Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
by Canon
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CanonModel: 430 EX II
Color: Black
Product features:
- Superior Build Quality, Including A Metal Foot For Added Strength
- Approximately 20% Faster Recycling Time, Co MPared To Previous 430Ex
- 1-Touch Quick-Lock Mechanism For Easy Attaching/Detaching Flash From Camera
- Full Flash Control Possible On Camera Menu, With Co MPatible Eos Digital Slrs
- Virtually Silent Flash
- Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter for Canon 580EX II, 430EX, 430EX II Speedlites
- Targus TG-CH5000 AC/DC Rapid Charger with 4 - 2700 mAh AA Batteries
- Digipower DPS-5000 1 Hour AA/AAA Rechargeable Battery Kit with 4 AA 2700 mAh Batteries
- Gary Fong LS2C2 Lightsphere II Cloud Size 2 (Translucent)
- Gary Fong LS2P4 Lightsphere II Size 4 (Clear)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Customer Review: A great flash for Canon DSLR cameras
Summary: 5 Stars
I own this flash as well as it's bigger brother, the Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras. The two models are targeted at slightly different audiences and the biggest advantage of the 430 is the price. The 430 doesn't do everything the 580 can do, but unless you're a pro photographer or a very serious amateur, you probably wont miss those features.
First, why would you want an external dedicated flash when your camera may already have a built-in pop-up flash? If you've got a Canon "Rebel" series body, you'll notice you already have a flash. But check Canon's higher-end bodies and you'll notice that they do NOT have a pop-up flash. There's a good reason for that. Pop-up flashes are awful. They're low-budget, under-powered, and inflexible. Serious photographers wont use them (which is why they aren't included on Canon's higher-end bodies.) I've had non-photographer friends tell me that I'm being too fussy and casual camera users wouldn't be able to tell the difference -- so I give them a quick demo. Shoot a picture with the pop-up flash. Then connect the 430, point the head straight up to the (white) ceiling and re-shoot the same picture. Now compare the two photos and ask them if they can tell the difference. EVERYONE can tell the difference. The demo is so effective I usually get a jaw-dropping reaction from the friends who were completely unaware that flash photography could look so good. A powerful flash capable of bouncing the light off the ceiling will create a gorgeous and soft glow to on the subjects without harsh shadows. The straight-on pop-up flash will look like garbage in comparison. Also, the pop-up flash has a very poor effective range of about 10 feet (no kidding). You might get a few extra feet if you're really lucky but don't even think about shooting with a built-in flash from 20' away. Do this comparison yourself and you'll never use a built-in flash again unless you're absolutely desperate.
This flash is fairly powerful -- with a guide number of 43 (effective distance in meters at ISO 100 -- hence the model number is "430") which works out to 141 feet (the 580 has a guide number of 58 (meters at ISO 100) and the 270 has a guide number of ... you guessed it.) Cycle times are decent on the 430. In E-TTL modes it typically wont need full power and you can burst off a few rapid fire shots when necessary, but if you do need a full-power fire then the recycle time is about 6 seconds (not as fast as the 580, but then the 430 does cost quite a bit less.) Usually the recycling time is under 2 seconds. Battery life is very good (better than the 580) -- Canon claims 200-1400 shots (depending on power level). That's about double the battery life of the 580. Let's just say I've _never_ had the batteries run down down in a day of shooting -- even shooting weddings where I'm taking 300+ shots in an afternoon & evening. The flash does auto power-off when not used for a while to save on battery life. The same half-tap on the shutter button that wakes up the camera will also wake up the flash.
The head rotates 180 degrees left & right and also flips up 90 (the same as the 580). It has the same quick-release hot shoe as the 580. It has the same TTL, E-TTL, E-TTL II, & manual modes as the 580, offers high-speed flash sync mode, 2nd curtain firing mode (normally a flash fires as soon as the shutter opens, but in 2nd curtain mode it fires just before the shutter CLOSES -- which can create cool effects on long duration exposures), and flash exposure compensation +/- 3 stops -- just like the 580. But the 580 can also do flash exposure bracketing (which means it fire 3 shots each at different power levels) -- the 430 doesn't support that mode. It can also act as a wireless slave-flash in a multi-flash configuration (they communicate via infrared) BUT... it CANNOT act as the master unit in a multi-flash configuration (the 580 can). I do use this flash as a side-light "slave" with my 580 as the "master". When bouncing is impractical and you have to shoot straight-on, the 2nd flash helps fill and soften the harsh shadows that you'd have if you only use one flash (I mount the 2nd flash to a monopod and have an assistant hold it.)
The flash unit zooms from 24mm - 105mm in either manual or automatic modes (in automatic mode it matches the zoom on an attached EF or EF-S zoom lens (within the limits of travel -- it'll never go wider than 24mm or narrower than 105mm). It includes a wide-angle diffuser in the head which slides out and flips down. The 580 has the same wide-diffuser but ALSO has a flip-out bounce card... there is no bounce card on the 430 (lots of after-market bounce-card & diffuser devices are available -- as well as home-made methods (a rubber band holding on a 3x5 index card -- cheap, but effective.))
There are two red windows on the front. One is for IR communication with other flashes & flash controllers. The 2nd is the AF-assist beam. The 430 has a 9-point AF-assist beam (the 580 has 45). This allows the flash to auto-focus the camera in the dark (you'll see it fire the red focus beam) without using a modeling light or rapid-firing the flash.
The 430 also comes with a mini-stand and a case. The mini-stand has a standard tripod-thread socket on the base so it can be used to mount the flash to a light pole, mono-pod or tripod for remote use. Canon makes an optional off-camera hot-shoe cord which allows you to hold the flash higher, or off to a side, or mount to a flash bracket.
You'll probably want to buy a 3rd party diffuser / soft-box and bounce-card for best results.
The bottom line is that it enjoys most (but not all) of the benefits of the more expensive 580 but it costs about $170 less (based on list price.) It lacks flash exposure bracketing, cannot be used as a "master" unit in a multi-flash configuration (but can be used as a "slave" unit), it's not quite as powerful (how often do you need to shoot a subject that's more than 141' away?) and doesn't recycle quite as fast, and there is no option for an external battery pack. But these are features that probably only professionals or hard-core enthusiasts will miss. Unless you are a professional (or at least a very serious / advanced amateur) then you should probably very strongly consider the 430 as your primary flash.
My only "con" about this flash (and it's pretty minor) is that a few of the buttons on the back are a bit hard to press. I'd still buy this flash again in a heartbeat.
Description of Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Canon 2805B002 Speedlite 430Ex Ii FlashFlashes
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