Customer Reviews

Sigma EF-530 DG Super Electronic Flash for Canon DSLR

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

 

 

Though the menu interface is not as nice as others, and the buttons look like they were taken from an 80's era toy, and the fact that the plastic feels cheaper than other brands this flash can hold its own against the best Canon can through at it. I had a 580ex I and while it was nice it weighed about twice as much as this 530 and did not put out a noticeable amount of power beyond this. I tested the flash on both at various f stops and power levels using full manual shutter/fstop/iso and flash power levels and found that for each fstop/power level combo I used for the 580 that the 530 provided just as much light output and my pictures were just as bright, with a slight difference at full power with f18 or higher where the 580 did push a tiny bit more light into my shots, but it is not enough matter in ANY of the other shots.

The recycle time is great on all but the 1/1 full power manual mode, where it is still better than a 580 or my 430 and heads and shoulders above a 550. It keeps up with me as well as the 580 does a stop down. It also outlasts a 580, which I always felt eats batteries more than uses them. The EF-530 seems to last about the same as a 430 somehow even though it puts out light like a 580. I am no electrical engineer but I am not sure how this is possible, but in my experience that is how it is.

It costs less than a 430, half of what a 580 runs you and does more than either one.

It does FP i.e. High Speed Sync with great results. It does second (rear) curtain sync, it can strobe based on a custom frequency you set up, so it can for instance pulse out a flash every second for 4 seconds or 5 per second for 1 second. This is cool for getting water drops, or bouncing balls, or any other moving object exposed multiple times in a single frame.

It can be a master flash, a slave flash, a non firing master, it has an optical trigger so it can be an optical slave. It works with all manor of remote triggers, albeit not as easily as a Canon does, you have to set the Sigma to the right mode first. It controls multiple slave groups via wireless, it works with ettl for automatic flash exposure, supports EV adjustments.

It does not have a sync port or pc port of any kind, it requires a hot shoe to fire or to be a remote wireless or optical slave. It pans and tilts though with 2 buttons like older flashes, not 1 button like the newer flashes do. That is more annoying than you might think.

The only real downside to this is how cheap it feels compared to the Canons, but with 2 Signas for the price of 1 580 and the fact that I have yet to actually break it in any way no matter how hard I have treated it I can honestly say that while it feels like it is of lesser quality it really isn't. Plus it is lighter than a 580, at least as light as a 430 give or take, so that may affect the feel of quality too.

I can honestly say that I would recommend this to anyone. In fact I do, to everyone who asks, because there is no good reason to pass this up. It does more, costs less, puts out roughly the same power, lasts longer, weighs less, looks good and works great. You won't regret it unless you are Brewster and need to spend your millions wastefully, at which point you would not care about reviews anyhow

I've had this flash for about 45 days, and finally put it through its paces yesterday when I took approximately 600 flash photos at a father/daughter dance. In a little over 90 minutes, the flash happily illuminated some 300 portrait shots using the flash and a MilaGrid BounceGrid II (BG-2) as a diffuser.

My sense is that the flash consistently took less than 2 seconds to recycle during this entire part of the shoot, and was often ready in a second or so (apparently it was not operating at close to its maximum power level). I could not bounce the flash due to the nature of ceiling, but the flash BounceGrid II combination produced very pleasing results.

I changed the four Ni-MH batteries at this point (and the camera battery), though the flash batteries were still going strong, and finished the next two hours of the shoot on the next set. In other words, I took another 300 plus images of activities on the dance floor and elsewhere around the event at distances from 3 to 50 or 60 feet.

I used a Sigma 17 to 70 lens, and frequently zoomed from one end of the range to the other. During these operations, the flash kept up nicely and adjusted its output as needed. The only weak shots were my fault, as I failed to realize on occasion that the camera had picked a different focal point than the one I intended.

The fit and finish of the flash is also excellent, and the BounceGrid Velcro attachment system seems quite adequate to the task, though in four or five years I may need to replace the Velcro!

Overall: highly recommended for those like me who can't afford to spend the extra to pick up one of the pricier Canon options.

I wanted to save money, so instead of Canon 580 I ordered 2x Sigma. First was not working, so I returned and Amazon flawlessly delivered replacement units. Replacement unit drain batteries when switched off, but again - discovered that after return window.

So ONE OF THREE WORKS and not as expected.Sigma EF-530 DG Super Electronic Flash for Canon DSLR

I did not have occasion to test it properly in time. When I did it now, I am so sorry I didn't do sooner..

