> I have a wedding next week and need something that actually works. What are the best speedlights for this camera under $400? Coming back to this... Honestly, wedding photography is a total minefield if your gear is sketchy. I remember doing a ceremony once where my old flash just went clunk and refused to fire right as the couple was walking back down the aisle. Total nightmare. I learned the hard way that you gotta be super careful with generic stuff because it always fails when you need it most. If you want reliability on a budget for that 6D Mark II, I would suggest looking at the Godox V860III-C TTL Li-ion Flash for Canon. I use it myself and it is basically the workhorse of the industry right now for a reason. The big thing you need to watch for is the battery type. Using AA batteries in a high-pressure environment is just asking for trouble since they get hot and the recycle time drops off a cliff after fifty shots. With the V860III, you get that 1.5s recycle time consistently which is huge for catching the kiss. Make sure you check the pins on your hot shoe tho. Canon gear can be kinda finicky with 3rd party units. I have seen flashes get stuck or miscommunicate because they werent locked down tight. Another solid but more safe choice is the Canon Speedlite 430EX III-RT. It is a bit less powerful than the Godox, but since it is native Canon, the E-TTL communication is basically perfect. You wont have to worry about weird exposure jumps in the middle of the reception. Just be careful with your power settings so you dont fry the tube during the dance floor madness... that 6D II is a great body but it needs a flash that can keep up.

Wedding shoots are stressful enough without gear failing on you. You might want to consider the Godox V1-C TTL Li-ion Round Head Flash for Canon since the lithium battery is a total lifesaver for recycle times. Just be careful with overheating if you're firing rapid bursts. Make sure to get a spare battery too... honestly, I would suggest this over anything else under 400 bucks.

Im 100% with Lindsey about the metal mounting foot... honestly those plastic ones are just waiting to snap at the worst possible time. If you want something besides the V1 that still has that awesome lithium battery, Ive been really happy with the Godox V860III-C TTL Li-ion Flash for Canon. It uses a standard Fresnel head instead of the round one but the performance is top-tier for under 400. I have used it for back-to-back events and it just works well without any complaints. Another great route if you prefer the Canon RT radio system is the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Wireless Flash for Canon. Its a bit of a classic but still holds its own against the big brands for way less money. Just a quick tip tho... if you go the Yongnuo route, make sure you use high-quality cells like Panasonic Eneloop Pro AA Ni-MH Batteries to keep those recycle times low. It makes a world of difference when things get hectic and you need to fire off shots in quick succession. Feel free to ask if you need more info on the setup!

> I have a wedding next week and need something that actually works. Over the years I have seen so many cheap units literally melt their own lenses during long receptions... its not pretty. Before jumping in, I gotta ask: are you mostly worried about lighting the dark ceremony from a distance or is the reception dance floor where you're struggling? The power requirements for those are totally different tbh.

I'm totally with Michaelabods on the power requirements thing... people really underestimate how much juice you need for a big church hall. In my experience, reliability is everything when you're on the clock like that.

• look for units with external power ports so you can use a battery pack
• check if they have a decent high-temp cutoff so you dont fry the electronics
• honestly stick to stuff with solid metal feet because the plastic ones snap way too easy Its way better to have a slightly slower flash that works every time than a fast one that dies halfway through the night. Let me know if you need more help looking at specific specs tho.