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

I have had this flash since July 2007. It is very decently weather- and dust-proof: I live in Costa Rica, have used it in rain forest and on the beach and it still works just fine. It is quite powerful with an guide number of 58m (hence the "580" name) when zoomed at its maximum of 105mm full frame equivalent (on a crop sensor it is covers the same field of view as a 70mm since the "focal distance" of the flash does not depend on the sensor size - yes I know, it can be confusing). The main features, as you most likely know, are its capability to do multi (i.e. stroboscopic) flash and to be master as well as slave remote controlled in ETTL with the legacy Canon optical control. Would I buy the same now if I were to break it? I would probably even though the 600Ex-RT ( Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Flash ) goes for about the same price and proposes direct radio control in addition to the normal optical remote control we got to appreciate with the 580 and 430 (slave only for the latter). The 600 is a serious contender considering the ISO range of recent cameras. If I understand correcty, the 580 is much more powerful than the 600: the total amount of light required of the 600 to get a NG 60m zoomed @ 200mm is less than a third of that required of the 580 to get a NG 58m zoomed @ 105mm. In other words, the NG of the 600 if limited to 105mm zoom would be around 20 (assuming the same light losses which is irrealistic). Or, to put it another way, the energy delivered by a 600 to get a NG of 60m is concentrated on less than a third of the surface covered by the 580 for the same measurement. If I am right, then it makes the 600 actually weaker than the 430, although otherwise much better endowed in the features department. In reality the energy delivered by the 600 is most certainly above a third of that put out by the 580 as there are necessarily bigger losses in the extended zoom; yet I would be very surprised that the flash is as powerful as the 580: zooming from 105 to 200 and only increasing the NG by 2 meters would not be very efficient. This would certainly explain why so many people who shoot events report less thermal shutdowns with the 600: if it releases less energy, it heats up more slowly! Also the head of the 600 is bigger not because it is more powerful but because it has a longer zoom: 200mm instead of 105mm. However whoever does remote flash control with the native optical master has struggled with the line of sight limitation as well as the 80 degrees field of control from the 580 as a master (or worse the popup fash of the 7D or the 60D, very useful but necessarily pointing straight ahead). The 600 gets rid of that limitation and this is a serious advantage, but you will need at least one 600 and a ST-E3-RT to control it in addition to your camera to get just one remote flash, as opposed to one 580 or a 430 and a remote capable camera (7D or 60D) for the optical remote control. The 580 remains a very good flash and if you dont mind the line-of-sight/80 degrees requirement or if you need a powerful flash to freeze motion in a wide area, the 580 should fit your bill better than the weaker 600. However if you shoot with a 5DIII at 3200 ISO and want a flash for the future, the 600 should be your choice. Other advantages of the 600 over the 580: Its wider range of zoom allows a better control of light distribution down to 20mm (instead of 24 for the 580) and its longer zoom set in manual can be used for a tighter snoot, although I prefer using grids anyway for the quality of the feathering. It also features a mechanism to hold gels although I am not a priori convinced of its usefulness - the ExpoImaging ROGUEGELS-U Rogue Photographic Design Rogue Gels Universal Lighting Filter Kit already work on any cobra flash with a simple elastic band. Then it has apparently a much better screen with two differnt backlight colors used to distinguish masters from slaves and report overheating units. Better menus are certainly... better, although once one gets used to the 580Ex-II and it idiosyncrasies it wont make much of a difference (think explicit menu option instead of holding the zoom button down to go to remote setup). As for me I am not replacing my 580Ex-II any time soon unless I break it or get robbed, and then I might very well replace it with another 580 just to get the power to light wide scenes from some distance. We will see. ________________________ Edited in July 2014: The 580 ExII remains an excellent flash but I have learned quite a lot in the intervening years. Except when shooting events and mingling in the crowd, where getting a proper exposure essentially mandates TTL, and filling in shadows in bright sunlight where you want the high speed sync feature, I mostly use this flash in manual. If this is how you want to use it, dont spend so much on a single flash when for the current price of $679.99 + $5.49 shipping you can get nine YN-560III with embedded YN603 receivers plus a set of YN603 transceivers to trigger them all. This does not mean you should not consider a 580 ExII for the situations I mentioned above, but if what you do is flashlit landscape at sunset or studio photography, you are better off with more numerous lights to position here and there for much less $$$.

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Man, whats not to like??? Sure you can go and buy a cheaper, older used model, (you couldnt go wrong there) but then you miss out on all the other cool attributes of this monster of a flash. It was release in 2007, and they have yet to release a "later greater model". The metal hot shoe is a huge upgrade. I have a 420 ex, and the plastic shoe on that baby broke once dropped. I got it repaired for 60 bucks, (so no biggie). And even though I dont plan to drop this one, you would think that the metal shoe would hold up. It does work right out the box, however it takes some time and education on the product to start achieving the shots you want. This is good because you become a better photographer when you know your equipment. Trust me, you dont want to be a know it all in this area, read some literature if your new to iTTL. Invest some time reading the owners manual, (because there is sooooooo much to 580 ex II). Amazon shipped it fast. (Their pretty good at this) If ordered directly from Amazon the product is not a Grey market flash. (this = Factory warrantee) And, at this price, its cheaper than buying from another legitimate business.

