550EX or 580EX

I currently have the 420EX and it works fine when combined with my

LSII. It's a new year, and time to spend more money, which one would

you recommend, and why ?

 

Thanks,

Tony.

Tony,

 

I was going to buy the 580EX but ended up with a Metz 54.

 

I have been a pro wedding photographer for over 20 years and a Canon shooter all the way starting with Canon F-1 and Vivitar 283 Flashes. The F-1 was a fully mechanical fully manual film camera. The 283 (still available new as of today) are "Auto" flash units. So you could set your aperture at say f8 on the lens and set your auto setting on the flash to match (f8). This set-up worked beautifully and more importantly (for weddings) it worked dependably. About 6 years ago I moved into an EOS-3 (35mm film) auto focus with Canon 430EX flash unit. This also was a great and dependable set-up.

 

In 2005 I switched to the 20D (8-megapixel Digital) camera. This is where I have had some issues that I see others have experienced. Let me say this is a great camera and works fine in most all modes with the exceptions that follow here.

 

The problem with I found (currently using a 20D)is that when the flash unit needs to be the main lighting for the subject. I tried using my existing 430EX flash units but they would underexpose the scene 90% to 95% of the time by 1 full stop. Canon says these should work fine on the 20D but I tried them on my two bodies, a friends 20D and one at the camera store (four different bodies in total) there was no success. So I looked at the top of the line 580EX and put it on the same four bodies and got the same 1 stop underexposure problem. I talked to the Canon rep and he was not aware of any issues, but they do exist as I have talked to other pros and checked out the foums. This problem is not exclusive to 20D bodies either.

 

Here is the thing I found after experimentation and hundreds of documented image tests. Shooting in any of the auto modes, P, Av or Tv you will get underexposed images IF your flash is the main light (very little ambient light). BUT if you raise the ambient light up or set you ASA up to say 1600 the flash works better. I tried flash exposure compensation (up to +2) but in the real world this is too unpredictable with lighting and subject variations.

 

My solution was to buy a Metz 54-mz4 that has an AUTO setting (like my old 283). So I shoot in Manual mode on my 20D and set it to f-5.6 or f8.0 and let the flash do its job. When the light changes to where I am in open shade or have enough ambient I can go into Program mode on the camera and e-TTL on the flash and it does a great job (like my old EOS-3).

 

I did call Metz service/technical and they are aware the Canon has purposely designed this underexposure into their units. Supposedly this is to avoid overexposure. Why this level of flash and camera is designed this way I don�t know. I can tell you that having to fix (Salvage is more like it) an entire wedding is a ton of work and never an ideal situation for digital.

 

Using a LSII will also help in this situation too.

 

So I hope that helps.

I can't wait to read the conflicting views on the underexposure issues ( and occasional overexposure issues regarding the 20D/580EX (or 550EX for that matter) combo. Most people, myself included, have learned to second guess the sensors when confronted with certain subject matter.. ie dark tuxes require backing off @ -1 to -1 1/2 FEC and white bridal dresses need 1 to 1/1/2 + FEC. (In P, AV, TV for sure)

But what really makes using ETTL on this 20D/580EX a chore is that in wedding photography your subject matter is very often a mix of blk tuxes and white dresses..(obviously)! Where that autofocus sensor picks up its info in a candid, spontaneous moment is unpredictable. I've gotten very good at second guessing it, but surprises do occur. Thank God for RAW and post processing. Since this issue is so commonly discussed here I'm at a loss as why Canon and others have not made technical adjustments and make this less of an issue.

Because digital offers so many creative possibilities and PS possibilities, I'm sold on Digital. But some help in this area would be appreciated from the engineers and techies.

Dennis

But Gary and Dennis--your posts don't answer Tony's question. He obviously feels that ETTL is working for him. There are a lot of previous posts about ETTL and how good or bad it is.

 

Of the two flashes asked about, I'd get the 580EX because the only the advantage of getting the 550EX is the cost. If that isn't an issue, there is no point. There are also lots of posts about this as well, so do a search and all the pros and cons will be laid out for you.

i vote the 580. its sleeker. lighter, recycles a tad faster. you can sell it fairly easy if you change your mind.

I could be mistaken, but my friend has both and I think the reason he likes the 580 better is because he shoots in manual and to change the flash frequency he has to press select , and on the 580 he can easily use the dial. Like I said I might be mistaken here...but I know he called said it was faster to dial rather then press.

I got a 580 and returned it as it was similar in exposure and power terms. Then I realized it has two thing unique to it that make it worth the purchase for me. 1. the single button swivel, and 2. the dial.

 

YMMV.

Tony, I bought a 550EX with my first 10D and was so unhappy with the combination that I went back to my Vivitar 285. When I upgraded to a 20D, I tried the 550 again. I can tell you from experience that the best way to improve the performance of a 550EX is to put a 20D under it! Even so, it leaves something to be desired.

 

I had planned to move up to a 580EX flash, but after much research on various forums decided to order a Metz 54 instead, for the reasons Gary articulated so well.

