Get Intuitive Controls on Digital Photography Using Canon Speedlite 580EX II

Released in August 2004, Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash is designed for EOS system photographers. This new Canon camera flash system replaces the popular Speedlite 550EX model from Canon.

Featuring a more powerful flash with a maximum guide number of 58/191 at ISO 100 in meters/feet (at 105mm focal length), the new Speedlite 580EX Flash also offers enhanced controls.

Like most Canon lens products, the Speedlite 580EX flash is designed from the ground up to maximize digital photography experience. It yields greater performance and features a more comfortable and easy-to-use interface than its predecessors. Compared to other Canon camera speedlites, the Speedlite 580EX Flash is smaller and lighter too.

The Speedlite 580EX flash is compatible with Canon’s Evaluative Through The Lens (E-TTL II) auto exposure technology. When combined with a compatible Canon camera, the E-TTL II produces accurate flash exposure regardless of the size of the subject, reflectance or photographic composition. For this reason, the Speedlite 580EX flash is considered as a great Canon camera product for photographers who shoot high contrast or reflective subjects.

The Speedlite 580EX flash is compatible with all film and digital EOS cameras in addition to the G-series and Pro-1 PowerShot digital cameras. For digital SLR users this Canon camera offers the ability to auto-compensate for the size of the CMOS sensor. It also zooms the flash head automatically to match the effective focal length conversion. As a result, the Speedlite 580EX flash can maximize the light distribution ability to produce more flashes.

When used with the EOS 20D or 1D Mark II digital SLR cameras, Speedlite 580EX flash Canon lens makes fine adjustments to auto white balance by electronically monitoring the battery charge level and the duration of each flash burst, yielding consistently accurate color for each shot.

This new Canon lens also features the ability to reduce the full-power recycling time by about 25 percent, while increasing the maximum Guide Number power rating by about 50 percent.