Is it worth upgrading from the 550EX to the 580EX

[david enzel]

I just bought a Rebel XTi and love it. I already own a 550EX Speedlite and wonder what, if anything, I

would gain by upgrading to the 580EX.

 

Is ETTL-II significantly better?

 

Thanks for the help!

[pavel_olavich]

ETTL-II lives in the body, not the flash.

 

I prefer ETTL-II enabled bodies, but really you can get the same excellent results with the 550ex...the guide no, for the 580ex is a bit longer, uses distance data, and white balance info too...some think these features are gimmicks....I tend to as well....stay with the 550ex...a great flash.

[zacker]

or use both.. get a cheap stand and umbrella off ebay and have some really nice lighting! i use my canon 420EX on one stand and an old Nikon SB-25 on another, the Nikon is Manually set so I can pretty much match the canon.. works like a charm.. google Strobist for more info...

[david enzel]

Thanks Pavel. I will stick with what I have. The Rebel XTi is ETLL-II as I understand it. I don't

use a flash very often in any event.

[alan_myers]

Hi,

 

You know, I was wondering the same thing.

 

I've got three 550EX and they are reliable workhorses. But, hey, you can never have too much flash power and the 580EX puts out about 18% more (GN190 compared to GN160, I think).

 

It concerns me though, some reports I've heard of problems with the new flash. Perhaps these are just bugs with a new product (I don't know the details). I've used my current handful of 550EX for around 5 years without any problems (except for pilot-errors ;-).

 

From what I've read about it, ETTL-II is a camera-based function and is enabled on the 550EX (or any other EX-series flash, for that matter) just as much as on the 580EX, so the most significant difference I see so far is the higher GN.

 

Haven't compared recycle times, etc., closely. Some markeitng info 580EX states 6 sec. between full power pops, but has a rapid recycle that will do it in 3 sec. (don't know what the trade-off might be and if an external power pack, which I use, might boost these.)

 

I'll be interested to hear what others say about the 580EX.

 

Cheers!

 

Alan

[jun_w]

Did the upgrading a few months ago when I bought 5D. Well, 580EX has a more sexy and slim look and works impeccably well. Just a feeling, though, nothing concrete in terms of output to prove its superiority to 550EX. Well, there is one thing. It has a built-in white panel for creating catchlight, which is a highly welcome addition for portrait photography. If money is no object, just add the 580EX to your flash collection. You can't have too many flashes if you want to set up a mini-studio lighting system.

[robin_sibson1]

The 550EX was introduced in 1998 with the EOS-3, and accordingly pre-dates the general availability of DSLRs. As a result, it zooms only on the basis of FF coverage. With the more recent smaller-sensor DSLR bodies, the 580EX is smart enough to zoom in a way that depends on sensor size, so, roughly speaking, it will zoom to the FF 80mm position if used with a 50mm lens on a 1.6-factor camera. Early copies of the 580EX had a bug in the logic for doing this, but it is now fixed. This is probably one of the main reasons for preferring the 580EX for your Rebel XTi. The 580EX is also said to have a more intuitive user interface (wouldn't be hard - even the macro flashes manage that!) and a slightly neater design. As others have said, ETTL-II is a body capability available if you are using a lens that reports distance information, and does not depend on which flash you are using. You would probably need to be a pretty demanding single-flash user to need to replace a 550EX with a 580EX, but getting a 580EX and keeping the 550EX for use as a slave might be a worthwhile move.

[jeffrey_gruskin]

Is there any advantage of using the 580ex on the 30D as compared to the 20D?

[fourfa]

"I don't use a flash very often in any event."

 

"wonder what, if anything, I would gain by upgrading to the 580EX."

 

given the first sentence, nothing at all. it's a little smaller in the bag.

[david enzel]

Thanks for all the helpful responses! I will stick with what I have.

[jim_larson1]

There will be little difference between flash on a 30D vs 20D. Both cameras have similar (maybe identical) flash programs.

 

BTW: The Distance feedback component of the flash math is 100% in the camera body and lens. The flash unit is not involved in that part of the math.

 

The guide numbers of the two flash units are nearly the same.

 

The zoom for crop sensor size feature is real. But it only applies when you fire the flash straight forward. Generally, one wants to bounce off a ceiling with a diffuser-> in which case both flashes go to the widest setting.

 

Real advantages of the 580EX;

1) Looks cooler :) Easier to use controls

 

2) Recycle time (full power burst to full power burst) is much faster.

 

3) Support for all the XTi focus points (the 550EX only supports the three horizontal points)

 

BTW: all those advantages are present in the 430EX as well. (but the 430EX has about one stop (ie half) the power -> and does not have "master" mode for multiflash (only has slave mode))