Canon Announced 430EX III RT and 430EX III

Canon recently announced the arrival of two new Speedlites into their family with the Canon 430EX III RT and 430EX III. The two new Speedlites are multi-functional flash and they would definitely come in handy for photographers in many different situations. I personally owned the Canon 580EX II and it’s a reliable Speedlite for my photography usage! I used Speedlite for events photography and strobist lighting photography too! The Canon 430EX III RT and 430EX III are good considerations for photographers looking for a backup or second Speedlite to complement their strobist lighting system!

Let me share with you more information of the Canon Speedlites – 430EX III RT and 430EX III from the press release –

The Speedlite 430EX III-RT and 430EX III include new features such as a built-in catchlight panel for softer illumination, broader bounce angle range, new dot-matrix LCD and control dial for more convenient operation, encapsulated in a smaller and more compact body. These versatile flash units capture brighter and more natural looking images in various situations such as lowlight interior shots, backlit outdoor shots, and more. The Speedlite 430EX III-RT is a variant that is capable of Radio Transmission Wireless Flash Shooting.

“Canon continues to innovate through technology and these accessories aim to enhance the user experience. The compact Speedlite 430EX III-RT and Speedlite 430EX III packs a shorter recycling time and quick firing to produce natural and aesthetically pleasing images,” said Edwin Teoh, Assistant Director, Consumer Business Marketing, Canon Singapore. “Entry to high-level amateur users who are looking to take their photography skills to the next level will find the Speedlite 430EX III-RT and Speedlite 430EX III convenient to take along and easy to use with its intuitive and user-friendly operation.”

Radio Transmission for Wireless Flash Shooting – a first for the 430EX range

The new Speedlite 430EX III-RT is equipped with wireless flash shooting feature, which makes it ideal for synchronised flash and shutter release for multiple cameras simultaneously. The Speedlite 430EX III-RT has dual functions of both a master and slave unit, in groups of up to 16 flash units using radio transmission. This marks a first for the 430EX range, and greatly expands its capabilities as multiple flash units can be set up to illuminate different subjects within the same shot. In the case where only a single camera is used, the camera’s shutter can be triggered remotely using radio transmission wireless shooting.

The Speedlite 430EX III-RT has the added advantage of radio transmission that synchronises different flashes to simultaneously trigger and shoot the same particularly large-sized subjects from a variety of angles. Through radio transmission, the flashes are much less affected by physical obstacles such as walls or columns, and the slave unit wireless receptors are not required to face the main unit physically. The transmission distance of the Speedlite 430EX III-RT is up to 30m, twice that of the Speedlite 430EX III at 15m.

Enhanced operability with Improved User Interface

The new Speedlite 430EX III-RT and Speedlite 430EX III both feature a new dot-matrix LCD for more diverse display options, easily distinguishable graphics, and clearer text. This new graphic user interface (GUI) allows quick adjustments to settings like Sync, Flash Coverage and Multi-flash group.

Designed with a new control dial, menu navigation is now much faster than before. The Speedlite 430EX III also has a new feature that adjusts light distribution from telephoto shots to wide angle shots. Depending on the lens, light distribution can be set to standard, guide number priority, or even coverage to suit the intended shot.

New accessories to aid in acquiring advanced flash techniques for exceptional beauty

The new Speedlite 430EX III-RT and Speedlite 430EX III are bundled with a bounce adaptor and colour filter for advanced flash techniques. This bundling, a first in the 430EX series, makes for good value and provides a variety of accessories to enable high performance in diverse shooting scenarios. The bounce adaptor helps to diffuse flash light, create softness and even more natural brightness, which enhance facial expressions for beautiful portrait shots. Without the use of the bounce adaptor, light that is reflected off the ceiling may cast shadows on the lower half of a subject’s face, while light directed straight at the subject results in a flat-looking portrait that lacks vitality or a three-dimensionality element.

The colour filter adjusts the white balance of a subject or background to keep the image looking natural as a whole. Photos shot under incandescent light and flash might look unnatural due to the huge contrast in colours of the subject and their background. With the orange-tinted colour filter, the colour of the flash can be controlled to make the shot look warmer and more natural.

Both accessories can be conveniently carried around with the main flash unit within a bundled carrying bag.

Canon 430EX III RT

Source: Canon Singapore website

Improved design for more compactness and flexibility

Canon reassessed and refined the optical zooming system of the new Speedlite 430EX III-RT and Speedlite 430EX III for space efficiency. These new flashes are more compact and convenient to carry around. The head of the flash now has a wider range of movement, with a 90-degree tilt upwards, 150-degree leftwards, and 180-degree rightwards. This broader bounce angle range provides more freedom to capture images regardless of the camera’s position.

The Speedlite now features a quick flash with a shorter recycle time at only 0.1-2.5 seconds to produce more shots in a sequence.

Canon 430EX III

Source: Canon Singapore website

Another upcoming remote control adapter accessory

Canon has also launched the RA-E3, a remote control adapter dedicated to complement Canon EOS DSLRs without the N3 control terminal to use the TC80-N3 Timer Remote Controller. The TC80-N3 is a wired controller that sets interval shooting times for automated shots and is only compatible with the N3 control terminal, available on cameras like the EOS 5D Mk III. The RA-E3 allows the TC80-N3 to be plugged into cameras that do not use the N3 terminal, specifically the EOS 70D, EOS 760D and EOS 750D.

Pricing and Availability

The Speedlite 430EX III-RT and Speedlite 430EX III will be available from October 2015 and pricing will be advised at a later date.

Specification Summary

Speedlite 430EX III-RT

Guide number (Wide Panel): 43 (14)*

Dimensions: Approx. 70.5 x 113.8 x 98.2mm

Weight: Approx. 295g

Multi flash shooting: Radio and optical transmission

LCD panel: 172 x 72 dot display

Power source: 4 x AA / LR6 alkaline batteries

*ISO 100, in meters (Approx)

Speedlite 430EX III