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Im not going into great detail in reviewing this speedlite. Other reviewers have already done that very well. Every complement made is true. I have never seen any other flash that is near this good. Most of the work in setting flash exposure is taken care of automatically. This is done mostly automatically, but also by simple Canon camera settings (or by settings made directly on the flash). The flash automatically identifies the focal length of the lens and the distance to the subject. It becomes one with the camera. The flash can make all the best settings for 90% of cases. Yet the photographer has a free hand to override and utilize every lighting setup that is possible. In this way the 580EX II is a robot that that can handle most photo opportunities automatically, but accepts human input as Gospel. It is an excellent choice for the newcomer to photography - and it is an equally excellent choice for professional photographers - even for the best trained and most artistic. I mount my flash on the camera with a Stroboframe QuickFlip Bracket. This works very well for me outside and inside. Outside I shoot head on to fill in the shadows. Inside I use bounce flash a lot. If the walls and ceiling are not white I bounce the flash off a large white foam board. Im not a great artist. (By the way, do not follow the published instructions and mount this bracket to the left of the camera, especially if you are using a Battery Grip. To take a vertical shot you would have to turn the camera the wrong way. Oddly, setting the bracket up on the right side turns the logo upside down, but everything else becomes perfect. You need only a Phillips screwdriver to make this adjustment.)

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I purchased the 580 EX II as a replacement for my 430 EX. That flash now serves as a slave for my new 580 EX II. The 580 has several features I really like and only one that I dont particularly care for. The Pros: Its powerful, cycles quickly and quietly, has a considerable number of programmable options, built quality is excellent, its weather resistant, it allows you to individually set the power of the slave flashes (for example you can set one - 1/3 stop an another + 1/3 stop) using the controls on the 580. (In other words you dont have to touch the slaves.) I should also mention that the size of the flash is not a problem at all. The Con: The process of setting the 580 as the master requires holding the zoom button down for 2 seconds, then dialing to select master and then pressing select. A simple switch like previous models would be better. You cant just leave the 580 in master mode all the time because it will default to 24 mm and stay there regardless of your lens setting. So you have to repeat the process of turning it off and on each time you want to use a slave. Its not like it is a big deal as long as you can remember the process. So now my 430 has a simple switch and my 580 has some buttons to press. Not the best but no reason to avoid buying this flash. Its just something Canon could have done better. New to photography? If you are buying your first flash and want to know if the 580 EX II is worth the extra money I would say yes. The 430 EX is a good piece of equipment and served me well but over the past couple of years there have been enough times that I missed the extra power the 580 offers that I wished I had paid the extra money and started with a 580. If you have an inexpensive camera and miss a shot its disappointing but if you have a good quality DSLR and miss a shot because of the flash its real disappointing! One more thing: I used my Amazon Visa to buy this item. Anytime you do that the original warranty is doubled and no cost! You can also buy an extended warranty from Visa at very low cost. Its really a good deal. Just call the 800 number for details.

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It communicate very well with my Canon 20D. The 589EX II will act the same as the built-in flash of 20D, except it is 16 times more powerful. The power level adjustment is useful for multiple flash set up. I have been considering to buy it for 2 years. My hesitation is due to the steep $500 price tag and my Vivitar 285HV. After using it for 2 weeks. I can kick myself not to buy it earlier. The ETT II gives me excellent exposure ( no more wash out of the object) regardless of the back ground, that the 285HV cannot do. It is a perfect flash for my 20D. I have five friendly advices: 1. Set C.Fn 6 to 1. This enables the quick flash mode. The flash can be fired without a full charge. Good for rapid shooting at a reduced range. 2. Use rechargeable batteries. This will make the flash charges faster. Also you are helping to save the earth. 3. This is the most powerful flash that Canon makes. From my 40 years as photographer, you should buy the most powerful flash. Do not buy the lower model even you can save $150. The 580EX II will allow you to use a smaller aperture to do a better job as a fill in light for the shadow under the sun or have a faster recycle time when shooting at night. Also you will still have enough light output even with flash attachments, i.e. diffuser, reflector etc. 4. The 580EX II tends to be slightly (1/3 to 1/2 stop) under-expose the object. It may not be a problem if you prefer slightly saturated color. Otherwise you can give it a +1/3 or 1/2 flash exposure compensation( It is much easier to set it up on the camera rather than on the flash) However,it will be perfect as a fill in flash for shadow underneath the sun without using flash exposure compensation. 5. In order for the TTL II to work right, make sure that the lens you use will pass the distance information to the camera and hence to the 580EX II. Complain: The owners manual does not spell out some of the interaction between the camera and the 580EX II. e.g. the high speed syn will be disabled automatically if the shutter speed is below the maximum normal flash syn speed, high speed syn will not over heat the flash as long as it obeys the rule for maximum number of consecutive normal flash, The focal length indication shows the real focal length of the lens, not the equivalent focal length of the APS-C sensor, any focal length shorter than 24mm still indicates as 24mm, even the Zooming flash head might have zoom to 27mm equivalent(17mm actual) focal length.

