The Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash is a bright assistant to your camera, which through its potentials and functionality will surely impress not only beginners, but even experienced masters. Being compact and portable, this device exhibits high efficiency and performance while shooting in a variety of light-and-shadow conditions.
The compact, light enough, and high-efficient Speedlite 430EX II with a Guide Number of 43 (at 105mm and ISO 100) is equipped with a wide diffuser providing the angle of coverage, sufficient for working with wide-angle lenses having a focal length of 14 mm. The head is able to rotate 90 degrees vertically and 270 degrees horizontally. The swivel and tilt head allows to use the flash when shooting in reflected light to create softer lighting when shooting with a flash.
Fast and silent recycling, as well as a full control of the EOS compatible digital SLRs via the camera menu distinguishes the Canon Speedlite 430EX II from its predecessor, the Speedlite 430EX model. The 430EX II is ideal for amateurs and professionals who need versatile flash with a broad range of features.
The Speedlite 430EX II has a number of new features greatly enhancing its flexibility and usability. The time of recycling has been reduced by approximately 20% in comparison with the 430EX. The recycling itself occurs silently allowing a photographer to fully concentrate on his creative activities. A new metal mounting foot with redesigned contacts ensures its reliable communication with a camera; and for quick connection to the camera a new mechanism of rapid lock and release is used.
When used in Manual mode, the 430EX II allows you to precisely set the exposure in 1/3 stop increments. In addition, when working with the compatible EOS cameras all the Speedlite 430EX II settings can be configured in the camera menu. This approach allows us to quickly and easily change the flash settings.
The Speedlite 430EX II is a key component of flash systems for analog and digital SLR cameras. It is fully compatible with the flash exposure E-TTL II system, with which all the Canon EOS modern cameras are equipped, and which takes into account the distance to a shooting object. The Speedlite 430EX II can also be used as a wireless slave tool, which is controlled by another flash acting as a master device. A small size and high power make it an ideal slave flash to create a portable studio with several flashes.
Slight fluctuations in voltage and brightness of the flash may interfere with the white balance in respective frames in the series of continuous shooting. To compensate for this phenomenon there is an automatic transfer of information on the color temperature from the Speedlite 430EX II to the camera. The resulting data is then used to optimize the white balance for each particular image. This function works with cameras that are in automatic white balance mode or flash control mode.
Another feature of the Speedlite 430EX II flash is the ability to optimize the angle of illumination and power consumption depending on the type of an image sensor on a particular camera, while using it with the EOS compatible digital DSLRs. It determines which matrix is used (full frame, APS-C or APS-H) and adjusts its own zoom.
The Speedlite 430EX II can be synchronized on both the first and the second curtains. There is the possibility of exposure compensation, and as much as 9 user-defined functions. There are situations when the automatic mode is not useful, then manual settings are applied. The 430EX II functional is fully customizable from the camera menu. The user has the opportunity to control nine parameters, including adjusting the flash output.
The Canon OC-E3 shoe cord and the SB-E2 bracket-holder are offered as optional accessories for the Speedlite 430EX II flash. The OC-E3 cord, equipped with a lock-and-release system, allows using the Speedlite 430EX II as a remote flash installed at a small distance from the camera. The SB-E2 bracket-holder is used for setting the flash on the side of the camera, enabling you to eliminate coarse unharmonious shadows which can appear on one of the object’s sides, while shooting in portrait mode with the flash mounted on top of the camera. It is intended particularly for wedding photographers and photojournalists.
The Speedlite 430EX II is equipped with an infrared light source making for the fineness of contrast lines, which improves the quality and sensitivity of shooting in dark or low light conditions.
