I bought this accessory for my camera, a Canon XSI Rebel. I think the Canon XSI Rebel is a great beginner DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera. I have already bought the Battery grip for it so that I have vertical grip shot control and longer battery life. I have taken many great shots with this camera.
The downside about this camera is the flash. It’s horrible: really small, slow to charge and at the wrong position. You have to wait 4 to 5 seconds (which seems like for ever when something is happening and you want to capture the right moment) for it to charge and ready for the next fire. The position of the flash is also wrong as it’s the often the wrong angle at the subject and at the position. There is no way to adjust the built-in flash to really bounce off of anything other than direct head on flash.
This 580EX II flash is the highest quality compatible flash by Canon. This item is made in Japan, not China like some of their lesser flashes.
Unboxing the Flash
First out of the box is the warranty. I definitely recommend activating the warranty.
Next is the instruction manual. The manual is in English, Spanish, and French. This is one of those products where I do need to read the manual. Using a flash correctly isn’t totally straightforward (for me).
There is also a nice padded black case in the box containing the flash and its stand. This case is nice for storage or perhaps travel, but might need additional padding around it for travel.
Initial Thoughts about Key Features to the Flash
- Canon 580EX II Flash is not small. It adds a lot of weight and size to the camera. The flash box is almost the size of the camera itself.
- The flash is also pretty heavy with the 4 AA battery installed. But the good thing is the flash is built like a tank. I feel really comfortable to grab the thing by the neck.
- The directional flash swivels and bends easily. It has a switch to unlock the parts so that it can be bent and swiveled toward the photograph subject.
- There is an infrared transmitter to trigger other flashes, a cool feature I probably won’t need.
- A deflector pulls out from the top, as another feature for directing the light which I’ll have to read about to use properly.
- This Canon 580EX II Flash requires 4 AA batteries. The batteries do not come with the flash in the box. And, I read that these things go through lots of batteries. So, I ordered SANYO eneloop precharged rechargeable AA batteries with the flash.
Super Gadget Guy
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