Canon Flash Advice

[jmurph]

Hey guys..me again lol. Just wanting some opinions on the Canon 430EXIIIRT speedlite flash for a Canon 90D. I will be mainly using it for close up reptile photos & macro work. Just wanting to make sure it will definitely fit my camera & will be adequate enough for my intended use. Any advice is welcome, cheers.

[ricktas]

For macro work you might find a macro ring light is more suited. I am not sure if Canon make one, Nikon do, but there are likely several third party macro ring light options that would suit your needs that would be cheaper than anything by Canon.

just googled and yeah, Canon do one too : https://www.canon.com.au/speedlite-flashes/macro-ring-lite-mr-14ex-ii

[Mary Anne]

Plenty of external Flashes out there and as Rick typed a lot cheaper than Canon.
This morning I used my 14 year old Canon 430EX Flash the 100mm L canon lens on my 80D and it worked fine.
Why upgrade if it's working fine, I also have the Canon twinlite flash a pricey unit that one, could not be bothered putting it on.
Check out the Yongnuo YN560-IV Speedlite it is supposed to be good on the 90D

[Tannin]

The Twinlite is well-regarded for macro work but very dear. Canon recently brought in a new model, so the old model might be worth checking out used. (Often, when a new model comes along, second-hand prices for the old one drop quite a bit.) The differences between new and old aren't that significant, if I remember correctly.

The chief argument for buying a Canon-branded flash (430ex or any other) is that it will work seamlessly with any Canon camera. No compatibility glitches or gotchas. That has certainly been the case in my experience. However, I've never used a third-party flash, so maybe some of them are just as good and half the price. Someone who has used both will have to comment on that aspect.

[nardes]

I made a conscious choice to purchase Canon OEM Speedlites to ensure that they continue to operate with no surprises when I used them on different Canon bodies, be they FF, Crop, EOS R or the EOS M series.

I also find the Menu Structure and terms used remain familiar across the Speedlite family and my Canon cameras - I don't like being caught out in the field with problems on settings, functions or usage, even though I might have the User Manuals on my iPad.:)

Although I originally used my Canon Speedlites as simple ETTL II flash guns mounted on camera, I now make extensive use of the Wireless RF (not optical) capability and being able to control the Speedlite settings from the rear LCD on the camera, i.e. not having to touch the Speedlite itself to change a setting. I also like to use functions such as High Speed Sync (HSS).

No doubt 3rd party units may do most if not all of this, but I just do not want any nasty surprises when I am using the Speedlites, so I chose Canon.

I sometimes use an External Battery Pack on my 600 Ex RT II whereas I think the 430 EX RT III does not allow for this, so you are restricted to the batteries in the unit only in terms of the number of flashes and speed of re-charging.

So, if you consider that you might want an External Battery Pack, then the 600 is the way to go. Having said that, should you get the 430 and then find that down the track you need the additional capability of the 600, both work very well together should you want a Wireless multi-flash set up.

I like the smaller form factor of the 430 so I often take it with me "just in case" whereas the 600 is a bit larger and heavier.

Cheers

Dennis

PS - my old 600 EX Mk I "blew up" when mounted on my 5D Mk IV camera (it was 8 years old and had been dropped a couple of times) and the electrical fault did not discharge into the camera, so I assume (pure guesswork) the Canon design may isolate their equipment from damaging other stuff should it have a catastrophic fault. :confused013

[jmurph]

Thanks for the replies guys. Ive decided I will stick with a Canon flash & am looking at the 430EX iii-RT. Can anyone confirm this will definitely fit my Canon 90D before I purchase?

[Mary Anne]

Thanks for the replies guys. Ive decided I will stick with a Canon flash & am looking at the 430EX iii-RT. Can anyone confirm this will definitely fit my Canon 90D before I purchase?

If it's a Canon Flash it will fit all Canon cameras.

My little 14 year old Canon 430 EX Flash worked on my Canon 20D, Canon 40D, Canon 5D MK11, Canon 7D Mk11 and now my Canon 80D reckon that confirms it.

[Tannin]

Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: Yes, it will fit just fine.

Very long answer: The camera is newer than the flash, so it is possible (though very unlikely) that the camera has some new flash-related function the flash doesn't know about. But if this was so, Canon would be releasing an updated flash, and they aren't.

It is also possible that some advanced flash features are not supported by the camera. For example, some of my older and cheaper cameras didn't support some of the functions on my then-new 580EX. The newer and higher-spec ones did. (Sorry, I can't remember the details now.) But if this applies to you (it probably won't) it will only apply to some rather obscure advanced functions you most likely won't ever use anyway. You could buy a 600EX-II just to be sure, and a 1DX III to be sure your camera is ideal too ... at which point you've just spent close to the price of a brand new car. (A cheap one admittedly, but a brand new car just the same.)

Don't worry about any of this ^ fine detail. The simple reality is that you can't buy a more compatible flash for your 90D than a Canon one, and the 430EX is well regarded. (I have 580EX and 600EX II instead of the 430, but I do birds and have to have the extra power to reach a long way away. You won't need that.)