for a Canon. In my case, I have an old Sunpak 344D TTL flash which was made for a Minolta. I covered up the pins except for the main one and the flash is unable to function as a TTL. There are really several options in this particular scenario. a) Run the flash in M mode; flash fires at full strength. b) Run the flash in A mode; the flash fires and modulates output based on an internal flash sensor (It assumes a certain F stop has been set). c) Swap out the shoe on the flash to a Canon version. Using this flash in M mode has been fine and once you get the hang of its output, you can adjust accordingly and get great results.

DerekSurfs said:

-Derek

Mark B. said:

Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

PKA,

If you got better results from the Nikon SB-26 than the 420EX, why did you get the 420EX? Was it the E-TTL feature? Were these superior results only in certain lighting conditions (indoor bounce,...) or was this across the board? Thanks for tips.

-Derek

pka said:

Derek Sedillo said:

The major disadvantage to non-CanonEx flashes is that they do not
automatically adjust the flashes' output based on in-camera's
settings(f-stop/shutter speed/flash exp. comp. etc...).

So when using alternatives, they will fire at "full power" unless
they have manual settings. In these cases one can experiment with
various strenghts in different settings (Outdoor day/night/indoor,
etc...). Is this correct? If so, how big of a disadvantage is it
to have to use these manual controls vs. the the 420Ex's auto
adjustments. Is manual setting something that you can get pretty
good at estimating with experience?

-Derek

Mark B. said:

Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Adam said:

2) Does your EF-500 actually function as an e-TTL? Some other
people have posted that it, like the Metz function ok but aren't
really e-TTL.

Click to expand...

Absolutely! It has an E-TTL mode, as well as TTL for backward compatability with film SLRs. I just put it in E-TTL and as long as I bounce the flash the exposures are great. I don't know of anyone else that has actually tested the EF-500 Super with the G1, so I can't comment. I have read user reports about the Metz not working.

Member said:

Incidentally, my experience with the 420ex on the G1
is that it tends to overexpose with direct flash as opposed to
bounce to a much greater degree than on my Canon SLR's.

Click to expand...

Then this supports how closely it resembles Canon EX flashes in operation. The nice thing is that I have full manual control as well - something I wouldn't get with the 420EX. Plus, it operates as a master for wireless E-TTL though I haven't tested it.

Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Thanks for the tips. I have a few clarification questions. I am
new to external flashes. So let me know if I understand this
correctly.

The major disadvantage to non-CanonEx flashes is that they do not
automatically adjust the flashes' output based on in-camera's
settings(f-stop/shutter speed/flash exp. comp. etc...).

Click to expand...

The Sigma EF-500 Super, as far as I can tell, is the only 3rd party flash that has E-TTL. I can tell you it does work, with the possible exception that when the head is not tilted or swivelled, i.e direct, it overexposes. But according to another post in this thread, the 420EX does this also. Bounced flash typically gives more even light distribution anyway.

DerekSurfs said:

So when using alternatives, they will fire at "full power" unless
they have manual settings. In these cases one can experiment with
various strenghts in different settings (Outdoor day/night/indoor,
etc...). Is this correct?

Click to expand...

Yes, that's right. As long as the flash has manual settings - usually expressed as a percentage of full power i.e. 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc. then you can experiment because you see the results immediately.

DerekSurfs said:

If so, how big of a disadvantage is it
to have to use these manual controls vs. the the 420Ex's auto
adjustments. Is manual setting something that you can get pretty
good at estimating with experience?

Click to expand...

That's why I shied away from the 420EX until I heard about the Sigma unit. I had been using my Sigma 383 and Canon 540EZ up until then. There may be times, especially when doing close-up work, that E-TTL would still overexpose in which case manual would be very useful. Also, I've found that the E-TTL pre-flash causes humans & animals alike to blink, even if it's bounced. Manual is great in this case, just one flash for the exposure.

Mark

Mark B. said:

The Sigma EF-500 Super, as far as I can tell, is the only 3rd party
flash that has E-TTL. I can tell you it does work, with the
possible exception that when the head is not tilted or swivelled,
i.e direct, it overexposes. But according to another post in this
thread, the 420EX does this also. Bounced flash typically gives
more even light distribution anyway.

Click to expand...

Mark, I saw your EF-500 sample of your cat in this thread:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&page=1&message=1382617

Wow, direct flash was really blown out! Have you experimented with flash exposure comp or anything else that might work in these cases? The 420Ex direct sample didn't look so bad.

Member said:

That's why I shied away from the 420EX until I heard about the
Sigma unit. I had been using my Sigma 383 and Canon 540EZ up until
then. There may be times, especially when doing close-up work,
that E-TTL would still overexpose in which case manual would be
very useful. Also, I've found that the E-TTL pre-flash causes
humans & animals alike to blink, even if it's bounced. Manual is
great in this case, just one flash for the exposure.

