Canon Speedlite 420 EX TTL is a winner!
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
The Canon 420EX flash is made to work with all Canon EOS SLR cameras (film and digital) as well as Canon's Pro-70/90 and PowerShot G-series digital cameras, though with older models some features will not be enabled, most notably E-TTL metering (explained below). Even with the very earliest EOS camera however, you will get fully automatic TTL flash metering, even when the tilt/swivel head is used to bounce the light off walls or ceilings.
On newer cameras, Canon's E-TTL system is even more precise, as it will fire a "pre-flash" at a set brightness level, then the camera's meter can calculate exposure based on both the flash illumination and the ambient light for perfect exposure. Of course, the same pitfalls that confuse camera metering with ambient light will do the same here, such as overly light of dark colored subjects, or more often, metering off of the wrong part of the picture.
The most difficult thing about trying to review a flash designed to operate on a wide variety of cameras is that each camera may operate differently, with different metering systems and other functions. FOr example, I use this flash with a PowerShot G3, and the G3 uses its own small white light for autofocus assist. Because the G3 won't focus using IR, the IR light on the 420EX doesn't fire, and the G3 continues to use its own white light. Some EOS cameras do focus using IR and on those, the IR light on the 420EX provides a real boost in range compared to the tiny lights built into the camera body. I don't own an EOS film camera, so I couldn't test this feature.
The reason I bought the 420EX to use on my G3 was the G3's (and every built-in flash mounted close to the lens) horrific red-eye and the harshness of direct flash illumination. Simply put, when the light comes from the same point as the camera, illumination is head-on, which tends to be rather unflatering light, especially for human subjects. Oiy skin washes out while dark circles under the eyes are emphasized.
Bouncing the flash off of a wall creates a very pleasant light that comes from the side and front of the subject. Bounced from the ceiling the subject is simply surrounded with light, rather than hit in the face with it. Either way, people will be much happier with the way they look, and eyes will be brown, blue or hazel, instead of bright demon red.
Of course there are other benefits to an off-camera flash. The 420EX is considerably more powerful than any built-in unit, and since it is much further from the lens, ther eis less chance of red-eye, even you don't bounce the flash.
On the G3 and G5 (and perhaps other cameras as well) there is anohter problem with built-in flash. At the wideangle setting, the lens barrel (or at any setting with an accessory lens) obscures the light from the flash, resulting in a dark lower-right corner in flash photographs. The 420EX sits high above the lens, and illuminates your entire subject. The only exception is when the wideangle accessory lens is used, the flash doesn't know it, and thus sets the zoom head to 35mm instead of 24mm.
The zoom head works in conjunction with your EOS camera. As you zoom your camera's lens the flash adjusts the head so that it either provides a wider field of illumination (and less range) for wide lenses, or a concentrated beam of light for telephoto lenses (and more range).
I'm running out of characters so let me say this:
If you find a Speedlite 420EX new or used buy it, you won't regret it.
Review ID: 10000000011200596
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