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Im no pro, and this is my first external flash. I barely took it out of the package last night, so I have only used the fully automatic mode so far. However, I can already see a huge difference in my flash photography. The harshness of the built in flash is gone, the subject is properly exposed, shadows are softer. Ive barely begun using this, and I can already tell I will be doing a lot more flash photography now. I hated the built in flash, but I love the quality of the first few shots with the Speedlite, so Im sure theyll only get better with practice! Im completely satisfied so far. If that changes, Ill change my review, but for now I can say that I wish Id bought this thing years ago!!! Update - 4/27/11 Well, Im growing as a photographer so Im posting an update. These little babies still have a place in my gear bag, and I still think theyre fantastic for portability and ease of use, and far superior to any built-in flash Ive used. However, my needs require more powerful lights and better wireless triggering. If youre working on bigger projects, larger groups etc, these might not be enough power for you. The only other disadvantage I can see is that the infrared wireless is less than optimal. I have had a lot of misfires when they werent lined up correctly, so if youre planning to use more than one light and control them via wireless, I suggest investing in pocket wizards or some other brand of radio triggering.

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This is a very powerful and adjustable flash. I am using this on a Canon 20d. Initially, I had difficulty deciding between the 580EX II and the 430EX II, mainly due to the extra bulk of the 580EX II, and somewhat due to the extra cost. After using both units, I am most pleased with the 580EX II. Where this unit really shines for me is the bounce flash. Because the flash is more powerful, I can use far away or darker colored walls to bounce the flash off of, which gives really well lit, natural looking pictures. The swiveling head is quick and easy to use, the fold out diffuser and bounce tab (the bounce tab is not found on the 430EX II) are useful, and the weather protection on the mount is nice even if it is not completely waterproof. The built in AF assist lamp is much better than the strobe flash on the 20d, more accurate and less intrusive. Recycle time are practically instant. Another feature on this flash is the multi-burst flash, which is fun to play with during night action shots. I also use this flash to remove shadows in sunlight, and it is plenty powerful for that as well. I was very concerned with the size, but I believe it is worth it forthe extra performance and features.

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Ive had this flash going on 3 years now and its got to be the most essential item in my camera bag. My dSLR has been upgraded twice in the life of this flash and its still functioning perfectly. Ive been using the same four Duracell AA rechargeable batteries the whole time and a 15 minute charger. That combination is enough flash power for a whole day of heavy use. Its recharge time is nearly instant and completely silent. Its construction quality is amazing, its been bent, bumped, twisted, squeezed, dropped, stepped on, rained on, snowed on and its still perfect. The built in catchlight is perfect for venues with high or no ceilings and you cant bounce. Directs the perfect amount of light forward. Its powerful: When bounced, its power can easily illuminate a whole group of people even at wide angles. Ive also had acceptable (but not perfect of course) results in the telephoto range with objects as far as 40 ft. Its Versatile: The flash head is fully articulated. It tilts straight up and turns 180º so you can direct light anywhere. This is the only item of my camera gear that stays on my kitchen counter so it can easily be attached to any camera Im holding, dSLR or my G12 p&s. Its one item I couldnt live without, and if anything ever happened to it Id gladly replace it with the same.

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The Canon Speedlite 580EX II is an excellent flash product. It serves as master flash so its especially useful if you have an older Canon Speedlite that youd like to continue using as a slave flash. The controls are easy to use and learn for an aspiring photographer and strobist. If youre serious about photography, especially with portrait, wedding, event and even wild life photography this flash is highly recommended. Yes, even from 100 yards away setting the flash properly while taking photos with your 400mm lens will give the animals eyes the "pop" you need to make the image outstanding. The camera comes with a wide angle deflector built in and a bounce card so you can go without a flash diffuser if you are concerned about having too harsh of light coming off this flash and you dont have any good surfaces to bounce the light from. But I chose to buy this product with Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce for the Canon 580EX Flash a good accessory to have in your camera bag. As far as battery usage is concerned, Ive been using my flash on and off for a few months now without having to change the batteries. Im not doing weddings or events at the moment so I havent had the opportunity to use the flash a lot at one time, but Ive taken about 150 images so far and not had to replace the batteries even with the flash sitting there unused between uses.

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As a new professional photographer, I needed a portable lighting solution that was affordable, but that I also knew would be with me for a long time. Using it with a Canon 50D body, it works beautifully. I have shot several events and was able to get exactly the lighting I needed. I have purchased a plastic light diffuser to use with this to soften the light and spread it more. There are several diffusers you can purchase to use with this product. I have also recently purchased a Beauty Dish and a 24" Softbox to use with this Speedlite, and the lighting is beautiful on my models. There is a learning curve with this product, especially when introducing light modifiers, and reading the manual is helpful, but will take some time to learn all you can do with this Speedlite. I would highly recommend this product. Five Stars.

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