1) tilting is locked by 2 buttons, which you are all the time confused which one you have to push to tilt, specially when you want to bounce in vertical position
2) you cannot setup 45 degree angle easily - stops are straight, 60, 75, 90 degrees
3) ETTL Master-Slave does not "copy" settings of the primary unit to slave, so when you zoom on master, slave remains in preset zoom
4) even though I according to manual switched master unit off to use it as controlling unit only, it still flashes

5) MOST IMPORTANT - when you use it with CANON Rebel T1i (500D), flash is not recognized in the camera menu, which means you CANNOT set 2nd curtain - something most of us use in night photography

The singular rating system on Amazon will be misleading...I'll caveat my 5 star rating with the statement that the 5 stars is based not only on the price/function, but also for the 'mainstream' user. This flash is for those looking to get strong power output at a decent price. That said, this flash is not nearly as good, and not even in the same league as the Canon 580EX series. I've shot Nikon and Canon for over 2 decades. I've had and used a lot of different brands of flashes, Nikon (which I think are the best flashes out there-and before everyone accuses me of being a Nikon lemming...I'm a Canon shooter), Canon, Sunpak, Sigma, and Quantum Qflash. Let me break this review into sections:

For the Pro shooter-This lacks a lot of features a pro would need. No external power option (quantum turbo battery), too few power level controls, no built in white card (Canon has one), and the wireless functions don't seem to work perfectly when pairing with Canon branded slave flashes. I would suggest this as a backup IF you cannot afford the Canon flashes and need a high GN ETTL flash. The IR lines given for help with dim light focusing is subpar to the Canon's by a long shot. Shoot in a dim room and the lenses 'hunt' more with the Sigmas than with the Canon flashes. There are other issues but I won't go into them because as you can above, those problems alone are deal killers for pro's.

For the Prosumer: The Sigma is a decent flash and will be good as backup flash but not as a primary IMO. There are some serious considerations that are quite negative if you are using this for gigs that you may get paid at or event gigs that require some flexbility in flash placement, light fall, etc... If you are an event shooter, this sigma does not like the lower voltage rechargeables as much as my Canon 580EX's did (Nikon's seem to get a lot more shots out of the batteries than my Canon, and Canon more than Sigma, so pack batteries accordingly). It would constantly refuse to recycle as quickly as the Canon with the same NiMH batteries (and I've tried Duracell, Eneloop, Tenergy, and Energizer NiMH batteries). Alkalines seem the only way to go here for this particular Sigma. I remember this being a slight issue with my older Sigma DG-500 series from a few years ago also. Functions are decent but one big hangup is that the bounce features of this camera on ETTL does NOT work that well. It constantly underexposes the picture. With the canon's, I never had that problem as the flash seemed to know it was on 'bounce' and would output accordingly. Another problem is the diffuser on the Sigma is decent but I did notice that with a true 'wide' lens like a 12mm the fall off is quite noticeable on the Sigma and not so much on the Canon. This is easily half the price of output comparable Canon 580 series flash so if you're on a budget and have to get two flashes, get two of these. My advice, is to shoot straight on and risk the harsh shadows (especially the portrait hold with battery grip), or get a flash rig that can keep the flash on top with either a flip or revolving set up (which adds to the weight considerably). You can control power output to some degree but not nearly as much control/ease as a Canon's rotating ring.

For the regular mom/pop user. This is the target group for this flash. This is an amazing flash for the $. Feed it alkalines which typically has lower self discharge than the rechargeables (except eneloop/some duracells) and the flash will always be ready to rock even after sitting in the bag for a season. The Guide Number (output) is very strong and you can buy two of these for the price of one Canon, and chances are most regular users will never need the other features that I've touched upon above. It has ETTL features that make it 'automatic' for all consumer/prosumerCanon digital SLR's.

[...] I could buy 3-4 of these for the price of one Canon. Bang for buck winner here...

I had expected big things from this unit (I like Sigma's equipment), but although it was effective in direct flash mode, as soon as I used with a diffuser or in bounce flash mode it just wasn't up to the job. I returned it to Amazon and bought the Canon 580EX-II instead and what a difference! The Sigma doesn't feel all that solid, especially when compared to the Canon unit, but it is after-all almost half the price of the Canon flash. I must compliment Amazon on their speedy return policy, my account was credited within the week. Bottom-line, a good-enough budget flash for its price, but if you need performance get the Canon unit.

Sigma 530 DG Supera Canon Version

Just started playing with it. The feature set seems similar to the 580II I borrowed from Best Buy for 48 Hours before returning it.

