Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT Flash

The 430EX III-RT is a great starter Speedlite for any photographer who wants a future-proof flash that is easy enough for a novice to use and yet has enough features to create advanced flash photos with multiple Speedlites. New with the 430EX III-RT is an interactive menu that uses the tilt-wheel on the back of the Speedlite to make selections. Moving through menu options on a Canon Speedlite has never been easier. Of course, if you want to control the 430EX III-RT from the main LCD on your compatible Canon camera, you can do that too. Just look for the "Flash Control" and then the "External Speedlite Control" menu options. For the first time ever, Canon has enabled a mid-range (400-series) Speedlite with the ability to work as a master Speedlite. This means that after you learn the basics of using one Speedlite, your 430EX III-RT can be used with other Canon Speedlites to create off-camera flash. The 430EX III-RT provides radio Speedliting at a very affordable price (in comparison to the top-of-the-line 600EX-RT). It can serve as a radio master (to control up to 14 other 430EX III-RT and/or 600EX-RT Speedlites). Likewise, it can work as a radio slave or (as with earlier 400-series Speedlites) as an optical slave. [Note: The 430EX III-RT and 600EX-RT work in radio wireless or optical wireless. All other Canon EX Speedlites work only in optical wireless (where the instructions are sent via a code flashed from the tube of the master Speedlite). Radio will go through the sides of softboxes and other opaque surfaces. Optical wireless must have a direct path between the camera-mounted master and the slave(s).] For more information about Speedliting and flash photography, check out my Speedliters Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (2nd Edition) . Ive created an online guide to using the 430EX III-RT that is available through a code included with the book at the end of the table of contents.

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Works wonderfully paired with the 600-EX RT and the ST-E3-RT transmitter. Can act as a master or a slave unit, unlike its predecessor. Best flash Canon offers for the price. Canon included a diffuser dome and an CTO plastic modifier. Has the same pull-out white card to bounce a bit of light toward the eyes for catch lights as its big brother. Updated controls from he 430 EX II are a welcome addition. Using a wheel to navigate is a lot easier than the recessed buttons on the original unit. Those used to make my fingers hurt. Pros: Size Built in wireless Included diffuser dome and CTO gel Fast recycle time Can be used as a master to control other flashes Can step down the light to 1/128th of full power Controls are much easier to use than predecessor Cons: No weather sealing Cant use an external battery pack Limited rotation on the flash head Zoom range is only 14-105mm ------------ This is an amazing flash unit for the price. This new entry in Canons speedlite line will make it harder for folks to justify getting the 600-EX RT unless they need the added power.

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Five things I like about this flash: 1) It is more compact than the bulkier 600 series 2) it can be controlled by radio transmission for off-camera flash 3) It includes an orange filter 4) it includes the diffuser, which can be used with the orange filter, and 5) the included case has a belt loop. But the biggest thing I like about this is the on-screen menu! I went from the 580EX II to this and its buttons and display are very confusing and non-intuitive. This flash is completely the opposite! Even though the screen is small, they made the menu easy to use. Amazing! I have used this flash more in the past two months than I had used the other one in 5 years!

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My main go-to flash before having this 430 exrt was the 600 ex-rt. The 600 ex-rt recycles extremely fast and is very powerful. The downside is its large size and weight. On paper the 430 ex-rt is only slightly smaller and about 100g lighter. But when I hold both in my hands the size difference is very noticeable. The smaller flash balances much better on my M5. For travel or everyday use, the 430 ex-rt makes much more sense to carry around. For wedding or events, the big one is a better choice. It appears to recycle faster and is weather sealed. One fact to point out, which may or may not be important to most people, is that the 600 ex-rt is made in Japan while the smaller 430 exrt is made in Taiwan. Not a big deal. All M lenses are made outside of Japan and theyre all pretty decent.

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I got two of these units due to an order mix-up, returning one. These speedlites are indeed the best pals for beginners and hobbyist and have advance features thatll keep hobbyist like me busy for some time. My Dslr do not have an integrated Radio Transmitter (not sure if any Canon DSLR has it) and the independent RTs ones sold by Canon are too expensive. If you intent to just use this on camera or as off-camera ETTL optical slave, you have the option to invest its predecessor - 430EXII, its cheaper and serves the purpose. Even though I gave this unit 5 stars, this still has minor blemishes - perhaps manufacturing defect in the left corner of the LCD screen (See picture). Both the units I got had these. Hoping this does not becomes a performance problem later - say an year after the warranty expires. Ive not taken away any stars for this fine product due to the blemish, but Canon - this should be fixed!

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Excellent. When I was a free lancer in the sixties, I was using the most powerful, high-end strobes available for night-time street photography. Using Tri-X black and white film I could take a picture of a traffic accident at night and light up a city block. This unit today is regarded as "medium" power, yet it is more powerful than what I used then, and is more versatile and accurate as to exposure. I am very pleased.

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This is a fantastic flash . It has the same power as the 430 ex II but with RT and guess what you can use it as a commander . The buttons are fantastic a huge upgrade from EX II its a lot easier more pronounce and faster with the EX III . Another great thing its the size sometimes its a little embarrassing being an enthusiast to bring the 600 ex rt for casual shooting in a outing with the family but you want better light well this 430 ex III is almost half the size of the 600 with a little less power but the same functionality and its 20% smaller than the 430 EX II with the exception of being a little thicker. Well the question is should you buy it or is it worth the upgrade ? I say absolutely!

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This is a great flash. This last purchase was actually my second one of these I have bought. My wife and I are wedding photographers so we use this flash multiple times a weekend and it has never failed us. We bought another one so we could utilize the Radio Transmission feature between our 3 flashes for off camera lighting. I have been very impressed with this product. Im sure some day I will upgrade to the 600Ex but I see no reason to while these ones are still working so well.

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Although Im passionate about photography, Im committed to my status as an amateur! So I cant tell you anything technical about this flash. I can tell you that it makes an AMAZING difference in my photographs without having to learn much about it. Im sure you can mess with the settings if youre a pro and want to, but it works wonderfully as a point-and-flash too. I am SUPER happy with how its transformed my pictures (especially indoor and portraits) and its become one of my most beloved camera accessories.

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Professional photographer. Perfect flash for size to power. Comes with amber CTO and diffuser cap. Excellent backup. Recommended.

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