Canon Speedlite 430EZ : Review for Strobists

Canon 430 EZ Flash

Canon Speedlite 430EZ : General Features

For a long while in the early 1990s, this was one of the top of the line Canon flashes for the EOS system cameras. Consequently, they’re well built, reliable, and very intuitive to use. I purchased this unit back in 1994, but they can now be found (used) for $25 or less (check Ebay for current availability). The EZ strobes (as opposed to the newer EX) are not on-camera compatible (no TTL, etc) with Canon digital cameras, but they still work as well as ever off camera.

The controls on the back panel are very simple to use. There’s a “Mode” button that allows you to select ATTL, Manual or Multi-flash. The next two buttons (+ and -) adjust different settings depending on the mode. In ATTL, they adjust exposure compensation in 1/3 stops. In manual, and multi-flash, they control the power level. The fourth button turns on the LCD’s backlight,  which is a smooth blue-green.  In multi-mode it also selects the number of flash bursts (from 1-10). The last button controls the zoom, which has a range of 24 – 80mm.  Finally, there is a test button with ready indicators. One of the nice things about the ready indicator lights is that there are two states: when the light turns green, the flash is ready to fire but is not fully charged. The indicator turns red when fully charged.

Canon 430EZ Control Panel
Matthew Gore | Light And Matter Canon 430EZ Control Panel

Strobist Advantages

The 430EZ has good power conrol. It packs a good punch with a guide number in the range of 140ft (ISO 100). That power is then adjustable down to a 1/32, which is a full stop less than the SB-24, for example. Additionally, the control are quick and easy to use, which is a joy in the field.

Strobist Drawbacks

Unfortunately, there’s a big one. After about a minute and a half, the flash goes into a battery-saving standby mode. This might not seem like such a big deal at first. When the flash is on-camera, the first attempt to take a photo wakes it up. However, when it’s off camera, a test-flash may NOT wake it up. Since this flash doesn’t have a PC sync jack (a second but less important drawback), I’ve used it with a “Cactus” style PT-04 receiver which has a hot shoe. Once the strobe has slipped into its sleep mode, no amount of triggering will wake it up; I have to physically walk over to the unit and press the test/indicator button to get it going again. This is so inconvenient as to render the flash almost useless for off-camera work.

The Verdict

The verdict here is tricky. I can recommend this flash IF AND ONLY IF you have a triggering system that will wake it from its standby mode. I have not tested it with any triggering system that does wake it up, and I don’t know if any exist. It may be that some of the more recent pocket wizards will do the trick, or perhaps one of the other brands that makes use of a hot shoe. If you can’t be sure that you can wake it from its hibernate mode, however, I would recommend looking elsewhere… this flash will only frustrate you.

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Ignacio

Hi! What will happen if i put this flash on my srl film Canon EOS RebelX S? Will it fry the circuitry? Thank you!

Jabberwoc

My 430EZ is on-camera with my 350D – it stays on as long as the camera is on. I use it to trigger a Yongnuo 460II and a Cobra 440AF by slave mode and light sensing cube respectively. That’s a 3 flash set-up for not a lot.

Only trouble I’m having is how ambient light/flash works!

cpy

there’s no problem with any camera to use 430ez, and with the new rf603 it wakes up the 430ez…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flickr_ching/

kc

what will happen if i put this on to a canon 450d will it not work ? i dont want to blow my camera up ?

Roy

Agreed that the trigger voltage will be a problem for older flashes, and I also don’t the voltage for the 430ez, but I just tried it on my 60D and it works both in attl and manual. However, it doesn’t trigger any of my other flashes while on the 60D, but does trigger them on my older film slr. Weird.

cpy

With the new YN rf603 trigger system wll wake up the 430ez flash unit..

berni

hey, just connect the withe cable from the hotshoe to the status led –
no more standby, and easy to fix.

Anders

Just a quick note for the many Elinchrom Skyport users out there: The Skyport can NOT wake up a 430EZ – but hey, I just keep up the firing rate and I’m good to go. :)

John

Yep…2.4gHz triggers, like the Yongnuo 602rf, will wake this flash very nicely. I’m using them together now.

cam

I believe the new radio triggering system off of e-bay, the RF-602, has the ability to wake this flash up when it goes into sleep mode.

It is advertised as having this feature for the many new and old Canon flashes.