Customer Reviews

Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash for Canon EOS SLR Digital Cameras - Older Version

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is expensive, but worth it. When I bought my 300D in October of 2003 I got the 420EX flash with it. When I upgraded to the 20D I also upgraded my flash to the 580EX. The difference between them is astounding. The 420 did basically nothing. Well, it flashed, but that is it. The 580 has a stobe setting! I can set my camera for a 10 second exposure and tell the flash to operate at 1/10 power and 1hz to get stop motion pictures!

It seems to have a rocket-fast recycle time, even with the partially used batteries I stuck in it out of my 420. I accidentally had my 20D in continuous mode with the flash on, and accidentally took four flash photographs in less than a second (the flash didn't fire on the fifth photograph). Once my battery pack arrives I should be extra-dangerous.

The 580 is a master flash, so I was able to wirelessly control my old 420 flash and have them both go off at the same time.

The flash is complicated. The manual on the flash is 172 pages long (admittedly in 3 languages, however). The manual for the 20D is 168 pages long (in only one language).

As for effectiveness, the 580EX and 20D combination far outshines the 420EX on the 300D. I haven't tried the 420EX on the 20D yet, but it is only E-TTL and not E-TTL2 like the 580EX. My pictures come out much better with the 580. The old 300/420 used to blow out the highlights all the time. I've only taken a few flash photos with the 580, but it seems to meter tremendously better.

If it doesn't meter right, you can manually set the flash, or use flash exposure compensation, to get the exposure you want.

I'm sure tihs flash does more, but I've barely had time to play with it, so I've reachde the end of what I can write authoritatively about.

Disappointed with large room/high ceiling picture results with my Canon 420EX speedlight (see my review) mounted on my Canon dRebel - sent me shopping about 6 months ago for more light (you can never have enough light). My E-TTL flash metering with the 420EX also proved uneven - with sometimes unexpected over exposures and blown highlights. A solution for both was found!

The 580EX appears to get me an additional TWO F-Stops and much better metering (E-TTL2) on my new Canon D20. Less time in Photoshop with better exposures, fewer blown highlights and the fantastic multi-shot strobe function are paying dividends with every indoor photoshoot I cover. It is worth the price for people who use the camera for a living - or are serious "pro-sumer" phototographers.

I've since purchased a Canon D20 camera - paired it with my 580EX and am EXTREMELY happy with the result. The two items are made for each other. As happy as I am with my 300D (dRebel) and overall happy with my 420EX (see my review) the 580EX has allowed me to take my photography to the next level.

I carry 3 sets (4AA) of 2500 amp/hr Ni-Mh rechargables good for over 100-150 (or more) shots per battery charge. I "fast recharge" two sets while using the other. I'm investigating a battery pack - but have not yet justified the expense - as the Ni-Mn rechargable prices continue to tumble.

Using my dRebel, I shoot portraits with a battery grip from Canon (BGE1-see my review) and a speedlight flip bracket from Stroboframe (see review) and the Canon hotshoe off camera shoe cord (see my review). The lighter weight of the 580EX than the older 550EX which I nixed - allows me longer shoots with less hand fatigue and better camera balance. Be aware it is still larger and heavier than the smaller 420EX and is not for everyone.

The 580EX is a Canon "Master" speedlight - allowing my 420EX life extension as a very dependable "slave" unit with very positive results on my portrait and event work.

Is it worth the price?

Yes - if:

1. You can never have enough light
2. You are a professional or serious hobbyist
3. Are having metering problems with E-TTL metered speedlights
4. Need a "Master" speedlight to power a "slave" unit
5. It doesn't break your bank

No - if:

1. You are a casual photographer (420EX should work fine)
2. You are on a budget (420EX should work mostly fine)
3. Don't need the performance and features (which are twice the cost of the 420EX).

Canon products are well made, well engineered, dependable and fairly priced. All my major purchases of cameras, lenses, speedlights and printers have all been good performers over time.

With that said, the battery door gives me the same occasional latching problem that my 420EX exhibits (rolling batteries around on the floor in front of a client is NOT a pretty sight -- I know - I shouldn't be in such a hurry...

The Canon 580EX: for the discriminating and serious photographer. More than just an expensive toy - but still not for everyone!

Expensive, yes.... But worth every cent...

Here is what i liked about it so far....

The PRO's:
1. It is fast !! It may give you 5-6 pics in a row without halting and "asking for a little bit of time to rest" ;)
2. The Manual settings, if you like to use it... you will love it...
3. Nice Battery usage (I am using Sony Recharg. 2300mh and 2800mh) and it takes quite a lot of photos... Just about what the manual says...
100-300, depending on how much light power you will be demanding from it...
4. I am still about to find more good stuff about it... As for the size... As for the catchligt...

The CONS:
1. It's Expensive.... A Big Drawback for some..
2. The Battery door compartment, could be better on a piece of equipment like this...

Like said before... It is what you pay for....
The best on it's category... (this go for all Canon Lover's)

;)

Absolutely the best flash out there!! It will tell you the distance at which your shooting by communicating with the lens and add more or less power output to adjust. It will light up any subject and give you exellent exposure!! You can also adjust the flash exposure yourself on the flash. I can go on and on about this flash, but I'll stop here. I would HIGHLY recommend this flash to serious photographers or beginners alike. You won't be sorry!!

I first had an original rebel 300D and a 380EX flash, decent entry level camera, flash was too slow, upgraded to 550EX, better but still not really able to handle fast continuous action. When I finally broke down and went up to a 20D I decided that eventually I may want to do multiple flash stuff so I bought a 580EX. The 580 has a better control layout than the 550 and bracket flash exposure but is really only marginally faster on the recharge than the 550 (both the 550 and 580 can handle an external high voltage battery pack such as the sunpak tr-2000 or one of the really expensive quantum packs).