Click to expand...

So then If I purchased a used Sigma 383 or Canon 540EZ at a decent price I could get pretty good flash capabilities for my G1(Once I got familiar w/manual flash settings)?

Thanks,
-Derek

I looked at the samples too. The 420ex isn't that bad! It has a tendency to overexpose a little when used directly (as opposed to bounce) but I suspect that is due to the G1's (or any digicam's) requirements for an absolutely correct exposure (less lattitude as compared to film).

I would question whether the EF-500 in that case is really operating as an e-TTL as opposed to TTL. Let me explain. One of the limitations of TTL is manifested when shooting near subjects (as was the cat in that example). With TTL, if the flash to subject distance is small, the flash doesn't have time to reduce its output/duration. ALternatively, it could just be that the EF-500's output is just too great when used to shoot near subjects directly as opposed to bouncing.

I have to agree that having full manual control is a benefit and that is a good rationalization for buying a flash. I don't know the 383 or 540EZ well enough to comment, but as I said earlier, any quality flash which meets the trigger voltage specs. should suffice.

Derek Sedillo said:

Mark B. said:

The Sigma EF-500 Super, as far as I can tell, is the only 3rd party
flash that has E-TTL. I can tell you it does work, with the
possible exception that when the head is not tilted or swivelled,
i.e direct, it overexposes. But according to another post in this
thread, the 420EX does this also. Bounced flash typically gives
more even light distribution anyway.

Click to expand...

Mark, I saw your EF-500 sample of your cat in this thread:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&page=1&message=1382617

Wow, direct flash was really blown out! Have you experimented with
flash exposure comp or anything else that might work in these
cases? The 420Ex direct sample didn't look so bad.

DerekSurfs said:

That's why I shied away from the 420EX until I heard about the
Sigma unit. I had been using my Sigma 383 and Canon 540EZ up until
then. There may be times, especially when doing close-up work,
that E-TTL would still overexpose in which case manual would be
very useful. Also, I've found that the E-TTL pre-flash causes
humans & animals alike to blink, even if it's bounced. Manual is
great in this case, just one flash for the exposure.

Click to expand...

So then If I purchased a used Sigma 383 or Canon 540EZ at a decent
price I could get pretty good flash capabilities for my G1(Once I
got familiar w/manual flash settings)?

Thanks,
-Derek

Click to expand...

Dave,

Thanks for input. Yes I would like to see some samples of G1 pics using the Vivitar 283 if you wouldn't mind. How do you shoot these? At the same settings as the camera metering(F4 1/200 sec..)?

I did a little research on this flash and it appears to be an old standard workhorse at a good price that swear by. Is there any advantage/disadvantage with this unit over some of the other "TTL" models mentioned here in this post (ie- Sunpack, Nikon, Canon(non e-ttl), etc..)? I don't know if the G1 can really use utilize any TTL features or functionality anyway.

The reason I ask is that I am considering some these "TTL" models as well.

Thanks again,
-Derek

DaveCS said:

I'm a HUGE proponent of the Vivitar 283.
It's inexpensive ($150 CDN), versatile (works with my G1, Pentax SL
totally manual camera, Pentax MZ-5N and Pentax 645n) and powerful
enough to do the job.

One thing though.. DO NOT BUY USED... You're really taking a chance
if you buy used equipment and try to use it on your Canon digicam.
We know that the new equipment (i.e. a new vivitar 283) will work,
but the older used models DO have voltage issues that can fry your
cam.

If you need to see samples.. let me know.
Cheers,
Dave

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Derek Sedillo said:

Mark, I saw your EF-500 sample of your cat in this thread:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&page=1&message=1382617

Wow, direct flash was really blown out! Have you experimented with
flash exposure comp or anything else that might work in these
cases? The 420Ex direct sample didn't look so bad.

Click to expand...

I tried underexposing by 2 stops, but it didn't help much. Oddly, the bounced shots turn out pretty good. I know E-TTL is working because at full output, even bounced flash would be way overexposed. I know this because I've put the flash in manual and took shots with the flash at full power and bounced. Well, it works for me anyway.

DerekSurfs said:

DerekSurfs said:

That's why I shied away from the 420EX until I heard about the
Sigma unit. I had been using my Sigma 383 and Canon 540EZ up until
then. There may be times, especially when doing close-up work,
that E-TTL would still overexpose in which case manual would be
very useful. Also, I've found that the E-TTL pre-flash causes
humans & animals alike to blink, even if it's bounced. Manual is
great in this case, just one flash for the exposure.

Click to expand...

So then If I purchased a used Sigma 383 or Canon 540EZ at a decent
price I could get pretty good flash capabilities for my G1(Once I
got familiar w/manual flash settings)?

Click to expand...

