Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

I had been looking at this item for a while and finally got my hands wet when the prices went down (below $250).

The flash fits on top of your camera (fyi - I have a rebel XTi). The size of the flash is proportionate to my camera. The flash is compact enough to pack and carry in a separate bag.

Regarding the performance, there are no 2 ways - this one is a killer.
There is the option to aim the flash at the subject or to aim it at the wall/ceiling and bounce off it. The latter is assuming you have a low ceiling!! :) The flash lights up the entire area rather than just the subject matter which results in a uniformly bright snap and not just the subject being in the light(which is what the slr's inbuilt flash does). In photography terms, it is easier to make a photo 'pop' using this!!

If you are wondering if you really need this, then the question to you is what type of photos are you interested in?
This might not be too useful for landscapes or distant snaps, but if you are interested in macros, people, baby pics, indoor shots then I would strongly recommend this one.

I thought a lot between 430EX II & 530EX II. I mostly buy the latest and best product available. So my prefer choice was 530EX II. But I was not ready to spend $370 for a flash especially when I am not a professional and don't earn money taking pictures. Also I do not need any wireless flash firing at this point.

Though I am serious about photography and would like to become professional some day but not right now and considering my current need I decided to buy 430 to save some $$ and weight over my camera (there is significant wt different bt 430 and 530). I am very satisfied with my decision.

i have to say i really like this Flash ..its very powerful and doesnt use much battery .i use it all time and love the color on my photo's .gives a natural color on pictures and its great to have it.i think any one use SLR camera like i do ,,doesnt need to invest too much on expensive Flashes.
This item works great and does a great job for me.

I bought the 430 EX II on recommendation of a friend. If you've never used a shoe-mounted flash before, this thing will amaze you! Built-in flash is harsh and stark. (I am using a Canon T1i (500D)) The 430 EX II provides a much more gentle, soft light, even head-on, than the built-in flash. If you take advantage of its tilt and swivel features, you can get some amazing flash pictures. It is also powerful enough to light up an entire 14x16 room. My built-in would only light the center of the frame, leaving the outer edges in progressive darkness. The difference between the 430EX II and the built-in is flash is just huge. This is a powerful, versatile flash unit. OH! I almost forgot to mention how fast is recycles. With fresh alkaline AA batteries this flash was able to keep up with the burst mode of my T1i! That is 3.4 flash pictures per second! (Be careful - limit this activity to 10 or so frames, then give the flash a chance to cool off.) The best my built flash would do is about one photo every two seconds, under the same indoor-incandescent-lighting-evening conditions. It also has FP mode, which I intend to use a lot! I was able to take pictures indoors with flash at 1/2000 of a second. Great for capturing my newest kitties playing around.

While I'm still on the learning curve for the 430ex II in conjunction with my 40D, so far I'm extremely pleased with it. I had a sunpak 383 that had great recommendations, but the batteries would lose charge quickly and it wasn't completely compatible with the 40D (not that I expected it to be). The 430ex II is still going strong after dozens of flashes, with the original set of batteries. As expected, it works seamlessly with the 40D.