Choosing a hot-shoe flash can be confusing. There's plenty of jargon-laden technical specifications, but very few simple explanations of which flash is right for your needs. Today we're going to try to simplify it.

If you are a Canon shooter, you basically have three options at the time of this writing (2010). The current Canon flash line consists of the following Speedlite flash models: 270EX, 430EX II, and 580EX II.

We're going to make the choice simpler by eliminating one of these models right out of the gate. In my opinion, the little 270EX just doesn't make economic sense.

First of all the 270EX is small. It's flash head is near the lens axis, to you get light that is only a small improvement, in terms of direction, over the built-in pop-up flash on most cameras.

Second, the 270EX has no infrared assist beam to help you focus in the dark like the larger flash models do.

Third, it lacks the ability to tilt and swivel, so you can't bounce it off walls or a ceiling as you can the larger flash models. Sure, you can direct it upward, but for a few dollars you can buy a reflector that directs the built-in flash on your camera upward.

I just don't see the little 270EX as a worthwhile investment. If you're going to spend the money on a flash, I suggest getting one of the two full-size models that Canon offers.

Choosing between the 430EX and the 580EX is a pretty simple choice. It's not so much a matter of budget (although there is a $200 price difference) but a matter of how you intend to use the flash.

The basic difference between the two is this: the 580EX can be used as a master control unit for multi-flash, off-camera lighting. The 430EX cannot, although it can be used as a remote slave in multi-flash setups.

So, if you are buying your first flash, or your only flash, I see no strong reason to spend the extra money on the 580EX. I recommend buying the less expensive 430EX as a single flash.

Sure, the 580EX has some enhanced features. Its additional power gives you a bit more range. It has three red LED's in its auto-assist focus beam, while the 430EX only has two. But I don't see the differences as being worth the $200 difference in price, if you are just going to shoot with the flash on your camera.

And in fact, the smaller size and weight of the 430EX make it more user-friendly when loaded on a camera and carried for hours at a time, unless you absolutely need the maximum power and range of the larger flash.

However, if you want to be able to control remote flashes for off-camera lighting setups, then you must buy the 580EX to use as the master control unit.

Once you have purchased a 580EX for this purpose, you can go back to buying the less expensive 430EX models to use as the remotes slaves. Again, there is no need to spend the extra money for 580 models as your remote slaves when the 430 models work just fine in that role.

The optimal setup for the advanced Canon photographer then, in my view, is one 580EX flash as a master, and as many 430EX remotes as your needs require and your budget supports.

You can find a video version of this article at SteeleTraining(dotcom).