Canon 580EX Flashgun

Star Rating

First Impressions: Wow, that is dinky.  Having started using flashguns back in the early 1980s (my first real flash was a Metz 402) The first think you notice is that flashgun technology has come a very long way on the last 20 years or so.  If you were lucky in the 80's you had a automatic setting that enabled you to select an aperture and the flashgun would give the correct exposure.

If you were really lucky you had four auto settings and manual with maybe half, quarter and 1/8 power settings. 

With the 580EX there are so many functions that it needs a huge LCD to show them, and a manual the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica to get the most out of the flashgun Actually that last statement is a little erroneous (bloody spell checker wanted to put erogenous) having used the Canon 540EZ and the 550EX over the past 10-12 years or so, the flashgun is simplicity itself to use in a straight forward manner.

  Whack the flashgun on the camera, select the shooting mode that you require, and the flashgun will fire away balancing the flash and ambient exposure perfectly 99% of the time.  Want a little fill in flash, knock the exposure compensation back a half stop or two and away you go.  Doing a car shot, manual exposure, 1/250 F11 and plus 1 stop on the flash will see you right (through normal glass). There are several design improvements, and a few performance improvements that are much welcomed with this gun.  Firstly it is quicker to recharge, by a couple of seconds from empty and the bounce head arrangement is much improved. Mainly due to the fact that the head will swivel 180° in both directions. The Canon 580EX is slightly lighter weight (compared to the 550EX). Switch the power switch to on and the flash is on - nearly instantly. Recycle time is reduced by about 2 seconds.

The 580EX also goes into sleep mode automatically after 90 seconds of no use (The Save Energy power-on mode as with the 550EX is no more). A touch of the shutter button brings the 580 back to life. Like the 550EX, the 580EX Flash's pull-out diffuser panel supports lenses down to 14mm. The 580 now includes a catch light reflector (something Nikon guns have had for a long time). Immediately above the diffuser panel is a white, semi-rigid piece of white plastic that pulls straight out.

Only use it when the Flash head is in the vertical bounce position. A single button releases both the tilt and swivel locks on the 580ex Flash (two different buttons are required to adjust the 550EX). which means that the flash to be rotated and tilted at the same time. Rotation is up to 180° in both directions. The single button release really makes this gun easier to set up and use.

Another improvement is the master control dial and select button. It is much quicker to change settings using this on the 580EX Flash than with the 550EX's fiddly +/- buttons. Both power switch and the wireless flash switches are much easier to use.

In manual mode. Using the control dial, it is now easier and faster to set power output.  Manual flash output can now be controlled in 1/3 stop increments. The 580EX Flash can control and be controlled by the Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash and the Canon ST-E2 Wireless Transmitter. Battery life in the Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash should be longer than with the 550ex. Like the Canon Speedlite 550EX Flash, the Canon Speedlite 580ex Flash includes FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation)

The Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash is the best flash Canon currently makes and with E-TTL II, Canon users can now stop looking at the Nikon users enviously because of the superior flashguns, now Canon has it all, the best AF and the best flash technology. Full specification List

This flash unit, the Canon Speedlite 580EX, was introduced in 2004 and is still a current product in the lineup. The product is a standard hot shoe-mounted flash unit intended for general purpose applications. The 580EX is the current top of the line shoe-mount flash that Canon sell, succeeding the 550EX. It combines the same basic functionality of the 550EX with some small user interface improvements (notably the control wheel), reduces the recycle time, increases the guide number and reduces the size and weight.

Flash metering. The flash unit supports both TTL and E-TTL/E-TTL II automated flash metering (when used with compatible cameras). Manual flash metering is supported, with a power range of 1 to 1/128.

Guide number (power output). The unit has a zooming flash head which moves internally to adjust for the lens focal length. Control over the zoom position is both manual and automatic. The zoom range is from 24-105 mm, with zoom detents (stops) at 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80 and 105mm. The flash zoom function is capable of taking the camera's image sensor size into account if the camera is also capable of transmitting that data to the flash unit. In such a case the flash can adjust its zoom to match a reduced (less than 35mm film frame) sensor size, and so wastes a minimum of light around the edges. The unit's guide number (provided in metres, not feet, for ISO 100) varies depending on the zoom head settings.

At 14mm (with the flip-down diffuser in place) the guide number is 15. At 24mm the guide number is 28. At 28mm the guide number is 30. At 35mm the guide number is 36. At 50mm the guide number is 42. At 70mm the guide number is 50. At 80mm the guide number is 53. At 105mm the guide number is 58.

Auto focus Assist. The flash unit has a built-in red auto focus assist light, with a range of 0.6-10 metres at centre; 0.6-5m periphery. The AF assist covers all focus points of all current and past EOS cameras, whether they have 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 45 focus points. Flash head movement. The flash head can both tilt and swivel and can swivel 180° both left and right with a handy single catch to release the tilt and swivel motions (most tilt/swivel flash units have two catches). The head has a flip-out diffuser panel which can diffuse light up to a focal length of 14mm. It also has the ability to tilt downwards for macro shots.

Finally, the unit has a pull-out catch light panel that's separate from the diffuser panel. Type A functions. Since this flash unit supports E-TTL it also supports certain features when used with compatible type A cameras. Flash exposure lock (FEL) with compatible cameras. FP mode (high speed sync) flash on automatic with FP mode controls.

Wireless E-TTL capabilities, both as a master and as a slave unit. Supports three (A, B and C) wireless groups. Uses visible white light (not invisible infrared) to send E-TTL wireless control signals. Modeling light support when used with compatible cameras. Flash exposure bracketing (FEB) when used with compatible cameras. Supports automatic white balance compensation with compatible cameras.

Other features.Back panel function control dial. Flash exposure confirmation indicator on back panel. Support for second-curtain synchronization if the camera has the appropriate custom function. Support for second-curtain synchronization via back panel control.

Flash exposure compensation (FEC) controls on back panel in the form of a control dial. Back panel LCD (liquid crystal display). Back light illumination for LCD. Rapid-fire mode. Stroboscopic flash with a range of 1-199 Hertz (pulses per second). Custom functions, adjustable by back-panel controls. Save Energy (SE) function, with a timeout value of 90 seconds (60 as slave). Save Energy (SE) override control.

Powered by four standard AA cells - alkaline, NiCad, NiMH.   Also compatible with lithium AA cells. Sports a high-voltage connector for external battery pack. Rapid-fire mode supported with high-voltage connector. Flash foot has a locking hot shoe.

Weight: 375g.

Size: 76mm W x 134mm H x 114mm D.

Custom functions.

1 - Automatic cancellation of FEB after three frames - on or off.

2 - FEB sequence (standard/decreased/increased or decreased/standard/increased).

3 - Flash metering - E-TTL/E-TTL II or TTL-only.

4 - Slave unit auto power off - activate after 60 mins or 10 mins of inactivity.

5 - Cancellation of slave's auto power off - can be cancelled by master within 1 hr/8 hrs.

6 - Modeling flash - available, not available (if you want to check depth of field without firing flashes).

7 - Flash recycling when using high voltage port - use both internal batteries and high voltage port, use high voltage port only. (note that flash needs working internal batteries to run, even if it's connected to a battery pack)

8 - Quick flash with continuous shooting - off or on.

9 - Test firing - 1/32 or full output.

10 - Modeling flash with test button - disabled/enabled.

11 - Automatic compensation for image sensor size when available - enabled/disabled.

12 - AF assist beam off - disabled/enabled.

13 - Flash exposure compensation - use dial and button/ dial only.

14 - Auto power off activation - on/off.