Got the 580EX II this morning, was unimpressed at first as I am partial to monolights. I hooked it up with my PocketWizards and it wasn’t 100% reliable, not sure why, probably need a better sync cord between the 580EXII to the PW, I was using the one that came with the PW, I’ll turn off auto-power-off next time too, that might’ve been the problem. They should really make a Speedlite with PW built in!

I experimented with different settings and I remember Ming suggested manually setting the zoom head to a longer focal length while shooting at a much wider focal length. This gives you a spotlight look, which is a lot more interesting that regular straight-on flash. When I was really close to the subject I also had to tilt the head down (it goes like 2 degree lower than straight).

I’m starting to like the 580EX II, I can take spontaneous shots, without taking readings with a lightmeter. With my PWs I can also use it off camera with modifiers to provide higher quality light at an angle… The AF assist beam is badass too, helps AF immensely in low light conditions. Overall it’s definitely a huge upgrade from my 380EX. 🙂

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