580EXII - The Bigger, the Better...

The 430EXII was my first upgrade during my early days in photography. At that time I was confuse whether to buy the Tamron 18-200mm lens or to get the 430exII flashgun. But luckily after few 'consultation' session with few seasoned shooters, i decided to buy the flashgun instead. And luckily that time i had extra $$$ to get the BG-E5 battery grip plus additional battery. For a full spec explanation on the 430exII click here.

Armed only with 18-55mm kit lens, i was able to get more 'natural' looking shots. This is due to the swivel & tilt action that the flashgun is capable of doing. Which allows me the bounce off larger surface like bouncing off a white ceiling or a wall. It also made my camera looked 'fit' (together with the battery grip). When i switch my lens to a faster lens (my Sigma 24-70 f2.8), the result got even better. Then after a series of weddings & club events, i then realize the 430EXII speedlite was lacking few things.

So last month i bought the 430EXII bigger & more powerful brother, the 580EXII. The reason why i bought the 580EXII :-

1. The 430EXII Flash head moves up/down from 0 to 90°, left from 0 to 180°, and right from 0 to 90°, while the 580EXII allows an additional -7° down and a full 0-180° rotation right. This means i can practically bounce almost everywhere using the 580EXII.
   
2. The 580EXII has a built-in reflector/bounce card. The 430EXII only have the built in diffuser. (Thou bounce the card issue is not really big problem for me cause i custom made my own bounce card).
   
3. The 580EXII is more powerful than the 430EXII by 1/3 stop.
   
4. The 580EXII can be used as both Master & Slave unit flash. 430EXII only can be use as Slave. Meaning to say if you have a 580EXII, you can trigger another (or a few) 430EXII speedlite.

I still keep my 430EXII as backup. Sometimes i get question from friends, asking me 430 or 580? Well if $$$ is not the matter then go for the 580EXII. Otherwise if you treat your interest in photography as hobby, 430EXII will do just fine. Eventually those who started off using the 430EXII will upgrade to the 580EXII sooner or later. Just like me (*wink).

580EXII vs 430EXII - frontal

580EXII v2 430EXII - backside

(photo credit to: www.the-digital-picture.com)