The Sigma is definitely lighter, well built, comes with a slip case, and stand. Out of the Box in ETLII mode and doing straight shots and Bounce lighting they both seem to work quite well. I might say non-scientifically the Sigma might be a smidge more accurate. But to be fair I did not test them Side by Side and was not able to use all the Same subject matter.

The Sigma makes a little more noise when zooming. I thought the Sigma display was a little easier to read and the controls button seemed better, more straightforward. I do miss that the Canon can be adjusted both horizontally and vertically with one control button verus the Sigma's two. I imagine that two buttons control button on the Sigma is little more durable. The Canon besides whether sealing (I do not need and can not use with my Rebel XT does) come with a nice retractable little Plastic bounce card (along side the 17mm adapter). It would have been nice if Sigma could have included both, the Sigma includes a similar 17mm retractable adapter.

It is hard to argue with the price though the Sigma is around $200 dollars cheaper. I still think the Metz duel head/+USB would have been nice to have, but again it was around $150 more then the Sigma.

I do wonder in retrospect whether a Flash like the Sigma 530, Canon 580II, or Metz 58 would have been sufficent also for use with a shoot through umbrella for small groups of family portraits. I started of my lighting with an Alienbee AB800 and Shoot through umbrella. My fellow posters seemed to feel a flash would be challenged, particularly in dark environments.

No matter now I have both. I supect I might have been happy enough with just a flash.

I previously owned the EF-500 DG ST, which is a basic no-frills flash. When I purchased the 7D, this flash would not cooperate with it, so I was on to looking for a new flash. I wanted a flash that was inexpensive, had dedicated capabilities and compatible with the 7D. This one fit the bill for me. One of the things I missed about the ST version of the EF-500 was the ability to use high-speed sync, and only 2 manual power levels. The EF-530 DG Super has all of the capabilities of the Canon 580EX at a much lower price.

Pros:

* Very capable flash. Can do anything the Canon flash can do (with a couple exceptions, more on that later)

* Usable in a variety of situations. Powerful enough to deal with taking macro shots (where effective f-stop is lost due to extension tubes, etc...). Ability to tilt and swivel, so it is capable of bouncing the flash

* Compatible with Canon's latest cameras. The flash I received is a later revision that had some firmware changes to make it compatible with the 7D and other recent Canon offerings.

* Variety of settings available, ability to perform high-speed sync.

* Can act as a master or slave to other Sigma flashes of the same model.

Cons:

* Does not allow full control of the flash settings through the camera. This may or may not be important to you, but can be a bit bothersome if you're used to using the camera's menu system to control the flash.

* The interface takes a bit of getting used to, and the manual isn't terribly helpful.

* High-speed sync tends to disable if the metered shutter speed is 1/250 or below. This can be a real annoyance, especially if you take a picture of a subject in a dimly lit situation, then move to taking a picture of the subject backlit and in need of fill light, or even an accidental half-press of the shutter button. Usually you won't notice until you look at the result on the back of your camera and realize the background is completely washed out due to the 1/250 restriction of the normal mode.

* Flash doesn't always fire right when it "wakes up" In certain situations, the flash has gone to sleep, and after composing my shot I press the shutter button only to discover the flash didn't fire. This is only a problem if the flash has gone to sleep after a couple minutes of non-use. The solution is to be aware of this, and give the shutter button a quick half-press to wake the flash first, then compose and take your shot.

* It is possible, when returning from a bounce position to a forward-facing position to miss the forward facing detent and have the flash not register the focal length. I've gotten in the habit of checking the LCD in the back for the blinking indicator, which indicates the flash isn't in a valid position.

Bottom line:

Despite the seemingly long list of cons, they are all rather minor annoyances. This is a very capable dedicated flash unit, and is a must for any enthusiast on a budget. I'd recommend this flash to anybody who wants a great flash for a Canon body without spending a ton of money on Canon's flagship flash. If you want a flash that will work perfectly with your Canon Body, I'd recommend you go with the 580EX II and skip this item.

I bought this flash for my Canon XS. It is the first external flash I have ever owned.The flash works great. It is easy to use and I have had no problems with it. I would recommend it to anyone who does not want to pay the money for the Canon flashes.

Used ot for about 3 months now and still getting used to the controls, have been using on manual most of the time and know it could do more but the instructions aren't the best and I need more experience with using flash and with metering. Will work off shoe as a slave to my built in flash.

i just started using this flash and so far am very pleased. i use it for fill flash when i have low light on bird photos.
i also use it as a general flash for indoor pics... like i said, i just scratched the surface on this flash i'm sure i'll like it more when i learn more about it. (its a shame sigma doesn't include a booklet in the package that has some of its salient features)