For the love of light
I discovered years ago that in order to improve my pictures, artificial lighting was essential, Most shots do not turn out as you envision them without the proper lighting. You can achieve excellent lighting in a studio atmosphere but when taking shots on the fly indoors/outdoors the natural light in a scene doesn't always cut it. The 430 EX II is easy to use for a beginner and has the features someone with more experience would like. It has great bounce capabilities at shorter ranges and it is quiet. It doesn't flash multiple times like some units to set the exposure. I find those types extremely annoying. And if you ever want to upgrade your lighting system or use it in a studio it makes a great slave unit. Nice unit for the price.
November 14, 2012
Cant believe I lived without it this long.
This is way past simple in ETTL mode. Makes pictures perfect at even 1/30 sec at ISO 200 hand held to freeze action of water droplets. Rapid fire keeps up also. Have not tried other features yet but WOW.
September 8, 2012
Not powerful enough for bounce flash.
With my new 5D Mark III, I still have to go to ASA 800 or above to get acceptable bounce flash result in the 10 to 15 foot distance range. Controls are overly complex and except in direct flash with no defuser this flash is simply under powered. I will exchange for a more powerful flash from either Cannon or third party equipment.
June 16, 2012
Easy to Use Flash
I looked at several flash units before making my purchase. I got the T3i 3 months ago, and was looking for an external flash for pictures at night. I looked at the smaller units but wanted more range. I'm not a professional photographer, just a person who takes lots of pictures of my family and friends. This flash has good range, can be used as a slave and adds life to pictures. It was so easy to set up off the camera in remote fashion. I learned to use the remote funtion from the manual and it was really easy .. especially since it was the first time I've ever used more than one flash at once .. I can now zoom, it has a built in light diffuser, it turns to bounce light and will get you good pictures. For a starter like me, you can't go wrong. It's pricey, but I would recommend this flash.
June 5, 2012
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