Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon 580EX II Speedlite Flash Unit

As an amatuer with only a 350D I was in two minds whether or not to go for the 580ExII when i could easily have gone for the cheaper 420Ex/430Ex / 550Ex / 580Ex. In the end I decided to future proof and just go with the 580 ExII, I may upgrade my camera body in a number of years, at least I will still be able to use this and all the lenses I have collected so far.

The Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash contains a superset of the features found in the Canon Speedlite 550EX E-TTL Flash in a smaller, lighter and more modern designed housing, although it is still way bigger than the 430Ex. So big it is the biggest peice of equipment in my camera bag! (apart from the tripod of course). Mount this with a 70-300mm tele photo lens and you've got a real workout ahead of you!

It takes 4 normal AA batteries and the flash is on nearly instantly. Recycle time is extremly fast - it was amongst one of the main swinging points for choosing this over the earlier models. I was a bit disspointed with 1700mAh rechargeable batterries although normal alkaline batteries gave me much more flash usage. I might have to try higher value rechargeable batteries like the 2500/2700mAh.

Immediately above the diffuser panel is a white, semi-rigid piece of white plastic (a catchlight reflector) that pulls straight out to create a catchlight in your subject's eyes when using the flash in a vertical bounce position. I never really thought bounce shots would make that much of a difference but boy was I wrong. You get a much better natural light in the shot.

A single button releases both the tilt and rotate locks while a single grip/button press allows the flash head to be rotated and tilted at the same time. Rotation is up to 180 degrees in both directions. I found the tilt very easy to use, even one handed.

One of the other things I liked about this flash is the AF Assist Beam to enhance autofocus in low light conditions, which aligns its beam to the Canons camera focal point and projects itself as a red ir patch on the subject. The white balance is also comunicated directly to the camera too.

Another good point is this flash can be a wireless E-TTL master or a slave when paired up with other speedlites. At the moment I only have one flash, but it means I can opt for the cheaper wireless 430Ex or similar at a much later date when I want to upgrade my setup to include more than one flash, and use the 580 Ex to fire off the slaves automatically.

The hi speed synch, allows the camera to go all the way to 1/4000 second (took me a while to realise I had to set the hi speed synch on the flash, otherwise the fastest shutter speed you'll get is only 1/200 second), although this is at the cost of range / power.

Flash power is great, and I got some really cool pictures using the second curtain sync, although it was more by fluke than anything else! Build quality is super, and both battery door and hot shoe lock can be easily operated with only one hand.

Bottom Line: An excellent flash, may be a bit confusing at first if your a novice/amatuer as I am, but also a bit on the expensive side compared to the 3rd party flashes available for canon. I also found the amazon prices to be very steep - I found this flash a lot cheaper searching around, maybe I bought a grey import, but I've read the imports work just as well as the official ones (as long as you go through reputable sellers) , and so far everyhting works well. On hindsight this flash is probably overkill for the casual photographer - but then this will make sure you experiment more to get the best out of this professional flash.

This is a fantastic piece of equipment. I tell you now, if you can afford one then get it! Regardless of what you take photos of, you can use this to further your photography and take it to new levels. I am an am' wedding photographer, with this flash you can just switch it to E-TTL and bounce 'till your hearts content. I have not explored all the features, but the wide angle diffuser is really handy with my 10-20mm Sigma. I'm not entirely sure about the catchlight panel, but you can throw a little light directly forward with bounce at the same time which really adds another tool to your belt.

I use this coupled to a Canon 1Ds Mk3 and all I can say is, if you own a Canon DSLR of any description...you will benefit by owning this flashgun to a greater or lesser degree, obviously depending on the capabilities of your particular model camera. It feels very solidly built. When attached to your cameras hot-shoe there is absolutely no free play. It is located by a pin which locks into the hot shoe when you turn the locking lever, meaning whichever position you use your camera in there is no possibility of the flashgun becoming loose, or the contacts becoming misaligned. The locking lever is much more secure, and easier to use than the usual knurled ring. This especially helps when hands are cold. It recycles very quickly indeed, without making the annoying whine of some units. I know some people are reassured by this whine, but I am not. Fill in flash needs no effort on your behalf. Simply put the flash on the camera then turn it on. The output can be varied to suit the amount of flash needed for creative work. It has a stroboscopic mode for those who wish to record a series of images of moving subjects on one frame. Bags of power for bounce which is a big problem on less powerful units. The head swivels easily to whatever direction you desire, and is detained securely in the set position. This flash can be used as either a master to trigger other canon units, or as a slave. It can be used outdoors in the foulest conditions thanks to the new sealing arrangement around the hotshoe fitting (make sure your camera is also environmentally sealed of course). I use uniross hybrio batteries, and I have never had any problems, but if you are using the flash heavily I would recommend having a few spare sets to hand. I always carry a 15 minute charger in my bag, which is only the size of my (empty) wallet then when a set becomes exhausted, I put them straight on charge (provided I am in a place that has an electricity supply of course). I could write a book about the abilities of this flash, but there is a host of reading material on the internet. If you are in the market for a flashgun for your Canon DSLR, bite the bullet and buy this one. You will not regret it.

Bob

Got this flash this weekend and it is massively better then the 430ex
especially recycle time. however getting some batteries to work with it is a problem as i bought of Amazon.uk some Uniross 2700 mAh Ni-MH plus sprint charger to go with this flash, however they just don't work as the flash seems to think they have low power and turn off! (have contacted both Canon and co bought batt's off and will update this with reply)

However when tried with normal alk's it works fine, also with some old 1700 mAh Ni-mhs (olympus camedia batteries it works like a treat)

when used indoors (in a house) when forward facing on a 400d it does seem to underexpose the image heavily. (maybe i am not using it right, but this goes for auto and p modes, but when using FEL (star button) it seems to get the picture right) but again on bounce flash when used with a Sto-fen omni bounce it works great!

So all in all good flash, if i got the forward facing automatic flash to work and expose pictures well without the need for FEL then i would be exceedingly happy! and getting the stronger life batteries to work would be the icing on the cake! so a strong 4 stars! (but if compared with the 430ex, don't waste you money on the 430ex, save up and buy this one!)

I've only had this for a few days but I'm amazed at the improvement in the overall quality of my photos.

I bought the 430/580 EX Field Guide at the same time and it really helps to get you up and running.

Excellent bit of kit and highly recommended.