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Canon 550EX and ST-E2
I bought a package of 2 550EX flashes and a ST-E2 transmitter to serve as my portable lighting rig. It has been a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, it allows me to shoot at ISO 100 indoors and get some wonderfully clean well exposed photos. On the downside, it can be a bit of an unreliable hassle.
The biggest problem with the Canon flash slave system is that the slaves aren't activated as consistently as with radio based systems, such as the PocketWizard. I've lost quite a few shots when the slave flash didn't fire, resulting in severe underexposure. The IR based slave triggering seems to work reliably only in small rooms with few obstructions.
The second most troubling aspect is the horrendously bad user interface on the 550EX (the ST-E2 is better, but not perfect). Missing a shot while you are fiddling with the settings is frustrating. I've learned to pick one setting, do a few test shots, and then keep the settings as is for the entirety of the shooting session. If I were using them on a more regular basis, I'd probably take the time to memorize the user manual. As is, most of my work is done with available light, and I only need the flashes a few times a month.
Another aggravation is that some genius decided that if you have the wide angle panel in place (which I like to use in addition to OmniBounces to diffuse the light), EVERYTHING ON THE LCD OF THE 550EX BLINKS if the flash isn't in wireless slave or master mode and the head isn't swiveled to just the right position. That is outrageously annoying. I was going to use a <blink> tag to show how annoying the blinking is, but it gave me a headache while writing the review. In addition to the LCD blinking, the only way to tell from the front of the flash body if it is ready to fire is that the autofocus light blinks. Ug. Like most flashes, there is also a noticeble high pitched whine when the capacitors recharge.
More annoyances:
- It recharges slowly compared to really good pro studio strobes.
- It is a battery hog. I always make sure I put fresh batteries in at the beginning of each shoot, and keep a 24 pack of batteries handy.
- Second curtain flash is only available when when a 550EX is attached via hotshoe connector, and not in Master or Slave mode.
- The mode button acts differently when acting as a slave.
- The modeling light is very limited compared to studio strobes. You get a 70Hz strobe for one second. I've found that people find it startling and try to avoid using it.
- When using E-TTL, it tends to overexpose and blow the highlights if you don't use a bit of negative exposure compensation.
Rating: Decent (3 out of 5)
Recommendation: If you need a flash that will work with a Canon, and can find a good deal on these used, go for it. Otherwise, the 580EX is probably better if you want to stick with Canon. Also consider Sigma, Sunpak, or think even bigger and get some strobes with modelling lamps (especially if portability isn't a big concern).
links:
Canon EOS site