Canon 580 EX II Speedlite

Photographers using Canon's EOS-1D Mark IIIsystem will appreciate the 580 EX II's improved water- and dust-resistance that match the professional camera's renowned performance, but those using any Canon EOSwill reap the same benefits. The only difference is that with the Mark III, you can use on-camera menus to adjust the flash. You can't do that with other cameras, but it's not much of a drawback. Other improvements over the 580 Speedlite include inaudible cycling and it takes 20-percent less time before the flash is recharged and ready to work again.

It retains many of the features of its predecessor, including an auto-focus assist beam that anyone who's tried to take a photograph in a dark room can appreciate. With relatively dim light, most single-lens-reflex camera's that focus automatically are sluggish or simply cannot identify where to focus. Parents may know the frustration best from a school play or musical production when the stage was relatively dark, and the camera wouldn't focus so you missed that once-in-a-lifetime photo of your child. With the assist beam, a stronger signal is sent and data transmitted back to the camera. For pros it's also a great feature if you're trying to get candid shots or working in a fast-paced situation.

Properly exposing photographs with the 580EX II is a snap because it supports through the lens evaluation and communicates with the camera instantly to adjust to lighting conditions. The head also automatically detects the lens' focal length-even when you're zooming the lens to better crop the photograph-adjusting to maximize coverage as needed. The maximum zoom lens coverage the flash head provides is for a 105 mm focal length.

The flash head can swivel in any direction and it can be adjusted to several different vertical positions, including straight up. Maximum guide number is 190 at 58 meters. That huge output occurs, of course, when the unit has adjusted itself for a 105 mm lens. The Canon 580 EX II will also provide proper lighting for lenses as wide as 24 mm, automatically.

Power is supplied by four AA batteries. You can expect as many as 600 flashes with a fresh set, or as few as 100, depending on lighting conditions. Recyle times vary from .1 to 6 seconds.

All this performance comes in a relatively small package, too. It measures only 3.0x5.3x4.5 inches and without batteries installed weighs 13.2 ounces.

There's a handy, retractable catch-light reflector that stores safely behind the flash's head. In the same spot there's also a diffuser you can deploy across the light to spread more flattering light, but the head automatically adjusts to 24 mm settings once you pull it out.

The Canon 580 EXII Speedlite can also be operated manually, in increments of 1/3 stop, ranging from full power to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 and 1/128. There's also a PCconnector, flash exposure lock, modeling light feature and it has high-speed synchronization capability. All of the flash's 14 custom features are controlled through an LCDpanel on back, which also has a convenient back light for working in the dark or low light.

The battery compartment door is a vast improvement over the standard 580, which always felt as if it was breaking when it was opened. The unit still comes with the table stand foot, which comes in handy when a light stand isn't readily available or possible.

Under testing the 580 EXII Speedlite worked very well in some wet and cold conditions. Battery life is as advertised and exposures were nearly always correct-even when taking photographs of relatively dark deer on a fresh, white snow.

The unit is Canon's top-of-the-line flash available today that's dedicated for the EOS camera lineup and works extremely well. With practice it was intuitive in function, although it's important to keep the manual nearby because some of the functions are set by multiple presses of the buttons, and with 14 functions-nearly all of them adjustable-it's pretty tough to memorize all of the key strokes right away.

The only "improvement" that has slowed the flash's functioning, when compared to the earlier 580 EX, was moving the switch that changes the unit from slave to master flash operation into the LCD panel. It requires several touches of the buttons on the new version now, instead of simply throwing the switch the 580 EX II's predecessor had located near the hot-shoe mount. The move may have been part of the improved water- and dust-proofing the unit underwent, so it's probably a good compromise.

All in all, this flash is a vast improvement, though, and something every photographer will appreciate having in his or her bag of tricks. It comes with a 1-year warranty, although under some rigorous testing it didn't suffer a single hiccup, so I doubt you'll ever need it.