Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras
Customer Review: All I can say is, "Wow"
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a rebel XT and three non-L lenses, the 75-300, 50 1.8, and the 17-85 IS. I have read all over that a good flash is better than any two or three lenses. I now see what they mean. I was always "happy" not "ecstatic" with the pictures I had taken in the past. (Close to 30,000 on this body BTW) I always shied away from using the on board flash because it is so AWFUL when it comes to quality. This lead me to using the larger apertures on the lenses I have, and the higher ISO settings to get the exposure I want. Well, lenses aren't at their sharpest when full open. Enter 580EXII. Set it on manual exposure, dial in 100 ISO, 1/100 f8 and shoot away. This gets the lenses comfortably into the middle of their aperture range for their peak sharpness. This also gets you to your lower ISO ranges where the (Already Low) sensor noise is minimized. It is a thing of beauty. I took it on out first Disney cruise, and in a variety of conditions it excelled. I can almost believe there is a little professional photographer inside there making sure my exposure is correct every time. The bounce flash works like a charm. Any time there is a ceiling within 12 feet or so, it will work beautifully. Only issue I have seen is bizarrely decorated ceilings with lots of wood and figuring (think Disney ship level of decorations) or blacked out ceilings. These both can cut the reflection level to a point of uselessness. The bounce reflector does a good job of setting up a catch light. I am thoroughly amazed by the small nuclear detonation that this flash puts out with a +3 flash exposure set. I have no doubt to its power claims. the focusing aid is almost worth the price alone. I can take a picture in thee FULL dark, with no epileptic flashing from the on-board flash, with instant focusing lock and perfect exposure. Incredible. I have not had a chance to use any of the advanced stuff like the wireless, external battery supply, or PC cord.
Problems:
First one isn't really a problem, it is a big flash. You knew that going into this, but there is no denying that it is a big flash. If you are used to holding the camera by the zoom/focus ring on your lens while carrying, it is going to flop around from the weight of the flash.
Does not degrade well when the batteries get low. It has no visible battery meter either. It just starts behaving erratically. Not flashing, not going into ETTL mode. It would be nice if it just shut off, or flashed the word "battery" or something on the LCD
If you plan to use the custom functions, you better have the manual handy because they are labeled "Custom Function 5" and that is all the help you get on what it does.
Overall, I LOVE this flash.
Update: 8/31/2010
Guess what? This flash is not gravity proof! While at a photo shoot, a rogue gust of wind tipped the light stand and umbrella with flash over onto concrete. No flashie anymore. I opened it up to see what had happened. The bulb had snapped in half. I think to myself, buy new bulb, internet is a big place.... Alas, no. The 580EXii does not have a replaceable bulb, it is soldered in place, and not for sale. Ahh well, a $120 trip back to canon resolved the issue. I must say they were very fast about it.
I still LOVE the flash. I have had the occasion to use its wireless functionality with other canon 580EXii's and it works pretty well.. Full ETTL control. You have to be a little careful about getting them to see each other, and the range is only 30 feet or so out in the sun. Its a LOT cheaper than a whole set of pocket wizards, and more reliable than "pocket change wizards" (ebay wireless triggers)
RAD
Customer Review: A great professional level flash
Summary: 5 Stars
As an amatuer with only a 350D I was in two minds whether or not to go for the 580ExII when i could easily have gone for the cheaper 420Ex/430Ex / 550Ex / 580Ex. In the end I decided to future proof and just go with the 580 ExII, I may upgrade my camera body in a number of years, at least I will still be able to use this and all the lenses I have collected so far.
The Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash contains a superset of the features found in the Canon Speedlite 550EX E-TTL Flash in a smaller, lighter and more modern designed housing, although it is still way bigger than the 430Ex. So big it is the biggest peice of equipment in my camera bag! (apart from the tripod of course). Mount this with a 70-300mm tele photo lens and you've got a real workout ahead of you!
It takes 4 normal AA batteries and the flash is on nearly instantly. Recycle time is extremly fast - it was amongst one of the main swinging points for choosing this over the earlier models. I was a bit disspointed with 1700mAh rechargeable batterries although normal alkaline batteries gave me much more flash usage. I might have to try higher value rechargeable batteries like the 2500/2700mAh.
Immediately above the diffuser panel is a white, semi-rigid piece of white plastic (a catchlight reflector) that pulls straight out to create a catchlight in your subject's eyes when using the flash in a vertical bounce position. I never really thought bounce shots would make that much of a difference but boy was I wrong. You get a much better natural light in the shot.
A single button releases both the tilt and rotate locks while a single grip/button press allows the flash head to be rotated and tilted at the same time. Rotation is up to 180 degrees in both directions. I found the tilt very easy to use, even one handed.
