Canon Speedlite 600 EX RT (compared to 580EX II)

The latest addition to the Canon small strobe is the 600EX-RT  here is a quick comparison with the compared to 580EX II.

1. LCD Display—larger, active-matrix LCD (as shown above, right), capable of displaying a wide range of icons and messages, backlight can be green or orange (I set custom functions so that orange appears when Speedlite is a slave and green in non-wireless and master mode.)
   
2. Menu System—it’s now interactive, the menu options and button functions change based upon the Mode
   
3. Control via On-Camera LCD—able to be controlled via camera LCD on Canon models intro’d since mid-2007.
   
4. Beep—now it’s easy to know when your flash is recycled
   
5. Zoom—range is now 20mm-200mm, a small, but helpful, change
   
6. Radio Wireless—now has two-way radio built-in that provides much longer range and much wider angle of coverage than with optical wireless. Signal will pentrate walls, softboxes, etc. Master will not beep until all slaves have checked in as ready
   
7. Optical Wireless—Full compatibility with optical wireless system used by 500- and 400-series Speedlites (but not able to use radio and optical wireless simultaneously)
   
8. Wireless Activation—Dedicated button to activate and change modes in wireless system
   
9. Optional Speedlite Transmitter—ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter has radio only (not compatible with optical wireless used in older Speedlites), long range and wide angle of coverage, controls are identical to 600EX-RT
   
10. Group Mode—(new with 600EX-RT and requires 2012 or newer model camera) allows for individual control of up to 5 groups. Able to individually control each group: on/off, assign Mode (Ettl, Manual, etc.), and control power functions.
    
11. Flash Power—virtually the same as the 580EX-RT.