robster wrote:I have a limited budget, but I do want a good on camera flash, so I want to purchase the 580EX. If I purchase that, and the ST-E2, then down the track purchase say, a 420EX (for budgets sake), is there not some kind of device that I can attach to the Sunpak to tell it to flash after X pre-flashes?
Possibly, but I couldn't point you to an example.
My own flash equipment is currently a 580EX which is either on the camera hot-shoe or on a nearby bracket (possibly bouncing onto a white reflector to provide a large light) and a remote 420EX (either standalone or on a flash stand with an umbrella). You might not NEED two remote flashes.
I'm sure I've seen them around, but will they be generic enough to work with the ST-E2 firing them?
They might even ignore the red flashes from the ST-E2, but they would have to cope with the metering pre-flashes from the other EX flashes. Note that with a multi-group wireless setup, each group does a metering pre-flash which is measured by the camera, and between these (not sure of the exact sequence) the master unit sends communication pre-flashes out to the slaves.
I hope that made sense
Basically I really can't afford that extra flash at present and want to try and use the Sunpak in this arrangement.
If you can track down one of those fancy triggers, you'd have to compare the price of that with the price of a 2nd-hand 420EX (minus the resale price of the Sunpak flash).
The 420EX and PZ-4000 flashes are the same power (guide number of 34m at 50mm zoom position) so you wouldn't lose anything.