I would like to add a Speedlite + Better Beamer to my 7D body for bird photography. I most often have my 300mm+1.4TC combo on for birds. Can someone please tell me which Speedlite model to buy? Thanks in advance.
I personally don't like to flash birds in their sensitive eyes, as i feel it is stressful and harmful. I have used it a few times, though. works fine with my sb-600 and sb 800. Whoops - i see you are asking about Canon, sorry.
Sandy
Posted by Keith Bauer on January 7, 2013 at 1:48 PM
Rebecka: Much depends on the power output that you need. The Canon 430 EXII has a guide number of 43. Great smaller flash. Would work fine with a Better Beamer and the 7D. The next up in the line would be the 580 EX II. Guide number of 58, and more than powerful enough for most of the needs you'd ever encounter. Canon has now introduced the 600 EX. The major difference is that this flash allows radio frequency control so if you ever need multiple flashes, radio has a much larger range than Infrared (which also requires line of sight). Of course the price goes up in the same order I listed. I currently use a 580 and have been very happy with it for a long number of years. I regularly use fill flash with smaller song birds to help deal with contrasty situations.
Rebecka, the new Canon 600EX-RT is by far the best Speedlite Canon has ever made. It really is a world of difference (by a factor 10 or more!) compared to earlier models.
Posted by Mike Milicia on January 8, 2013 at 12:41 PM
I would definitely go for the 600 EX over the 580 EX II given the relatively small difference in the current prices, e.g. $569 vs. $489 at B&H.
The bigger question is whether you can get by with the significantly less expensive 430 EX II ($254 at B&H).
If you can manage to come up with the extra cash, there are some definite advantages to the 600EX, especially when it comes to bird photography. The extra power can be handy when using fill flash in bright light conditions when we often need it for birds. At standard sunny f/16 settings, even with the 600EX at maximum power, the maximum distance at which you can achieve a -2 fill flash will only be about 15 feet. With the less powerful 430 EX II, the distance would be even less. The weather-sealing on the 600 EX can also come in handy as I can attest from having fried a 580 EX in misty conditions (the model II added weather-sealing). The controls on the 600EX are easier to use and adjustments can be made more quickly. Also, the 600 EX will allow you to connect an external battery pack like the Canon CP-E4 which will give you much faster recycle times. Since flash technology does not advance exponentially like digital cameras, whatever you buy will likely serve you for a relatively long time. I would recommend the 600 EX if you can swing it as you will eliminate the possibility of regrets down the road as you become more competent with flash and start exploring more advanced features and using it in more challenging situations. Also, while the difference in price of $315 is significant in absolute terms, it's relatively small when compared to all of the other equipment one needs for digital bird photography!
Posted by Paul Wolf on January 17, 2013 at 1:48 PM
I have been using the Better Beamer for years and find it indispensable in adding fill light. I'm sure there's a lot more to flash photography than I know about but generally all I ever have to adjust is the exposure compensation and turn on high-sync. Oh, and let me warn you about the sun. As you may already be aware, don't let the sun shine through the lens of the Better Beamer onto your flash or even your lens hood. You'll start seeing smoke! I know, I have burn marks all over my flash and my wide-area lens thingy is melted into the head!
Discussion
5 repliesSandy
The bigger question is whether you can get by with the significantly less expensive 430 EX II ($254 at B&H).
If you can manage to come up with the extra cash, there are some definite advantages to the 600EX, especially when it comes to bird photography. The extra power can be handy when using fill flash in bright light conditions when we often need it for birds. At standard sunny f/16 settings, even with the 600EX at maximum power, the maximum distance at which you can achieve a -2 fill flash will only be about 15 feet. With the less powerful 430 EX II, the distance would be even less. The weather-sealing on the 600 EX can also come in handy as I can attest from having fried a 580 EX in misty conditions (the model II added weather-sealing). The controls on the 600EX are easier to use and adjustments can be made more quickly. Also, the 600 EX will allow you to connect an external battery pack like the Canon CP-E4 which will give you much faster recycle times. Since flash technology does not advance exponentially like digital cameras, whatever you buy will likely serve you for a relatively long time. I would recommend the 600 EX if you can swing it as you will eliminate the possibility of regrets down the road as you become more competent with flash and start exploring more advanced features and using it in more challenging situations. Also, while the difference in price of $315 is significant in absolute terms, it's relatively small when compared to all of the other equipment one needs for digital bird photography!