 

My second shooter has a very good eye and wonderful people skills, but is somewhat challenged by technical matters. I started her out with a 10D and Vivitar 283, taught her some simple settings and how to read the histogram, and she gets very consistent exposures. More consistent, actually, than I get with my do-fancy ETTL setup.

 

Not all progress is an improvement.

I say get the 580EX.

 

I only have 550s and a 420, but plan to upgrade to a 580 or two for the dial. I usually use FEC on the flash unit.

 

FEC on the 550 is a (bad word) when you use the 17mm wide panel and the LCD blinks and you can't tell what mode you're in or what setting you are trying to change!

I would buy the 580ex just for the quick dial, given that you need to make exposure adjusments quickly with digital, that dial is heaven sent.

 

The 580ex has a 3 second recycle time with NiMH's at full power, the 550ex is closer to 5 secs and as I found out tonight when shooting an entire event with a LS, you need even faster than that....

 

The single button for both tilt and swivel is somthing that I could not cope without, especially when using an LS.

I have both the 550ex and 580ex and generally prefer the 580ex. It's lighter, more

powerful, easier to use the dial, more compact, automatically recognizes and compensates

for 1.6x cameras and has the one button swivel.

(Gary -- the 430EX is brand new -- you meant the older 420EX right?) <p>

The 580EX blows away the 550EX in many ways. Faster recycling time. Better with cropped sensors and wide angles (less power waste), is much newer (550EX was replaced by the 580), and more (lighter, sleeker, more angles to swivel the flash head). It's only $400 for a 580 so why the hesitation? It's a no brainer.

Ken, I was guessing he meant the even older 430EZ, not the EX.

 

Another vote for the 580. I have a 420EX and a Sigma 500 EF DG Super. The 580 is by far the superior of these. I don't have direct experience with the 550 though. Advantages of the 580:

 

- One button tilt/swivel

- Faster recharge

- Smaller

- eTTL 2

- Built in bounce card

- Dial control

 

If you're looking for the best flash, go with the 580.

 

YMMV

To Ken - Actaully yes you are correct I did mean the 420EX. Thanks for catching that.

Here's a "silly" consideration that may be important for a wedding photographer, if you don't use a supplemental battery pack:

When changing the AA batteries, the 580EX can have all the batteries loaded in one "handful". I find the one-at-a-time loading of batteries in the 550ex somewhat annoying. In contrast, you can arrange all 4 batterries in your hand, and insert them in one motion. I suppose you could even make a "speed loader" similar to what pistol shooters use with revolvers in competition. I find the weight and cables of battery packs to be tiring in a long shoot, and I can almost always find breaks in the action in which to reload fresh batteries, but I want it to be very quick.

Greg, if you were to design a speed loader for the 580ex then I would be a very fast buyer, only problem is that unlike with a revolver, you don't let the used batteries just fall to the floor!

speed loader: I gave my dad this flash so I can't try it, but try this:

put the batteries in the correct configuration, and wrap the "outside" end with a strong wide short rubber band. Now you have a pack of 4 you can load in the dark. Include a paper loop over the outside end of the batteries so that they can't accidentally short, because they WILL if not protected. You could also merely cast the thing by taking some batteries, coating the end with vasaline, and putting them in a shot glass of "plastikote" which is available in hardware stores for adding plastic grips to hand tools. Patent pending... Or just send me $1 for each one you make.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Validation at last.

 

In January 2005 I purchased a 20d and a 580EX. It was my first digital camera and I had never owned a dedicated flash unit either. To improve the recylce time I purchased the external battery pack. For backup I bought a used 420ez or 430ez (don't remember for sure) to go on my Elan7e for the second wedding shooter. We shot our first weding the first week of March.

 

The digital files were ALL under exposed. That's when I took a crash course creating Photoshop actions to fix 700+ images. Since I was new to digital and my system was matched, I figured it was me. We were to shoot another wedding in April. I did some pretesting at home and it seemed OK. Uploaded the files afterward, and they were again enderexposed (icky green grainy shadows). More work in PS. I called CANON and they played dumb.

 

IN October, I finally got a break in my schedule where I could send the 580EX and the 20d in together. With them I sent a letter explaining some exposure tests I had done in manual mode using a Polaris flash meter (all shots dead on), in EETL mode with and without flash modifiers like the Sto-Fen. I left the flash card with these test images in the camera (with frame by frame explainations in the letter) so they could see them and have access to all the data (even some you I can not probably see). I asked them to please test the two as a system.

 

I got my flash and camera returned separately. They cleaned the sensor on the 20d, but otherwise all they said was that they both met spec. No reference to having tested them as a system. TWo weeks later I get an email asking about my experience with Canon service.

 

I explained all of the above and they agreed to have me send the unit back and they would retest them together. After reading these posts I think it would be a waste of time an shipping & insurance money.

 

I had searched in vain previously for under exposure issues, but I guess both items were still too new.

 

I jumped seriously into photography in 1999. The responses in the various Photo.net forums have been most helpful. They have always been very straight forward and candid whether about film, chemistry, equipment, etc. This is my first response. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank those that take the time to share their knowledge. And also to those that monitor and maintain these forums.

 

Best regards,

 

Don Nealious