[ghporter]

I'm looking at some very nice Sigma flash units, the EF 530 DG ST and the EF 530 DG Super. They have some great features and are pretty reasonably priced. But I don't know enough about the brand to know if they're worth looking at. I'd appreciate hearing about them, and what experience people have had with them.

[ctt1wbw]

Funny you should bring this up. I'm eyeballing bigtime the new Sigma DP2. I've read about that camera and nothing bad, nothing. The reviewers say it takes the best photos they've ever seen.

So about other Sigma products, I'd say it's safe to go with them.

[Railroader]

I have a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens that has recently been not focusing correctly. It is "pre-focusing"*. It focuses about a half foot ahead of the auto-focus spot in the view finder. I'll be sending it in this week for warranty work.

When it was working it was an awesome lens. Doing a little quick research though, I find that it is a common problem on a lot of Sigma lenses.



* I think that is the correct term.

[iMOTOR]

I had an older Sigma lens that broke about two years after purchasing. The autofocus motor clutch wouldn’t mesh anymore, so when you focus, the motor just ran. Add to that the fact it would trigger an error in newer cameras.

A few years ago I got rid of my third party lenses, now I just stick to Canon L series.

[ghporter]

I had thought to look at Vivitar flashes because the one I have for my Canon A1 (yeah, it's that old) is a Vivitar with a Canon data adapter. The problem is that the current flash is indeed "that old," and doesn't properly talk to my EOS XTi. So while shopping around for third party flashes, Sigma showed up-along with their lenses. Right now the Canon 18-55mm lens that came with the camera is doing a fine job, but lighting is a major pain. How about suggestions for a third party flash, whether a Sigma or not?

[Railroader]

Metz

I have one and I love it.

EDIT: I also have a Canon 430 and love it too. Do not skimp on flashes.

[Eug]

My Sigma Canon EF mount lens wouldn't work on newer Canon bodies. It was a lower end lens and out of warranty, so I couldn't get the lens firmware updated either. ie. It became a doorstop just because I upgraded my camera body.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Metz

I have one and I love it.

EDIT: I also have a Canon 430 and love it too. Do not skimp on flashes.

I have to strike a balance between "I need a flash I can afford," "I need to learn how to use a decent flash with my camera," and "I don't have a pile of cash." I was thinking of a third-party flash as a sort of training aid, one that would become a backup or get tied to a slave trigger (or both) once I can afford to get a Speedlight. So I'm not so much planning on "skimping" on a flash as planning on getting one I can use now to learn on. Metz units look great, but they're quite pricey, even moreso than Canon's own flashes.

Maybe I'm looking for a "starter" flash, like some people look for "starter" homes...

[Oisín]

Though I haven’t used one myself, I’ve heard good things about the LumoPro LP 120, and it’s quite cheap ($120).

The site I linked to (MPEX/Midwest Photo Exchange) are really good people, too.

[ghporter]

I just wandered around BestBuy and had a revelation. A Canon Speedlight 430 is regularly priced there at less than $350, WAY less than I expected. My pricing priorities can be adjusted from "I can afford around $250 now" to "I can afford around $350 in a month or so", so I guess going for a "starter flash" isn't such a big issue at all.

I've seen Lumo products before and they seem to be quite solid, but they tend to lean heavily on manual operation. I won't be ready for that sort of thing until I can feel competent with an automatic flash. Maybe that's backwards thinking.

[iMOTOR]

I would recommend an older Canon 380EX flash if you can find one for around $75, it’s a great flash if you want something real simple.