Speedlite Fall Down, Go Boom

About a month ago I was in my room moving some stuff around when I heard a big thump. Looking down, my SLR had taken a small dive off of my bed and landed directly on my Flash unit. Unfortunately, being that the mount is this flimsy plastic thing, it immediately snapped, rendering the 430EX Flash pretty much useless.

I spent a little time investigating whether or not it may be fixable. Not only is it fixable, but it can be done at home for relatively cheap. The first step is to order the part online. I actually found a store in San Diego that carries all the Canon parts. Here’s a whole section dedicated to replacement parts for Canon flashes. I ordered the replacement hot shoe for the Canon 430EX, which comes to around $15 USD, including shipping.

I also found this video regarding a repair of the 530EX, which is really similar. I’ve completely disassembled mine based on this video. As soon as the replacement part arrives, I’ll finish the repair, hopefully making the Flash as good as new.