Flash Wise, What's Next

shadowsports

shadowsports

R5 C - RF Trinity
Canon Rumors Premium
Jan 15, 2023
235
181
Bay Area, CA
#1
Flash Wise, What's next?

From a professional standpoint.

The 600EX is discontinued.
The EL-1 is backordered everywhere (@danfaz brought this to my attention elsewhere)
The EL-5 Should be released next month, but doesn't work on R5 or R6 without MFS) (Unless some kind of magic firmware update happens) A big one < doubtful
The EL-10 (rumored) never happened - https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/threads/a-canon-speedlite-el-10-is-coming-in-2021-cr2.39845/

While most will use these flashes off camera, there are going to be times when someone wants to put something more than a 430EX RT on their R5/6, but less than an EL-1

I don't see Canon leaving the flash space. 3rd party flashes cannot be controlled in the camera menus. There has to be something in the pipeline, just not sure what it is yet.
 
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#2
I expect they’ll slowly transition to MFS-only flashes above and below the EL-5. There are used 600EX-RT II units available. My four OG 600EX flashes still work fine.

Canon probably feels most people using an external flash already have one, so the pipeline is a lower priority.

Maybe Canon sees it as a goad to drive people to buy a newer R body. Sucks for R5 users, though.
 
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#4
neuroanatomist said:
I expect they’ll slowly transition to MFS-only flashes above and below the EL-5. There are used 600EX-RT II units available. My four OG 600EX flashes still work fine.

Canon probably feels most people using an external flash already have one, so the pipeline is a lower priority.

Maybe Canon sees it as a goad to drive people to buy a newer R body. Sucks for R5 users, though.
Click to expand...
Very possible. R5/R6 users are starting to ask about it on the Canon Community. "What about us"?

Of course I'd grab a EL-5, I have the MFS, but the R5 folks are feeling a little abandoned.
 
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#8
Some things drove me crazy with the 600 RT II and all previous models of Canon strobes.

I used to have nine 600 RTs and battery packs. I'd use three to a softbox. Invariably, one would get low on power and end up not recycling for a minute or more between shots.

If one strobe in Group "C." for example, was recycling slowly, all the strobes in Group "C" would "wait" for that one strobe. I would have to stop the shoot. Go around to the back of the strobes and determine which one wasn't recycling. Then, since there was no way to tell where the bad battery was, I had to pull all the batteries from both the strobe and battery pack and replace them all before I could start shooting again. I even bought extra battery magazines for the battery packs, so I could quickly pull one group out and replace it with another. It could have been fixed if Canon had either included a power level check in the strobes or fixed the strobes so that when firing in a single group, the other strobes would fire even if one strobe in the group was low on power.

Finally I got smart and converted to Flashpoint (Godex) studio strobes, which were actually cheaper and far more reliable.
 
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#9
neuroanatomist said:
I expect they’ll slowly transition to MFS-only flashes above and below the EL-5. There are used 600EX-RT II units available. My four OG 600EX flashes still work fine.

Canon probably feels most people using an external flash already have one, so the pipeline is a lower priority.

Maybe Canon sees it as a goad to drive people to buy a newer R body. Sucks for R5 users, though.
Click to expand...
I feel like the higher end speedlites will have the new MFS. But lower end speedlites will have the old hot shoe. Also not all cameras with the MFS support automatic adjustment of the LED AF Assist Beam. So the camera will emit an LED AF Assist Beam or the speedlite will switch to Intermittent Flash Firing. So there's a gotcha. So you get a "compatible" LED AF Assist Beam but your limited to a fixed brightness level. Then you don't know if the speedlite will switch to Intermittent Flash Firing. Or if the camera tries using its own LED AF Assist Beam. You can't set which beam is emitted the camera decides. Canon EL-5 AF Assist Beam Protocol .png
EL-5 LED AF Assist Beam Brightness.png
EL-5 AF Assist Beam Emission Method.png
 
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#12
shadowsports said:
Hi Demetrius,
Glad you joined the discussion. Do you think they'll drop the price of the EL-1 to something like $699 and then introduce a new high-end MFS flash?
Click to expand...
I see Canon probably dropping it to $899 but not $699. Canon usually replaces there top of the line speedlites anywhere between 4-5 years 550EX (1998-2004) 580EX original (2004-2008) 580EX II (2008-2012) 600EX/-RT (2012-2016) 600EX II-RT (2016-2023). The previous 420EX and 430EX series seem to anywhere between 6-8 years. 420EX (2000-2005) 430EX (2005-2008) 430EX II (2008-2015) 430EX III/ III-RT (2015-Present). I Think Canon will replace the 430EX III-RT next it will be 10 years old in 2025. The first E-TTL/ EX speedlite was released in 1995 with the Elan II. That speedlite was the 380EX (1995-2000) the 420EX would replace it in 2000. The 220EX the most basic EX speedlite was released in 1996. 220EX (1996-2009), 270EX (2009-2011), 270EX II (2011-2018). The first EL speedlite was released in 2018 starting with the EL-100 (2018-present). Then the EL-1 in 2020 finishing off the top of the line EX speedlites.
 
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#16
deebatman316 said:
Do you think this speedlite will be as good or better than the EL-1.
Click to expand...
If I may, it's to be considered an "EL-1 junior," so technically not as good as the EL-1.

"The two flashes share some key features, including the same high-speed charging circuits and overall flash power. The two flashes are both 76Ws and have the same guide number of 60m/197 ft. at 200mm (ISO 100)."

"However, where the two flashes differ is in their inclusion of active cooling. The EL-1 has a built-in fan to keep the flash cool and let it fire 335 consecutive flashes. Without the built-in fan, the EL-5 delivers about 95 consecutive flashes. The EL-5's full power recycling time is 1.2s, which is 0.3s slower than the EL-1."

Canon announces EL-5 flash: A compact and affordable alternative to the pro-level EL-1 Speedlite

Alongside the R6 Mark II camera and RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM lens, Canon announced a new flash, the Speedlite EL-5. We weren't able to test the new flash last week in San Diego at the Canon press event, but we were briefed about…
www.imaging-resource.com

Price-wise, the EL-5 could be a better bang-for-your-buck as it has many of the features of the EL-1 for considerably less money.
 
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#17
danfaz said:
If I may, it's to be considered an "EL-1 junior," so technically not as good as the EL-1.

"The two flashes share some key features, including the same high-speed charging circuits and overall flash power. The two flashes are both 76Ws and have the same guide number of 60m/197 ft. at 200mm (ISO 100)."

"However, where the two flashes differ is in their inclusion of active cooling. The EL-1 has a built-in fan to keep the flash cool and let it fire 335 consecutive flashes. Without the built-in fan, the EL-5 delivers about 95 consecutive flashes. The EL-5's full power recycling time is 1.2s, which is 0.3s slower than the EL-1."

Canon announces EL-5 flash: A compact and affordable alternative to the pro-level EL-1 Speedlite

Alongside the R6 Mark II camera and RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM lens, Canon announced a new flash, the Speedlite EL-5. We weren't able to test the new flash last week in San Diego at the Canon press event, but we were briefed about…
www.imaging-resource.com

Price-wise, the EL-5 could be a better bang-for-your-buck as it has many of the features of the EL-1 for considerably less money.
Click to expand...
But the EL-5 replaces the 600EX II-RT which was the previous flagship speedlite. Canon made a new "L" grade speedlite in 2020.
 
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#19
deebatman316 said:
But the EL-5 replaces the 600EX II-RT which was the previous flagship speedlite. Canon made a new "L" grade speedlite in 2020.
Click to expand...
Agreed, and the EL-5 launched at a price 30% cheaper than the 600EX II-RT. It does make the EL-1 look overpriced by comparison, and I expect we’ll see an EL-1 MkII sooner rather than later, with the multifunction shoe and a lower price.

For those who need long stretches of repeated flash firing (e.g. paid event photographers), the EL-1 is the way to go. IMO, for more casual users the EL-5 is a better choice. Even then, close to 100 full power flashes in rapid fire isn’t slouching.
 
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#20
neuroanatomist said:
Agreed, and the EL-5 launched at a price 30% cheaper than the 600EX II-RT. It does make the EL-1 look overpriced by comparison, and I expect we’ll see an EL-1 MkII sooner rather than later, with the multifunction shoe and a lower price.

For those who need long stretches of repeated flash firing (e.g. paid event photographers), the EL-1 is the way to go. IMO, for more casual users the EL-5 is a better choice. Even then, close to 100 full power flashes in rapid fire isn’t slouching.
Click to expand...
My friend's mom owns the EL-1 and is a wedding photographer. She also feels like the EL-1 is kind of extreme when the 600EX-RT or 600EX II-RT could do the job. But the Intermittent Flash Firing AF Assist Beam drains the batteries fast. Especially in the the 600EX-RT & 600EX II-RT speedlites. She went through 4 LP-EL batteries at her last wedding. The 600EX series goes through close to 20 AA batteries. The camera didn't even try using its own LED AF Assist Beam.
 
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