420ex vs. 550ex (Tommy Haupfear and others)
 

Hi,

I am in the market for a flash for the 10D. My search of the forums uncovered the following comment made by Tommy Haupfear. Hi Tommy would you please expand on your reasoning for me.

"I would have liked to have the extra power of the 550ex but the 420ex is a better match (IMO) to the 10D."

Any other takers?

Cheers
Andrew

I wouldn't say that the 420 is "better suited" to the 10D. The 420 and 550 are both good flash units with comparable output, coverage and size. The primary difference between the two units is that the 550 features more extensive on-flash (camera-dependent) output control.

So, if your budget can swing it, I'd recommend the 550. Better yet, consider the 580 which will supersede the 550 soon.

But the 420 will work fine with the 10D. You can always throttle your exposure in the camera if needed.

The 550 EX has more power (Guide Number of 55 meters@ISO 100) as compared to the 420 EX (GN of 42m@ISO 100). It also has IR slave and master capabilities for off camera wireless flash. The 420 was developed for the Élan 7 series cameras which use 7 AF points, same as the 10D. Since flash can be linked to AF points, the 420 is considered to me "made" for those cameras with the 7 AF points. I think this is what Tommy was referring to. If both are within your budget, I would seriously consider the more powerful 550 EX.

Hi,

well Ken and Jeff that about settles it them. The next model up on the 550 would be an overkill for an amateur like me who does not use the camera as often as he should.

Cheers
Andrew

Yes the 550 is a great unit.

Ken, I was thinking about picking up another one. Where can I find out about the 580?

Steve

I'm not sure the 580EX is on sale quite yet, but very soon if not.

Canon's 580EX page is probably the main source of info. You'll find some 580 chatter on the photo boards, but nobody has yet placed fingerprints on the thing.

Ken, thanks for the link, it looks good. I'm glad I did not buy the 550 I had in my hand last week! I rarely have time to go to other boards so I check in here whenever I can because DV INFO is the best of all worlds.

Jeff, what part of Florida are you in? I have been in your state 3 times this month and am leaving for Ft. Lauderdale in the morning.

Steve

I live in Dunedin, it's just above Clearwater and St. Pete, on the Gulf coast.

Steven,
One note: If you get a 580 be sure you update your 1D2's firmware to the latest version. The update enables the camera to take greatest advantage of the 580.

Ken,

I just read your post on that. I will do it this evening because I need to clean my sensor.

Jeff,

I'm sorry about the pounding you guys have gone through this month. Florida is a beautul state.

Steve

We were quite fortunate and dodged the worst of all the hurricanes. The greater Tampa area has not been hit by a major hurricane since the '30's. I lost a few limbs from trees and a large gum tree in my front yard will probably die, but that's the worst of it. Much of Florida has not been so lucky. Punta Gorda and Pensacola have just been hammered. It's very sad.

Have just taken delivery of the 550EX.

Thanks for the help guys, I got a good deal as the unit is now the "old" model.


Cheers
Andrew

Sorry about arriving so late to this thread. Jeff is correct in that I was referring to the 7 autofocus points of the 10D and how the 420ex takes advantage of all them.

I still think that value wise the 420ex is an exceptional flash and a good matchup for the 10D but definitely no harm with the more powerful 550ex (which also has the advantage of manual controls).

Let us know how it works out for you!

I'm getting really close to pulling the trigger on a 20D but I'm undecided on flash.

If you go the 20D route I would holdout for the new 580EX. I picked up the 20D a week ago or so and I'm looking to upgrade my flash. The 580EX will be my first choice, if it ships soon.

Extremely happy with the 550EX, better than I expected.


Cheers
Andrew