Flash advice.....

If you are looking for flash with "just" ETTL and bounce/swivel, both (sigma & Vivitar) should be fine. Though I dont have any one of the mentioned and also I dont use Canon gears :)

I have Bower SFD926 for Nikon and it works fine for TTL and bounce/swivel. It also has Slave option so using my camera built-in flash I can fire the flash off-camera. Few things which I would like to have in my flash is more manual power setting and high-synch speed. To get those features I may have to go through branded route.

IMO if you are just looking for ETTL and bouce/swivel then mentioned should be fine, but after few days/months if you will find limitation from your flash then you may have to invest into something else.

I hope this helps.

I too have a Bower SFD926 (in addition to an Olympus FL-36). It will set you back around $115 plus shipping. I think Bower also sell a less expensive unit, but that has manual zooming.

Thank you guys for the replies.

What about the canon 420EX...I can get a used one for about $100 and was wondering whether this would be a better option as it has HSS, FE Lock and wireless slave.

Buy these, for less than $100 new they can't be beaten. For years they were the flash for learning.

@ Scott... isn't the 285s trigger voltage above the rated maximum of the 500D?

gayan,

At 6-12v it is a decision for you, I have used them on 1 series cameras and they work fine, I certainly haven't seen "beware" or "this flash fried my camera" threads that stand out regarding the 285HV and the Rebels despite the number who I am sure use them. For sure the very old ones could do some damage, but the new ones, the 285HV, are rated by Vivitar at no more than 12v and although the 500D has a max (I think) of 6v, to be iso compliant it should be able to take 30v without damage.

Truth is to work strobes well you have to get them off camera, with the cheap brands you are losing ETTL-II but that is no real loss, so Ebay 602's as triggers are going to insulate you! The 285HV is a good flash that can be part of a future system.

The secondhand 420EX is not a bad choice, but not brilliant, the best bit is keeping HSS, I have six 550EX's, mostly bought secondhand off eBay, love them, they are far more versatile and powerful than the 420EX. Wireless slave on 420 is very limited, it only works if you have a master flash (cheapest being the 550EX, did I tell you I love them?) or an ST-E2, I have one of those too but the outdoor range is dismal and it doesn't have full functionality. Or one of the latest bodies (7D and 60D I believe) on board flash can act as a master trigger. The 420EX, or any Canon hotshoe mounted flash does not have a straight forward optical trigger like the Nikon's do. Trouble is with all this proprietary functionality, it is difficult and or expensive to maintain the feature set as soon as you go off camera, and all strobists go off camera quickly.

If I was you I'd make a choice, cheap and powerful with manual control (the time honored route taken time and time again and an area you have to understand eventually). So 285 or similar and 602's or PC cable off hotshoe trigger from eBay. Or stay within the propriatory Canon system, and take a lot longer, and spend a lot more money, ending up with increased functionality but with huge caveats. Keeping HSS and FEC etc automatic over distances reliably is very expensive. My highly recommended suggestion for that route is to save until you can get 550EX's off eBay, I paid $140 each for the last two I bought but they were a bargain, $180 is more realistic.

Hope this helps, Scott.