What I don't think anyone else pointed out about this flash is that when mated to a Canon EOS body the EOS uses the flash's infrared system to assist in low light focusing. Normally a Rebel or a 20D with a built in flash in low light needs to strobe the subject so the camera has enough light to focus, no more of that using this baby----the infrared emitter on the flash takes the place of the strobing, a big plus if you're trying to catch a flash shot of an easily frightened subject like a baby or animal life.

I've had my 580 for over a year, take tons of karate pictures. I tend to shoot at iso3200 in shutter priority mode at 1/125 second, when shooting at 5 fps using canon's cp-e3 battery unit (8 AA nimh batteries) it keeps up pretty well, just bought a TR-2000 from sunpak I hope it'll do better than the AA pack. It's a great unit but ungodly expensive, you can do better with a sunpak unit but if you want all the wireless stuff and full interoperability with the Canon cameras this or the 550EX are the only way to go.

If you're poor go for the 550EX there's not much difference

If you want the flash bracketing modes, easier controls, and slightly faster recharge times then invest in the 580

I've been using this flash for about 6 months and it is excellent. It combines beautifully with my 20d. Photos come out very well exposed. It can be used as the primary light source or as a fill flash in the program modes on the camera. It's really intuitive, and even though it has many manual adjustments available, even a beginner like me can really find the "sweet spot" for a well exposed shot.

In my opinion, the best feature about the flash is the ability to bounce it in a large variety of directions. Because the flash is so powerfull, you can even bounce it off walls that are 15 - 20 feet away and get really good results. I use it with an Omnibounce filter which I believe takes the harshness away. The results can be really close to what you would expect from natural lighting.

At one point I tried to see how it would work in continuous shooting mode. I was able to take 29 flash shots in under 6 seconds. My camera got hung up before the flash did.

It's a great flash to buy if you want to use it as a master with some less expensive secondary flashes. It provides a reasonably inexpensive avenue to some fairly flexible lighting.

My only complaint with the flash is that it is not always recognized by the camera. I have tried to clean all the contacts but the problem has not gone away. Sometimes I need to try "jiggling" it before it interfaces with the 20d. However once it locks in, it stays locked in. This has not been a major problem for me - you can tell if the camera recognizes the flash by the sound the flash makes. However, if I were using it professionally I don't think this would be acceptable. I still gave it 5 stars because I'm not sure whether the problem is the result of the flash or the camera.

I owned the previous model, 550EX, and find the 580EX to be a worthy upgrade. It is less bulky, easier to change settings, and provide white balance information to digital cameras. I would highly recommend it to other Canon EOS users.

After buying a Canon Rebel Xt and 28-200 mm lens I quickly discovered that the Canon Rebel EOs Xt's built in flash was really good for close up photography and evenn more quickly learned that fast recycling and photography where the subject isn't very close reuires an external flash. I have a seagate 8GB photo flash (type 2) card and the flash (with fresh batteries) out flashes the writing capaibility of the Seagate 8GB Card. I took 12 shots (3 s.p.s. for 4 seconds) and the flash fired every time. I think it could have done more if the Seagate write speed would have been better than it currently is. The flash is easy to set-up and use for beginners and the advanced features are easy to figure out and set up using the included manual. Well worth the extra cost, as compared to other compatible flashes. Pictures turn out really good, i am very impressed. I haven't had any problems, to date and i am really happy with my purchase and glad i invested the extra money to get the 580ex instead of the 550ex.

Sad as it is to say, I'm a techno geek who obviously lost touch with photo technology. Although I joined the digital photography pack far ahead of most, I didn't go all out until recently and purchased a Canon EOS 20D. It became the Chinese proverbial "Ivory Chopstick". I therefore began spending money wantonly to make this camera capable of doing what I was capable of doing (accessory-wise) with my old Canon AE-1 and Pentax ME Super. Knowing I was headed for a trip to Japan and would be photographing festivals (especially participants) at night I decided to purchase a "real" flash rather than use the built-in due to power concerns.

After toying with the 420EX as an option I still decided to purchase the 580EX and not be "sorry" later on. When the flash arrived and I began to play around with it, I noticed a grin on my face over and over, in fact I think I was embarrassing myself by, even in my own mind, looking like the "village idiot" sitting alone in my study.

I had expected this flash to be a power boost with some capabilities I would never use...still may be true...but I was indeed surprised at its capabilities. The last flash I purchased was a National that I picked up in Japan about 20 years ago. It was a great flash, macro sensor, power, etc.

Even though I am familiar with, and even drive, computer technology, I had obviously dropped off the edge of the world on the photo technology side.

I am amazed at the ability to so cleanly take a picture with *this* flash on the camera and not need to adjust anything on either the camera or flash. In E-TTL mode the flash emits any one of three lined patterns (I call them vertical lines, super tic-tac-toe, and Excel spreadsheet) that makes focusing a breeze. In a completely dark room I can point my camera, with this flash attached, at any location, using any of the focus points, and press the shutter release. I get a beautifully lighted picture that is not washed out and is perfectly focused.

This just means I now want to buy the ST-E2 and a couple of additional 420EX's to make a complete system that would be easier to manage than my monolights.

Very cool!

I've owned this flash for a year now (using it with my 20D, 50E and 1V) and it still amazes me with its range and predictability.

I would take a pinch of salt when considering the comments about the battery door above - the door is deliberately designed this way (and it's the same on most of Canon's flash units) to stop the batteries from falling out all over the place on a gig. Professionals have been using this design for a long time, and I haven't heard of any complaining that they broke the door yet...