Canon Speedlite 580EX

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...s-Release.aspx

"JeffS" wrote in message
...
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has tried or managed to test the new 580EX yet?
Guide number 190'/58 m at 105 mm. Just saw it appear on B&H listed as
"coming soon". No further specs were available. I'm curious if it is
just a more powerful 550EX, or whether it also incorporates additional
refinements beyond the 550EX?

Jeff
-----
http://www.pbase.com/jkseidel

Christopher Muto wrote:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...s-Release.aspx

"JeffS" wrote in message
...
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has tried or managed to test the new 580EX yet?
Guide number 190'/58 m at 105 mm. Just saw it appear on B&H listed as
"coming soon". No further specs were available. I'm curious if it is
just a more powerful 550EX, or whether it also incorporates additional
refinements beyond the 550EX?

In spite of what the Canon press release says, the 580EX is only
trivially more powerful than the 550EX (58 meter guide number vs. 55
meter guide number - NOT 50% more powerful) See my web site for
comparison: http://skylane.kjsl.com/~dave/speedlites.html

The dial control on the 580EX is likely an improvement over the +/- and
/ buttons on the 550EX. The digital sensor-size zoom adjustment and
white balance correction features are also new. Canon also claims
faster flash cycling for the 580EX.

Unknown (to me) is whether E-TTL-2 is strictly a function of the camera
body or is a body+flash combo function (ie. can the 550EX work in
E-TTL-2 mode with the 20D?).

-Dave

"Dave Herzstein" wrote in message
...
Christopher Muto wrote:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...s-Release.aspx

"JeffS" wrote in message
...
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has tried or managed to test the new 580EX
yet?
Guide number 190'/58 m at 105 mm. Just saw it appear on B&H listed as
"coming soon". No further specs were available. I'm curious if it is
just a more powerful 550EX, or whether it also incorporates additional
refinements beyond the 550EX?

In spite of what the Canon press release says, the 580EX is only
trivially more powerful than the 550EX (58 meter guide number vs. 55
meter guide number - NOT 50% more powerful) See my web site for
comparison: http://skylane.kjsl.com/~dave/speedlites.html

The dial control on the 580EX is likely an improvement over the +/- and
/ buttons on the 550EX. The digital sensor-size zoom adjustment and
white balance correction features are also new. Canon also claims
faster flash cycling for the 580EX.

Unknown (to me) is whether E-TTL-2 is strictly a function of the camera
body or is a body+flash combo function (ie. can the 550EX work in
E-TTL-2 mode with the 20D?).

-Dave

According to Canon, older EX flashes will accommodate E-TTL-2, so the 550EX,
420EX et al do the distance dance with the 20D. (That seems to be what the
E-TTL-2 hoopla is about, the flash utilizes the distance info already
available from the lens/ focus to properly moderate the amount of light
available. Something Nikon has done for some time, if I remember right.)

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned ( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?

"imagejunkie" wrote in message
...
"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned
( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took
the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?



I think, sometimes, that the engineers get so enamored of a new whistle or
unexpected bell, that they forget about the features that they already have
at their disposal that actually work!

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

"imagejunkie" wrote in message
...
"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned
( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took
the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?



I think, sometimes, that the engineers get so enamored of a new whistle or
unexpected bell, that they forget about the features that they already have
at their disposal that actually work!

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

Skip M wrote:
"imagejunkie" wrote in message
...
"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned
( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took
the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?

I think, sometimes, that the engineers get so enamored of a new whistle or
unexpected bell, that they forget about the features that they already have
at their disposal that actually work!

Or, perhaps, they had to wait for Nikon's patent to expire.

-Dave

Skip M wrote:
"imagejunkie" wrote in message
...
"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned
( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took
the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?

I think, sometimes, that the engineers get so enamored of a new whistle or
unexpected bell, that they forget about the features that they already have
at their disposal that actually work!

Or, perhaps, they had to wait for Nikon's patent to expire.

-Dave

"imagejunkie" wrote in message
...
"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned
( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took
the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?

That system, fairly common among auto rangefinder cameras of the day,
mechanically
linked the aperture to the focus. It completely ignored how
much light was reaching the film. It worked well in some situations,
terribly in others.

Russell Williams
not speaking for Adobe Systems

"imagejunkie" wrote in message
...
"Everything old is new again" - the very first 35mm camera I ever owned
( a
Canon Canonet compact rangefinder - a beautiful camera by the way) took
the
distance information from focusing the camera (you used the split image in
the viewfinder to focus) and used it to modulate the flash output. This
system worked very well back in about 1975 -- and they're just
rediscovering the benefits now?

That system, fairly common among auto rangefinder cameras of the day,
mechanically
linked the aperture to the focus. It completely ignored how
much light was reaching the film. It worked well in some situations,
terribly in others.

Russell Williams
not speaking for Adobe Systems