Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras

Love my new flash. I haven't used it as much as I would like, but so far I am loving all the things about it. Especially after using a 380EX all these years! Love the way it swivels to bounce etc., and it's quick response time...very nice!

Great flash, just be careful if you use a quantum, it is possible to shove the cord in backwards and reverse the polarity and fry the flash. Not a good thing.

At first I thought the price was steep, but bought it anyway and WOW! Red eye is a thing of the past, the range and zoom are excellent, and no more noisy indoor photos in low light. I don't think I've actually used my camera's built-in flash in months. If you have a Canon camera that has a hot shoe, you can control all the flash's functions and access the custom feature menus from your camera making it very easy to use. Even the high-speed sync works great, but at diminished range (to be expected). I used 4 AA rechargeable batteries, and get a LOT of flashes out of a single charge. Comes with a great storage bag too. Well worth it, and will last for years.

I have only had my 580EX for a short time. I used in on a fashion shoot (my 1st) and it worked better than I did. Far better, of course, than the pop-up for serious work. The weight and bulk of the 580EX are somewhat of a detraction and convinced me not to use it on a recent, fast-paced trip. (Though inferior, the pop-up is a convenience that is hard to give up.) The 580EX has a wealth of features that will take me months to explore. I will pop back in and add more to this review as time goes on.

I bought this unit to use as my main flash unit, and relegated my older 580EX I to slave duty. Compared to the 580EX I, there are some obvious benefits the 580EX II has:

- Better hot shoe connector, with weatherproofing gasket and quicker lock
- Sturdier battery door
- Virtually silent operation. You don't hear the thyristor charging up, which, initially, can be somewhat disconcerting (is the flash working?)
- Faster thyristor charge-to-ready

The button/control layout on the rear of the flash is somewhat different than the 580EX I, but easy to learn. Master-slave control worked flawlessly and was easy to set.

Note: the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce attachment for the 580EX I will NOT fit on the 580EX II. You will need to buy a new Omni-Bounce attachment for this unit.

Like its older predecessor, it comes with a stand and soft case. Highly recommended for Canon cameras with E-TTL flash control - not just for EOS SLRs and DSLRs; prosumer cameras like the Powershot G9 can use this flash and many of its extra functions.