550EX vs Yongnuo YN600EX-RT

[mukul]

Hi All,
Used Canon 550ex is selling ~$125 on ebay which is roughly same for Yongnuo YN600EX-RT?

Can you please suggest which one should be better?

As 550ex is used the bulb life is reduced I think.

I use 600D with popup flash diffuser. Which is
1: Harsh for close range [better than no diffuser]
2: Very insufficient on outdoor
3: And 18-135 with hood casts shadow on ground at wider focal lengths.

My budget is ~$125.

 

[echelonphoto]

I would recommend getting a used 430 exII....great flash...actually recycles faster than the larger units and is better balanced for a small body like yours.

 

[pwp]

I'd skip the now ancient 550-EX for something newer that you can build a system on. In your price range, the YN 600EX-RT would catch my attention way ahead of the old 550-EX which was Canon's flagship speedlight from 1998-2004. So you're talking 1996-1997 tech. It's also unlikely that the 550-EX would still be supported at CPS. Old flashes can be hit and miss. At that age it may have had a prolonged hammering, and on the flipside, an unused or very occasionally used old flash may have it's unique liabilities too. Capacitors in any device perform best with regular use. I've had capacitors go bang in older floorpack and monoblock flashes which had been idle for long periods. It can spoil your day. The principles are the same in a speedlight....just smaller.

FWIW last year I upgraded my heavily used 580EXII's to Canon 600EX-RT's. The 580's were getting unreliable and were going off for repairs a couple of times a year...capacitors, boards & flashtubes. They're not the sort of thing you could ethically sell; I gave them to an assistant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_flash_system

-pw