One of the other things I liked about this flash is the AF Assist Beam to enhance autofocus in low light conditions, which aligns its beam to the Canons camera focal point and projects itself as a red ir patch on the subject. The white balance is also comunicated directly to the camera too.
Another good point is this flash can be a wireless E-TTL master or a slave when paired up with other speedlites. At the moment I only have one flash, but it means I can opt for the cheaper wireless 430Ex or similar at a much later date when I want to upgrade my setup to include more than one flash, and use the 580 Ex to fire off the slaves automatically.
The hi speed synch, allows the camera to go all the way to 1/4000 second (took me a while to realise I had to set the hi speed synch on the flash, otherwise the fastest shutter speed you'll get is only 1/200 second), although this is at the cost of range / power.
Flash power is great, and I got some really cool pictures using the second curtain sync, although it was more by fluke than anything else! Build quality is super, and both battery door and hot shoe lock can be easily operated with only one hand.
Bottom Line: An excellent flash, may be a bit confusing at first if your a novice/amatuer as I am, but also a bit on the expensive side compared to the 3rd party flashes available for canon. I also found the amazon prices to be very steep - I found this flash a lot cheaper searching around, maybe I bought a grey import, but I've read the imports work just as well as the official ones (as long as you go through reputable sellers) , and so far everyhting works well. On hindsight this flash is probably overkill for the casual photographer - but then this will make sure you experiment more to get the best out of this professional flash!
Customer Review: Steep Learning Curve
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased a 5D w/24-105 IS L-series lens in December. I decided to get the Canon because I have an older Elan (film) camera and several EF lenses. Then, I decided I would need a flash, which the 5D does not have. Before I could order the 580 EX, I got wind of the upgraded 580 EX II and decided to wait. And wait I did. Finally, as I was cruising the Net for any dealer with one in stock, I stumbled across one at B&H. I called them and they confirmed availability and shipped one immediately. I've had it for about two weeks, now.
The construction is pretty solid, but the slide out wide angle lens and the catch light reflector will require special care. The catch light feature really works when you bounce flash and the unit puts out enough light that bounce will work in places where lessor units would not. The swivel head makes bounce a really viable option because it not only tilts but swivels. Once you see how natural portraits look with the bounce, I doubt you'll use direct flash again.
In the future, I plan to add at least 2 slave flash units to this primary unit, which is another reason I chose the 580. I am used to lighting for video and film, so consider key, fill and backlight absolutely necessary for professional results. I'd like to add background lights as well and the 580 should make that easy to do.
Incidentally, the 580's modeling light works just fine and is bright enough to be seriously useful only it makes me nervous because I wonder if it can be easily over-used, possibly damaging the unit. I need to check on that.
The fact is, I have just scratched the surface of the capabilities of the 580 and therein lies both it's beauty and it's drawback. It simply is capable of doing so many things (like the 5D), that a user will have to spend a lot of time reading and experimenting. Also, I fear that if the camera and flash are not used a lot, that users will forget how to use even the simple functions.
Frankly, unless you plan to use the unit frequently and for generally professional work, you may not need this much technology. A simpler camera with built-in flash may be a better choice for the more "casual" user. Also, when combined with the 5D full frame sensor body (read heavy), and the relatively large IS L-series zoom lens, the flash adds a lot of weight to an already heavy package. I was really surprised at how much lighter my friend's new D20 was when he came to visit this weekend, even wih a zoom lens attached. I will have to comment, however, that after shooting at a car show burnout event, that people move out of the way for you, because the package won't be mistaken for "amateur". Sometimes that's handy!
So far, the unit has performed flawlessy, however, I've discovered that once "manual" zoom has been selected, it is not easy to get it back in "automatic" mode again. The owner's manual does not explain how to accomplish this, saying only that the unit will go into auto zoom mode if it is used on a compatible camera. There may be some easy way to do that, but I had to temporarily remove the batteries to get the unit to return to default mode (and auto zoom). After about 3 hours of no success trying to figure out the right combination of button pushing to get it to do so with no luck, I was about to assume that the unit was not functioning properly, but as with much of today's technology it was...USER ERROR!
Customer Review: What an upgrade! (coming from the 420EX)
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded from a 420EX to this 580EX II. I got it just in time for a wedding photo shoot, and I must say I was NOT disappointed.
First, its battery life is outstanding. I shot shot more than 650 photos with the flash, most of them bouncing off the tall ceiling, with only ONE set of 4 AA batteries.
Compared to the 420EX, the advantages are huge. The recycling time is amazingly fast. It reminded me of the time the shutted lag difference I noticed when I switched from a compact digital camera to a digital SLR! You can even burst the flash for half a dozen of exposures (bounced off ceiling!) in 2 seconds (interesting for the garter throw!), to match the speed of the Canon 20D or 30D.