Yup, worked for me. I don't know if I'd pay for the 540EZ if I didn't already have it - it's pretty big to use on the G1. You might want to find a local camera shop where you can try different flash units out.

Mark

Mark B. said:

I tried underexposing by 2 stops, but it didn't help much. Oddly,
the bounced shots turn out pretty good. I know E-TTL is working
because at full output, even bounced flash would be way
overexposed. I know this because I've put the flash in manual and
took shots with the flash at full power and bounced. Well, it
works for me anyway.

Click to expand...

Mark,

I really like the manual settings that the EF-500 offers. Once I have the extra cash, it will be a tough choice between the EF-500 and the 420Ex. I may prefer to give up direct flash (use bounce flash) for the extra manual capabilities.

The only time I would need to use direct flash would be in outdoor settings like in this case(w/Built-in flash):



Here is the same shot after much PS manipulation. I would like to get the correct fill flash from a tripod without so much PS work. Can the EF-500 do this kind of outdoor thing(without a third party standing over trying to bounce the flash off of something).



Thanks again,

Derek

Member said:

Member said:

Member said:

That's why I shied away from the 420EX until I heard about the
Sigma unit. I had been using my Sigma 383 and Canon 540EZ up until
then. There may be times, especially when doing close-up work,
that E-TTL would still overexpose in which case manual would be
very useful. Also, I've found that the E-TTL pre-flash causes
humans & animals alike to blink, even if it's bounced. Manual is
great in this case, just one flash for the exposure.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Mark B. said:

I recently picked up the Sunpak EF-500 Super which claims to

Click to expand...

Is that Sunpak or Sigma? I notice you said Sigma elsewhere in this thread.

Derek,

I use a Canon 380EX and get full TTL metering with my G1. The 380EX is a good bit cheaper than the 420EX and works very well.
Jim

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Adam said:

Mark B. said:

I have used a Sunpak 383 w/o any problems, as long as you don't
mind experimenting with the manual output settings. But this is
the beauty of digital - you see your results immediately and adjust
accordingly. This flash can be had for under $100.

Click to expand...

1) I think any flash which is within the trigger voltage specs is
probably fine. Incidentally, my Sunpak syncs fine at Tv 1/250 which
is just fine with me because of its tremendous output in M mode.

Member said:

I've also used a Canon 540EZ that I already have for use on my EOS
A2. Again, manual adjustment of output is necessary because it
does not support E-TTL, but it has more power and adjustability
than the Sunpak.

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Will any of these flashes work with the Pro90IS,will any othere flashes other than Caanon work on it with all the features

Member said:

Member said:

I recently picked up the Sunpak EF-500 Super which claims to
support E-TTL. There have been users that tried it with the D30
and have reported it to be a near clone of the 550EX - full E-TTL,
wireless functionality, etc. plus the benefit of full manual
control - all for the same price as the 420EX (which does not have
manual control). My experience with it on the G1 is that direct
flash will greatly over-expose the photo, but bounced shots are
teriffic. I've kept it as I know I'll eventually have a Canon
digital SLR.

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2) Does your EF-500 actually function as an e-TTL? Some other
people have posted that it, like the Metz function ok but aren't
really e-TTL. Incidentally, my experience with the 420ex on the G1
is that it tends to overexpose with direct flash as opposed to
bounce to a much greater degree than on my Canon SLR's.

Member said:

Hope this helps,
Mark

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

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Dave

Can you suggest some settings to get the flash to expose automatically and the G1 to get the aperture correct, I struggling to understand some of the tricks required

Thanks

DaveCS said:

I'm a HUGE proponent of the Vivitar 283.
It's inexpensive ($150 CDN), versatile (works with my G1, Pentax SL
totally manual camera, Pentax MZ-5N and Pentax 645n) and powerful
enough to do the job.

One thing though.. DO NOT BUY USED... You're really taking a chance
if you buy used equipment and try to use it on your Canon digicam.
We know that the new equipment (i.e. a new vivitar 283) will work,
but the older used models DO have voltage issues that can fry your
cam.

If you need to see samples.. let me know.
Cheers,
Dave

Derek Sedillo said:

Hello,

I have been reading a lot about the advantages to the 420Ex lately
(which sounds great). But for us folks tight on cash right now I
was wondering if anyone has had any success recently with other
more affordable units (Possibly non-canon).

Adam had eluded to to playing around with his old Sunpack flashes
in an earlier post. But does anyone use an alternative flash on a
regular basis with decent results (even w/out E-TTL).

I read http://www.botzilla.com/photo/G1strobe.html which talks
about the ability to use non-canon flashes, as long as the trigger
voltage is within a 6V range.

I am thinking of getting a used flash from one of the many camera
stores in my area or on ebay untill I can afford the "much
acclaimed" 420Ex.

Any tips, tricks or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Derek

Click to expand...

Click to expand...