Third Party Flash?!

[denny2020]

Anyone have a suggestion for a third party flash that has similar performance to the 430 and 580ex but with no wireless slave option (since want a cheaper priced flash) Thanks in advance

 

[Snapman]

--
David

Whether beginner or experienced, if you want something, then buy it!

 

[mfletch]

I'm not sure how cheap you are looking, but maybe the Sigma 500 DG ST. It is a powerful flash with E-TTL/II but no bells and whistles.

 

[brianjames]

other comparable flashes to canons without spending canon money?..im interested also...
--
Brian James

 

[eqphotography]

I vote sigma.....i love my sigma 500 Super DG! $229.99

 

[Paul Alters]

Great shots! Is the Sigma 100% ttl compatiable with the Canon or do you have to work the flash to get the correct exposure?

Pa

 

[eqphotography]

It's full ttl but the flash has built in flash exposure compensation for those situations where it's necessary.

 

[Xoned]

Ironic in that I was just surfing ebay and came in here and saw this post. Talk about inexpensive.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Alternative-Digital-Flash-For-Canon-Speedlite-580EX-New_W0QQitemZ7588887559QQcategoryZ107931QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Paul Alters]

The flash specs look good but I personally have never bought anything on Ebay. There are so many scams these days it has made me a not believe much. What happens to the price when you hit BUY NOW. Does the price go up to $325.00?

 

[Caoedhen]

Buy It Now shows the price to buy an item directly, without going through the bidding process. In this case, it would be $99.00. Since the opening bid is set at $95, it doesn't really matter. It is still a little less than the 580EX...

--
Crime Scene Photography

 

[BEvans]

The flash specs look good but I personally have never bought
anything on Ebay. There are so many scams these days it has made me
a not believe much. What happens to the price when you hit BUY NOW.
Does the price go up to $325.00?

Nope! The Buy It Now! price is just that. Many of the sellers on ebay now are just using ebay to provide themselves with an on-line place to sell. For this guy, and many others, the auction aspect is out the window. He just posts a price. You can try to bid under the buy it now price but in alll likelyhood, it also has a first bid or reserve at the buy it now price.

But, watch the shipping costs, some, not this guy, try to make up the difference with a high shipping cost. In this case, $10 for priority mail is not totally out of line.

There are many experts on shopping on ebay that can provide you with many protections. Most of which are common sense. Read their feedbacks and carefully read EXACTLY what they say you getting.

I've shopped there with individuals, not the on-line stores (yet). I picked up a Canon D60 and my lens with filters (77mm) for what I then considered to be very fair prices. That's where I sold my first digital. Just be careful and use common sense, it can be a great place to shop.

Bill in WV

 

[Paul Alters]

Unless I am missing something $95.00 is a whole lot less than the 580EX. I do get confused plenty but I thought the 580 was well over $400 dollars.

 

[denny2020]

Just looking for a flash with similar results to the 580 ex. I've borrowed my sister's 420 ex, and the results are amazing.

Features I'm looking for are:

TTL-II
swivel head (for bouncing flash off side walls)
angular head (for bouncing off ceiling)
autofocus (for low light to no light shots)

essentially everything except for the wireless option offered by the canon's

Anything cheaper would be good. Don't want to pay for a feature I wouldn't use.

Thanks in advance

 

[Paul Alters]

From your list of specification the Ebay flash could be your flash. $105.00 shipped. Looks like a powerful and mostly automatic flash and plenty affordable. Am considering it myself. I think I will do a little research to see what more I can find out about it.

 

[Xoned]

Would this be a decent flash that would fill the gap between the built-in flash and something like the 420ex?

 

[Xoned]

Thanks for the input. I don't do alot of flash photography, but would like something better than the built-in flash for those occassions. The price just might make it worth picking up.

Xoned

 

[Roonal]

Anyone have a suggestion for a third party flash ...

Promaster 7500dx - I've had mine for almost two months and like it very much.

E-TTL compatiple - fully dedicated
Guide No. of 138ft @ 105mm - only 3ft less than the 430ex @ 105mm
Tilt - 90 degrees up, 7 degrees down
Swivel - both left and right
Zoom Head - automatic, but does not compensate for crop factor of dslr
Focus Assist - center AF sensor only
Manual Power - 1/1 halved each step down to 1/64
Rear Curtain option - at flick of a switch

Promaster website:

http://www.promaster.com/products/products.asp?CatID=150&CatSM=&SubCatID=3&CatName=Electronic%20Flash&SubCatName=Digital%20TTL%20&sm=sm2_1503&dir=&page=PROD&product=7500DX

7500dx instruction manual:
http://www.promaster.com/support/books/Instructionmanuals/7500DX.pdf

OneCall.com has the Promaster 7500dx for $138, other places $199:
http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=28793

--
Good Day,
Roonal

 

[dvitous]

I think a thread was started... then mysteriously removed on this flash a week or so ago.

I always carried a decent-sized flash just in case, although I tend not to do alot of flash work. I too don't want to dump $250 into a flash that'll sit unused most of the time, but this one is cheap enough to bite on.

I'm just waiting for someone to say it's not complete junk!
--
Dan Vitous

 

[Alain D]

what about this one ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-E-TTL-FLASH-GOODALT-FOR-CANON-SPEEDLITE-420EX_W0QQitemZ7589210812QQcategoryZ107931QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

even cheaper at $89 and supposedly fully E-TLL compatible.

Anyone has this and it it fully compatible with the XT ? (meaning I can shoot and it will automatically adujust fo the distance I'm focusing on ?)

Ironic in that I was just surfing ebay and came in here and saw
this post. Talk about inexpensive.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Alternative-Digital-Flash-For-Canon-Speedlite-580EX-New_W0QQitemZ7588887559QQcategoryZ107931QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[santiago acebo]

If I were you, I wouldn't buy this flash.
I have one and....oh my God !!.

After taking one shoot, you need switch off and on again. Otherwise all the pictures appear too dark.
it seems it's NO COMPATIBLE with EOS Canon cameras (almost in my case..).

And if you try to return this flash from Spain... nightmare. So I've trough my money trough the window.
( I apologize for my english)