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580EX

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Tony Brooks

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A couple of months ago I decided it was time to treat myself to a new flash. I have the 420EX which works quite well on the 30D, but addition of the 580 would vastly improve usability, especially for 2-flash setups.

Then, of course, came news of the new 580 MkII. I have been patiently waiting for it to hit stores (both bricks & mortar and websites) in vain.

Does anybody have any idea about availability? Anybody got one on back-order? I usually buy from B & H, but nothing there yet.
--
Regards,
Tony Brooks



'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched...but are felt in the heart.' - Helen Keller
 
Amazon.com is taking pre-orders @ $499 for shipment on May 10th.

I had the same question of whether to wait or not. But after looking at the II upgrades, considering that the weather sealing is designed to complement higher ended FF weather proofing and other features for the FF camera, I opted to go with the 580EX as more than adequate for my 20D.

I ordered mine today from B&H total cost $399 3-5 day shipping & taxes included with the discount code of psjan07100 entered in the search box.
 
ChuckN said:
Amazon.com is taking pre-orders @ $499 for shipment on May 10th.
...
I ordered mine today from B&H total cost $399 3-5 day shipping &
taxes included with the discount code of psjan07100 entered in the
search box.
Click to expand...
Hi Chuck,

Thanks for your input. I got a bit excited about that discount code, then I read your post properly!

My thinking is that the upgraded MkII may suit my needs better into the future. I don't mind the extra $100, but like anything else that I feel I need - I want it NOW!!
--
Regards,
Tony Brooks



'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched...but are felt in the heart.' - Helen Keller
 
Interesting. I ordered it from Amazon over a month ago, and though it was supposed to ship in early April, it has been pushed back to early May. I am surprised that B&H would be able to sell a new, high demand product for $100 less than Amazon, and I'll be interested to see how the delivered price from Amazon works out in the end. Either way, I am ready for UPS to deliver it right now!

--
Voyager
 
That was my immediate reacation!

Chuck bought the MkI

Regards,
Tony Brooks



'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched...but are felt in the heart.' - Helen Keller
 
The metal foot and improved battery door on the new MkII flash are the only two things you might want to wait and pay extra for.

The waterproof seals are only useful if you have a sealed body and lenes.

The PC connector would be useful if you plan to trigger the flash via a radio slave, but you can also make that connection using a $10 generic hot shoe extender.

The auto-sensor mode in the flash makes little sense to me, having used auto-thristor flashes for years. Just setting the camera flash metering C.FN to "average" will meter a scene the same way and auto mode doesn't work predictably with a flash off camera or in multiple flash configurations. It's a case of adding a feature which is redundant/unnecessary.

The upshot of all of this is that the 580ex will likely meet all your foreseeable needs...

See my EX flash tutorials at: http://super.nova.org/DPR/Canon/Links.html

CG
 
Hi Chuck,

Thanks for your help and advice. You're right about the minor upgrades. However, since it seems the Mk II is now only about 3-4 weeks away...

Thanks also for the link - I have read your tutorials with interest before and will revisit.

Regards,
Tony Brooks



'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched...but are felt in the heart.' - Helen Keller
 
I have never broken one, but the battery door on the old 580 is a pain in the rear. Also, the silent recharge, and 20% faster recycle time are very appealing to me, and worth the extra Dollars. Stll, the 'old' 580 has been a great flash for me, and at the closeout prices it is going for now, it's a bargain for anyone upgrading from a 4 series flash, or other brand.

Since it is already out of the catalog, I suspect that Canon stopped making them long before the new one was announced. Buy them while they are still in stock on the market, as most people who already own them will probably not sell them when they do buy the 580EX II. I'll keep my 580's for multi-flash lighting setups, and rely on the quicker cycling 580EX II when a flash bracket is called for.

--
Voyager
 
and even had my oportunity to use the 580ex Mk2 for 10-20 minutes.
I find it great, and worth waiting. And i am.

The Canon, Poland representative said it should hit the shelves somewhere between may and june, no precise date given.

He didn't even know the price for this piece of gear yet.

-------
voo
 
both

silence,
and
20% faster recharge

are noticable and nice, yet not that important (at least to me)

but i find the metal hot shoe, improved battery door and the QUICK RELEASE very very nice :)

------
voo
 
Voo said:
He didn't even know the price for this piece of gear yet.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'll hold out for those features too.

I'm expecting (hoping) for the Amazon price of US$500 to be the mark.
--
Regards,
Tony Brooks



'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched...but are felt in the heart.' - Helen Keller
 
B & H are now taking orders for the MkII, $499.99 (as I expected "$500 to be the mark".)

I just put my order in, now I wait. Patience was never my strong point.

Regards,
Tony Brooks



'The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched...but are felt in the heart.' - Helen Keller
 
Tony Brooks said:
B & H are now taking orders for the MkII, $499.99 (as I expected
"$500 to be the mark".)
Click to expand...
I'm really glad I bought the MkI at the price I did, especially after reading and learning of the wireless features for multiple flash set-ups.

When I'm ready for a second and third Speedlight, this MKI is going to fit in the system as a strong slave.
 
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