Flash or Lens

Hi all,

I am kinda confuse which i should buy first, another lens or flash first.
What do you guys think?
Which is more important? Lens or flash?

I have got 17-85mm IS as a bundle for my 400D. I'm happy enough to have that lens :D

Oh ya, if i want to add a lens, I would like to buy SIGMA 70-200 f/2.8 and for flash I want to buy 580EX II. But is it ok to use that flash for my 400D since when i saw that flash... wow, it's big & my 400D is small :p

thank you.

Btw, here's some of my photo :)

Excellent photos, Drew. The obvious thing I draw from those: none are flash shots.

I guess the question is what you want to do. The 70-200 is going to give you a much wider variety of photographic possibilities. It's not that the flash wouldn't, but my thinking is that you would have to be in pretty extreme lighting conditions, very often, for it to really impact your photography as much as that lens would.

Maybe if you post what you intend to do with either one, or why you're looking at those two items, others can help some more.

As your camera already has a built in flash I suggest you shoot with it for a while before buying anything more. Learn where and when to use a flash and decide if that is the kind of shooting you want to do.

The flash you already have is fine for landscape fill-ins and with some fooling around with a diffuser isn't bad for people shots.

I agree with 26, it depend what condiction your shooting in

If you find yourself doing alot of portrait and people shots, say of family and friends then the 580 EX ll is going to help you alot and compliment your already good walk around lens that you have. That flash is very good, I have two 580 EX ll and the 420EX.

So, it depends if you shoot people and friends/family alot then the flash will give you much better results than the on camera flash.
If you do get the flash, you will also benefit greatly from getting a diffuser to go with it. Nothing expensive needed. I have the GaryFong Cloud LightSphere and it gives me very nice results and not too expensive.

Judging by the photos you uploaded to this thread it seems you are more interested in shooting street scenes and such? If so, probably the lens may be a more significant addition to your gear right now.

thank you guys,
yeah, i prefer to buy additional lens. but my friend in here told me to buy flash first after that additional lens to help me to shot in indoor. and that makes me confuse to choose between lens or flash.

I shot some portrait in indoor too.
here's some example :
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewphotograph/2310947480/" title="Almost On Air by DrewPhotograph, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/2310947480_b2337315ca.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt="Almost On Air" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewphotograph/2276203502/" title="Untitled by DrewPhotograph, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2122/2276203502_b577d3cfcd.jpg" width="340" height="500" alt="" /></a>

i faced some trouble with those shot. I have to use ISO 400 for the first one, with shutter speed about 0.8" or 1/4" i forgot. the second one ISO 400 with 1/15".
I know hand shake will occur with those shutter speed.

So, i dunno, can't decide yet,:confused: