So it’s Christmas, the GAS is ticking, but I have a quite recent 70D, and a decent set of lenses. Looking at my gear, what I haven’t got yet is a decent flash…
So, there is the Speedlite 430EX III-RT, but are there better alternatives on the market (Nissin, Metz…)?
The Guide Number (max) is 141’ (43m) at ISO 100 and 105mm.
I don’t personally use TTL, so using them manually is always fine for me. As such, I’ve had good luck with the Yongnuo manual flashes like the YN-560 (190’ (58m)at ISO 100 and 105mm). These would be the same flashes you saw me use (and used yourself I think) at London this past year. The price is nice enough that as long as I get a few years of use out of them I feel I get my money’s worth. (I can also have a few on hand as replacements if the need arises.
There’s also the Lumopro flashes. If you read David Hobby (Strobist), you might be familiar with these. He usually has great things to say about this particular flash (the LP180R I think?).
I already have some 2nd-hand units already (antique 300EZ and 300TL, purchased for €20 and €10 in yard sales), but I can only use them in manual mode, so I’m looking for something more automatic that I can use against/with people who don’t want me to fumble for several minutes to find the right settings.
I’m also looking for an automatic flash for my Sony A7 II, for the same reasons.
Additionally, the flash should enable the camera to having a usable preview on the display. When I shoot macro of insects with the exposure set to say 1/125 with several extension tubes I see a black preview. The camera must know, “Ah, even though its 1/125 and black, there is a flash plugged in so the photo won’t be black, so I should pump up the preview sensitivity or exposure time”. I can’t be alone in this?
Of course, you just need the camera to swap the 64K ISO sensor for the 64M ISO one 
More seriously, if the camera has to multiply the sensor output by a large amount to show you something, it will be really fishing the lower bits of the sensor output, so you would have an effective dynamic of 3-4 bits and the image would be so pixellated that using it even for simple things like framing would be difficult.
PS: I have got an interesting LED ringflash: it works as permanent light that you can use for framing/focusing, and then as somewhat more powerful flash when you take the actual picture.
Yup, but as the digital display is the only way to see what I’m shooting and to see whether it’s in focus, and as this camera is awesome in every other way, I would expect it to have some sort of mode where it does not respect the 1/125 shutter setting as far as the preview is concerned.
Some simple logic like: Flash connected? No - use shutter speed. Yes - ignore shutter speed, use auto values to get usable preview.
@Morgan_Hardwood That’s weird, my Sony A57 (so older and cheaper model) has exactly the behaviour you describe: With flash in manual mode it tries to get as much light on the preview as possible (resulting in an ugly pixelated image with lots of color noise, but at least something) as opposed to a black preview without the flash. So I agree, this should be possible, it should even be standard…
@rasimo that’s great to hear. I only tried with a manual flash (really manual, very old, i.e. no electronics other than “fire”) and the camera as expected shows a black preview. Should I assume all electronic flashes work as you describe? This doubt has been the only reason I delayed so long in finding one.
@Morgan_Hardwood I very much think so. I use a Minolta 5200i which itself is TTL capable but only with Minolta cameras. So I must use manual settings, but there definitely is a connection as focus distance can be automatically set by the camera.
I use a 430 EX II with my 600D.The great advantage of this combination (to me) is that the pop up flash on my 600D acts as a wireless commander (not just a trigger) for the 430 EX II and I didn’t need to invest additionally in triggers. HSS and second curtain sync are available only when the flash is on-camera, but peculiarly, on-camera flash only goes down to 1/64 power while in wireless mode it goes down to 1/128.
I find this combination very useful with TTL for casual family snapshots. When we have guests over, I just put the 430 EX II in wireless mode and place it on top of a cupboard pointed at the roof. I can now easily move the camera from portrait to landscape orientation without worrying about the weight of the flash and the direction it is pointing in.
I haven’t used non OEM flashes since my film days, but I am a member of the Speedlite Fundamentals group on Facebook which has many Yongnuo users. Experiences with those flashes seem to depend on the reliability of the dealer’s warranty as the flashes seem to be a bit troublesome. Yongnuo isn’t officially available in my country and I’ve seen several online complaints about a flash that stopped working within a few weeks leaving the owner with an expensive paperweight, so caveat emptor. One of my colleagues bought a manual Yongnuo flash for his D7000 a few years ago and found that the radio trigger had a limited angle in which it could be used, a problem I’ve yet to face indoors with my optically triggered 430 EX II. I’ve also seen many users complain of lag with the radio triggers, limiting their off-camera flash sync speed to 1/160 of a second - again something I’ve never experienced with my optically triggered 430 EX II.
I’m on Nikon & Sony but the Yongnuos work fine for me. I also use their triggers.
Given how much cheaper they are I think they are worth consideration.
Even if there was a 10% chance that it will hang itself and you have to buy another one it’s still cheaper.
Heck, in practice you could just buy two of them.
That of course changes when you use them professionally or there are high stakes for other reasons.
@Jonas_Wagner I was looking into them. Can you use the Yongnuos in auto mode with Sony, trusting that if you bounce it off the ceiling you will get a good exposure?
[quote=“Morgan_Hardwood, post:12, topic:2878”]
Can you use the Yongnuos in auto mode with Sony, trusting that if you bounce it off the ceiling you will get a good exposure?
[/quote]Nope, it’s manual only with Sony. From what I recall Nissin and Phottix are the only viable third party options for Sony. Looks like there are now more options.
Well, the WAF was good on that one, so I believe there is a 430EX with a ribbon around it hidden somewhere in the house as I type this. I’ll keep an eye on the Yongnuos if I need to extend the collection for more technical stuff where I’ll go manual anyway.
Duly noted 