flash gun for canon 450d

[njg39]

hi, i have a eos 450d which i am still getting to know,i dont have a lot of money to spend but need a flash gun, only about £40. i see you can get a flash gun on ebay for this money but i am not sure if i should buy a cheap one or would it be better to buy a good used one.any advice on what i should be looking for regarding make/model would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[Stormsong]

For £40 your best bet is a second-hand camera shop; I would not buy a second-hand one off eBay as it is not guaranteed to work. However, for just under £70 you could get a Metz mecablitz 36 AF-4 brand new. The only problem with this flash is although it extends, it does not swivel. Thus there are limitations when shooting in portrait/vertical mode. Depends on where you live, but this is a good link to shops that sell second-hand equipment in the UK:
http://www.ukcamera.com/usedcams/index.htm

Other brands that make flashes for the Canon system include Nissin and Sunpak, but both at about double what you have to spend. You could also pick up a Yongnuo Speedlite YN460 which is a tilt and swivel flash, from about £44, but delivery is from Hong Kong and you probably have to pay an import duty on top of the price and postage. It also takes 15 days to get to the uK.

Regards,
Denise

[njg39]

thanks for that, i was looking at the yn460II on ebay but as you say it is from hong kong. i have seen them from the uk for slightly more money. is this a reasonable flash for the money?

[Stormsong]

I have not used it myself, but there are many forums and blogs on the internet where this flash is given good reviews. So it may be an option to buy a slightly more expensive version that is shipped from the UK (and that if it doesn't work, you will have recourse to getting a refund or having it exchanged) than to hope and pray that the one from Hong Kong gets to you in one piece!

Regards
Denise

[njg39]

thanks very much for your advice.