Canon Speedlite: 430EX II ??

[bedantabd]

I am looking for an external flash which can be used on and off the camera. I have no experience of using an external flash apart from the pop-up flash on my 550D. Most probably I would have gone for Canon 580EX II, but looks like the same has been discontinued. Now the next option available is 430EX II (no, I'm not going to buy a 600 EX-RT; it's too expensive). Should I go ahead with 430EX II or is there any 3rd party option available (equivalent of 580EX II)? Or should I wait till Canon releases a successor of 580EX II??? Please suggest.

[Ken MT]

Can't find if EX 580 11 has been discontinued but good comparison as follows"-

http://pixsylated.com/blog/deciding-...-and-580ex-ii/

woops
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=6732.0

[rpcrowe]

In addition to the 580EX being a bit more powerful than the 430EX; IMO, the major difference is that the 600 EX can be used as a Master in a Master/Slave setup. The 600 EX-RT has a radio controlled master capability which is certainly a nice feature. However, I believe that you could purchase a set of radio control flash triggers, if you needed radio control for your flashes...

Regarding an alternate to Canon OEM flash units, Many photographers are using Chinese brand flashes. However, I would look at the Metz line of flashes if I wanted a flash other than Canon. The Mecablitz 52 AF-1 and 58 AF-2 have some very nice specifications. The 52 AF-1 has command flash capability and runs about $300 USD at B&H, New York City. You could almost get two of these flashes at the price of a single 600 EX-RT.

One thing that I would be sure to be certain of is that the flash I selected is capable of High Speed Sync; since I use fill flash frequently in outdoor shooting. HSS allows me to use a wider aperture when shooting in bright conditions because I can use a faster shutter speed than the 1/250 second which is the standard sync speed of my Canon 7D....