Canon 580 EXII Speedlite prices.

[Geoff F]

Last year, my tripod fell over, something that goes with insect photography, and my flash was damaged. But I lashed it back together and kept going.

Today, another fall caused more damage and the two parts came adrift but the wires remained attached.

Now, I have glued everything together and it works but the head is fixed in one position. So I have been looking around for a replacement.

Two places which I have previously found to give good value were out of stock but I finally placed an order with a reliable organisation for £350.

However, during my search I was totally amazed by the variation in prices with many outlets selling around the £500 area and one company asking a staggering £1,420 for what appears to be the same unit. But they did offer free delivery!

That company looks fully legitimate and have a surprising 5 star rating. So am I comparing the exact same flash? Is there another vastly improved model? Or, as I sometimes find, some companies will ask a staggering price for common equipment in the hope that once in a while a total sucker will get confused and pay these prices.

ps. The fall was completely my fault, I was watching some insects and had placed my tripod on the side when I thought it didn't seem very stable. So I reached out to hold on to the camera but instead I actually missed and pushed it over.

A totally calm day for once so I can't even blame the wind!

[DanK]

Don't feel bad. I dropped a 100mm macro in a lake while chasing bugs. Worse than a flash, by quite a margin.

If I am not mistaken, the 580 has been supplanted by the new 600. If so, some places may be selling at close-out prices.

[Brocken]

There's often a very wide spread of prices for photographic equipment in Britain. Amazon are selling your Canon 580 EXII Speedlite for £450, but I'd guess that the £1,420 is an error - perhaps intended to be £420. I found recently that a new Nikon D7000 body had prices ranging from £690 to £850. I've never understood lens pricing though - sometimes you can see people offering used lenses for more than the new price, or second hand prices only very slightly less than the new price, but without the guarantee, of course. With more and more camera shops going to the wall - just look at the way Jessops has contracted - I think that prices will become more homogenous when vendors adjust to the reality of online sales, where customers can find the lowest price on offer with a few clicks of the mouse.

[Steve S]

A New 580 ex ii flash cost $469.00 US ,at b&h photo, if that helps. Canon does have a new 600ex flash . Costs about 600 US.

[Colin Southern]

I sold all 4 of my 580EX II's and bought 5x 600EX-RT's and an ST-E3-RT - and would do it again in a heartbeat. Much more versatile & easier to use.

[rpcrowe]

I had my 550EX and a camera with a strap attached on a table. I picked up the camera, neglecting to notice that the strap was wrapped around the 550EX. The inevitable happened and the 550EX hit my tile floor. Luckily, nothing seemed to happen to the flash except that the red plastic window in front came off. I replaced it with finger pressure and the flash works great.

I am not uually that lucky. I lightly rapped the end of a Canon 50mm f/1.8 (not-so-nifty-fifty) on a door frame as I was passing from room to room and the front element came off and I couldn't fix that one with finger pressure...

[Bobobird]

Dropping a flash? Done it. Went right into a muddy stream and came up dead. Home insurance should cover it but that reminds me I have yet to hear from the insurer.....

[Geoff F]

Checking the prices again; I see that the highest has indeed been reduced by £1,000 today.

But that still leaves one company at £727 inc postage and delivery from Germany in 2 to 3 weeks.

I had thought about the newest flash but I mostly use it just for insects and thought I might get a good deal on the old 580 Speedlite which has worked well.

Considered getting secondhand, but they weren't a lot cheaper and for something without a full maker's guarantee I wouldn't want to pay more than half price.

[rpcrowe]

Here in the USA, through B&H of New York City, the price for anew 580EX ii flash is $469.00 (USD) after a $30 (USD) instant savings with free shipping within the USA.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...rch=yes&sts=ma

I don't know how much it would cost to ship to your area (which I presume is the U.K.) or how much the import duty may be. But the currncy conversion is $1.56236 USD to one British pound which equals close to $547 USD at your 350 pound price. I am wondering if shipping and import duty would eat up the close to $100 USD difference in price.

By the way, how do I find the pound sign on a computer? Do the U.K. computer keyboards have pound signs where our keyboards have $ signs?

BTW: I did a quick check on recent completed auctions on eBay USA for used 580EX ii flashes and most of them seemed to have sold for between $325 and $350 USD. That would equate to between 208 and 224 pounds sterling...

[Geoff F]

Richard £££ $$$ It depends on how your keyboard is configured. I did once accidentally set up a computer to work in US format and had several keys operating differently.

When it comes to photographic equipment the £ and $ do seem to be on parity. UK Amazon prices were a staggering £425 to over £500 which I considered to be excessive.

The Gibraltar company which I have previously used would have sold for £330 but were out of stock, possibly because they were switching over to the newer model.

My eventual best buy at £350 was a company which is based in Hong Kong. But they are a large company, with plenty of feedback, which ships worldwide so I don't expect any extra charges or other problems.

Secondhand flash units seemed to be selling on UK ebay for around £250 to £300 which I thought wasn't worth the difference, and hassle. And I'm reluctant to purchase from sources like that after previous purchase.

I'm not sure why, but second class postage from America to Europe usually takes around a month! Quicker in the days of mule train and sailing ship.