The quality of the TTL exposures is also singificantly better than what I would get with the 420EX. 95% of my shots were spot on, using full TTL mode. It is consistently excellent.
The fact that you only need to press one button to move the head of the flash in all directions was what sold me on the 580. What a pleasure to be able to switch from landscape to portrait and still be able to bounce the flash! This simple operation took 3+ seconds on the 420, and only 1 second on this one, which is the difference between getting the shot or missing it (or just giving up trying to get a vertical shot with the flash). The light reflector is also a nice feature, to get a catchlight in your subjects' eyes. However, it won't work if you shoot in portrait mode (will reflect off to the right side).
But the ONE feature that is worth the upgrade alone is the hot shoes quick release mount. Just slide the lever to the right, it clips right into position and is securely mounted on the hot shoe. It is of course just as easy to unmount the flash.
One other very nice feature is the direct access to "second curtain flash", simply by pressing a button on the flash. No need to go wandering into the Cn functions of the camera body!
On the down side, the flash is a lot bigger and bulkier than the 420EX, although not that much heavier. It is a little more difficult to fit it in my camera bag now. It is longer, wider and deeper. The only way to really be able to tell is to have it in your hands. Comparative photos won't really do a good job at showing the difference in size. That said, I had it mounted on my camera the whole day, for more than 8 hours, and it never bothered me.
I haven't even scratched the surface of everything that this flash can do, manual mode, etc, since I got it 2 days before the wedding and didn't have time to explore its features. I can't compare it to the 580EX mark I either, since I am coming from the 420. But if you're in the market to upgrade your flash, don't look twice, and get the mark II right away.
To sum things up, I would say that this flash is worth every penny, and well worth the price premium compared to the 420EX. It beats it hands down in every single category, has an outstanding battery life, and is completely silent (I forgot to mention that). I am not a professional, just an enthusiast, but I can definitely justify its cost, at my level. In other words, you don't need to pair it to a 5D or a 1D Mark III to notice how much better than the 420EX it performs.
Customer Review: Powerful, but you better read the instruction manual
Summary: 5 Stars
Very powerful. Possibly the best flash I ever owned, but you better read the instruction manual carefully. This is not a flash that you can just guess. I been experimenting for a week I am possibly 50% into it (not sure). I use it on top of my EOS5D mounted on a BG-E4 battery grip, with a EF 24-105 mm EF f/4 L IS. This whole setup is heavier than a cow, but I like it heavy.
For starters, I got my 580EX II stacked on the master flash for a multi-flash setup setting. It took me two days to get it back to a single flash shooting mode. Evidently, it would take only 10-15 minutes if you know what you are doing and you know what to look for.
Second, I got the mounting lock swivel in the stuck position. I think I waited until the next morning to figure out how to release the flash from the camera. At night time, under low light conditions you will never see the extra release buttom.
Third, all automatic modes work just fine if you like to be in the hands of somebody else making decisions for you. Not my style. When the flash is set in the ETTL mode with the camera set in auto or P, it gives me too low of a shutter speed, 1/60 sec, and the minimum f value, f/4.0. In my view, these setting are useless. My preferred mode is ETTL in the flash, and camera set to manual mode at 1/125 sec at f/8 or higher. Now you are really in control to get a good image. You can now also play with flash exposure compensation, and I think you will be much happier. I do not care about discharging the batteries faster. I only care about getting the best image I can get.
In general, setting the flash to ETTL and controlling everything else from the EOS5D gives me the best results. I am glad my camera allows me to do that. And, I love the full frame capability I get with the 5D, I don't have to guess what is the real focal length at which I am shooting. It is my strong belief, all cameras should be full frame. I do not believe the cameras should become any heavier because of that. If any, the weight increase should be in the order of a few grams max.
All automatic modes would be pretty good for outdoors fill in flash photography, something that I have not tried yet.
Fourth, you better make sure you leave the wide angle frosted flash cover tucked in. Even if its is "barely" out, the flash will get stuck in 14 mm lens setting. The focal lens automatic adjustment will not work anymore. It took me about an hour to figure out what was wrong.
My only complain is that I get vigneting (or 4 dark corners) when I shoot with a focal lens of 24 mm. Placing the 14 mm flash cover solves this problem almost completely.
Other features like flash bouncing work very well. This flash is very powerful. I can get pretty decent shots even standing 30 ft away from the subject under minimum ambient lighting conditions.
All in all the 580EX II is a wonderful flash, I would recommend it to anyone. But you have to study it pretty carefully to get it to do what you want to see in you photos. In a way, it becomes a challenge to figure it out who is the smartest, you or the flash. I believe I am winning so far.