New Fash: Canon Speedlite 430EXII
I was sick of waiting for my off-brand camera flash to finish charge in-between photos. The flash we were using was cheap, but my husband argued that all flashes were relatively the same. He’s a film guy and never had much use for strobe lighting. Of course, I was right!. My husband did the leg work on researching the best price and quality flashes. We shoot on a Canon, so we wanted a good flash that would communicate with my camera. He started looking at the big brother of the Canon Speedlite 430EXII, the Canon 580EXII, but felt that it was more money than we were willing to spend. We decided to step down to the Canon Speedlite 430EXII, feeling comfortable with both the price and all the positive reviews.
As soon as the box was delivered, I immediately started using the flash on everything! I photographed the baby, the dog, and still life! The Canon Speedlite 430EXII offers most of the features available in the larger model, except for the ability to act as a master flash in a multiple flash set up. This is fine for me though as we typically are only going to use the flash either by itself, or with a bounce/reflector. My favorite part of the flash is that I can aim it away from the baby’s eyes. She does not have to get blinded by it. Check out some of the photo project we have used the flash on. The pictures
I love that the flash can turn in nearly every direction from left to right, up and down. In addition to its multiple positions, the flash bulb inside can also be adjusted by selecting the approximate lens size from the menu on the back of the flash. Selecting a telephoto length causes the flash to shoot a narrower beam, and selecting a wide angle length causes the flash to shoot a wider beam. The quality of the flash color is nice and consistent and promotes good skin tones.
The flash does not add too much weight to the camera, which is good for keeping it ready for the quick shots that pop up suddenly! I’ve also noticed that the auto-focus has been much improved through the use of the flash.
Should I buy the Canon Speedlite 430EXII?
If you are looking for a flash for your Canon camera, and want a step up from a standard unidirectional flash, then I thoroughly recommend the Canon Speedlite 430EXII.
BUY IT: