Achiever 630AF vs. Canon 430 EZ flash.
Sam. H.K. Chiang
I am going to buy a dedicated flash for my brother-in-law. However, I am
totally new to flash photography, so would you please give me suggestions
about which is the best flash to go with Canon EOS Elan.
Currently, I am considering Achiever 630AF bounce zoom autoflash and Canon
430 EZ. My local camera saleman told me that Achiever 630AF is a better
choice because its ability to zoom down to 28mm which Canon 430 EZ doesn't
have, and it's cheaper than Canon 430 EZ. Of couse, he told me lots of
good things about Achiever 630AF. Please give me some justifications and
help me out.
Thanks.
Sam.
--
+--------------------------------------------------------+
+ Sam. H.K. Chiang +
+ Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois +
+ e-mal : chi...@cs.uiuc.edu +
Alvin Chia-Hua Shih
>Hi,
>I am going to buy a dedicated flash for my brother-in-law. However, I am
>totally new to flash photography, so would you please give me suggestions
>about which is the best flash to go with Canon EOS Elan.
Wow! A first-ever story of a happy in-law relationship! :-)
>Currently, I am considering Achiever 630AF bounce zoom autoflash and Canon
>430 EZ. My local camera saleman told me that Achiever 630AF is a better
>choice because its ability to zoom down to 28mm which Canon 430 EZ doesn't
>have, and it's cheaper than Canon 430 EZ. Of couse, he told me lots of
>good things about Achiever 630AF. Please give me some justifications and
>help me out.
Your local camera salesman doesn't know diddly!!!
The 430EZ *automatically* zooms from 24-80mm depending on the focal
length of the lens. It also allows for flash exposure compensation,
2nd curtain sync, high-voltage jack, and piles of other features (but
few of which are exploited by 70% of 430EZ owners).
[If you aren't familiar with all the gobbledygook I just put into the
last paragraph, don't worry. If your brother-in-law is thinking of
getting serious about photography, he'll want at least 2 of the
features listed, and maybe a few of the features not listed.]
However, if price is a consideration, the Achiever is certainly cheaper
(1/3rd the cost probably). If this salesman is selling 430EZs for the
same price, something has gone terribly wrong. (If he's selling
430EZ's for $100 or less, I'll take 5.)
>Thanks.
No problem.
>Sam.
ACS
--
___ ___ ___ ______________________________________________________________
| | | __| Democracy is not a way of getting better solutions. |
| - | --|__ | It's just a way to spread the blame. |
|_|_|___|___|______________________________________________________________|
Alvin_C._Shih_____...@csri.utoronto.ca______________________|
David Ritch
I am also interested in a flash for an EOS Elan. I have a Sunpak
444D, but unfortunately the flash is dedicated for my old camera, a
Nikon F3 and not for the Canon.
In attempting to by a Canon module for the flash, I made a disturbing
discovery. Using the Sunpak with the Sunpak EOS module (the CA-3D)
disables the Elan's internal autofocus assist light, and the flash
does not supply an autofocus light.
This raises two questions. First, is Sunpak likely to bring out a
dedicated module which does supply an autofocus light? And second,
what is another good flash to use instead? I can't quite bring myself
to spend $200+ on the Canon 430 EZ. Has anyone used a Sunpak 433AF?
I consider the following features to be important:
1) TTL metering
2) Bounce capability
3) Second curtain sync capability
4) High light output
5) Autofocus assist light
I consider the following to be somewhat less important but worth
considering:
1) Zoom head (Autozoom like the 430EZ is snazzy)
2) Integrated bounce/fill capability - The Sunpak 444D
provides this through a neat little deflector on the
zoom head, a truly elegant solution
3) Fast recycle time, long battery life
4) Capability to use alternate power sources
5) Size - I would prefer to stay away from a potato-masher
I would appreciate input on this - a comparison of flashes in that
approximate price range, say $80~$120, features and characteristics I
forgot to mention or never thought of, rumours about upcoming
announcements from Sunpak, etc.
--
Alvin Chia-Hua Shih
[ Details of how he wants the ultimate flash ever for $120 snipped... ]
>I would appreciate input on this - a comparison of flashes in that
>approximate price range, say $80~$120, features and characteristics I
>forgot to mention or never thought of, rumours about upcoming
>announcements from Sunpak, etc.
If you want features, the Metz 40MZ-2 is just Oozing (with a capital
OOH :-). But it's almost twice the cost of the 430EZ!
There is a rough, fuzzy comparison table of 3rd party flashes in the
EOS FAQ. You can find it on: moink.nmsu.edu.
If you manage to find out more about EOS flashes, please let me know.
The table is undergoing revision for the next release of the FAQ.
Robert Groom
>Hi,
>I am going to buy a dedicated flash for my brother-in-law. However, I am
>totally new to flash photography, so would you please give me suggestions
>about which is the best flash to go with Canon EOS Elan.
My suggestion; the best flash for the Elan is the Canon 430EZ.
>Currently, I am considering Achiever 630AF bounce zoom autoflash and Canon
>430 EZ. My local camera saleman told me that Achiever 630AF is a better
>choice because its ability to zoom down to 28mm which Canon 430 EZ doesn't
>have, [...]
The salesman is wrong! The 430EZ zooms down to _24mm_ (and up to 80mm).
>[...] and it's cheaper than Canon 430 EZ. [...]
Of course it's cheaper - it's not made by Canon and it's not as good ;-)
> [...] Of couse, he told me lots of
>good things about Achiever 630AF. Please give me some justifications and
>help me out.
You can be sure the 430EZ is absolutely 100% compatible with EOS cameras -
you just don't have the same warm, fuzzy feeling with 3rd party equipment.
If something goes wrong, or doesn't work with the 630AF - who you gonna call?
--
Robert Q. Groom "My other computer is an EOS-1"
rob...@labtam.oz.au
Labtam Australia Pty Ltd phone: +61-3-587-1444 fax: +61-3-580-5581
Prasad H. Chalasani
>
>In attempting to by a Canon module for the flash, I made a disturbing
>discovery. Using the Sunpak with the Sunpak EOS module (the CA-3D)
>disables the Elan's internal autofocus assist light, and the flash
>does not supply an autofocus light.
actually, putting any flash on the ELAN's hot shoe will disable the
camera's AF light, including the 430EZ and the 433AF.
>
>...spend $200+ on the Canon 430 EZ. Has anyone used a Sunpak 433AF?
the 433AF does not provide flash compensation, A-TTL flash, 2nd curtain
sync, nor multiple strobe. it does have swivel/bounce, GN=125, AF light,
and TTL metering. it does not zoom (unless you buy a sunpak zoom head) and
covers 35mm.
eugene
Eugene Lau
>chi...@cs.uiuc.edu (Sam. H.K. Chiang) writes:
>
>>I am going to buy a dedicated flash for my brother-in-law. However, I am
>>totally new to flash photography, so would you please give me suggestions
>>about which is the best flash to go with Canon EOS Elan.
>
>My suggestion; the best flash for the Elan is the Canon 430EZ.
that depends on his budget. the 430EZ is $230 vs. ~$100 for the 630AF
other comparable choices are the vivitar 636AF/736AF at ~$100 and the
sunpak 433AF at ~$80
>
>>Currently, I am considering Achiever 630AF bounce zoom autoflash and Canon
>>430 EZ. My local camera saleman told me that Achiever 630AF is a better
>>choice because its ability to zoom down to 28mm which Canon 430 EZ doesn't
>>have, [...]
>
>The salesman is wrong! The 430EZ zooms down to _24mm_ (and up to 80mm).
that's right. the salesperson was either ignorant or was bullshiting. as a
side note the 433AF covers 35mm and the 636AF/736AF covers 28mm. an included
attachment makes the 636AF cover 20mm.
>
>>[...] and it's cheaper than Canon 430 EZ. [...]
>
>Of course it's cheaper - it's not made by Canon and it's not as good ;-)
the 430EZ is the best choice for any of the EOS cameras, nice features and
guaranteed 100% compatibility, but you get what you pay for, and you pay for
what you get. the 3rd party flashes are not AS good, but they are good.
>
>> [...] Of couse, he told me lots of
>>good things about Achiever 630AF. Please give me some justifications and
>>help me out.
>
>You can be sure the 430EZ is absolutely 100% compatible with EOS cameras -
>you just don't have the same warm, fuzzy feeling with 3rd party equipment.
>If something goes wrong, or doesn't work with the 630AF - who you gonna call?
my suggestion is buy what you need (or what your brother in law needs), and
don't over-buy. as long as you use the flash as directed, you can still feel
warm and fuzzy. but remember, use EXACTLY as directed. (eg. the sunpak 433AF
manual specifically states that mounting/dismounting the flash while the
flash's power is ON may damage the flash and the camera.)
eugene