Canon recalls the Speedlite EL-5, because they can’t make flashes

I use 3 EL-5s and one of RF triggers. Some days, the kit works beautifully and the result and experience feels better than Godox. But 2 of the flashes suffer from this battery issue and it’s really a pain sometimes. Godox works every time but has always had inconsistent flash outputs. I hope this repair actually fixes the Canons because they are incredibly good flashes otherwise.

"there may be a charge for inspection and repair of the product in question for any other phenomena not mentioned above"

That part is pretty funny. Advertising their bad attitude to everyone instead of graciously fixing the 1 or 2 flashes with other problems.

Wow, it’s been a minute since I last tuned into Canon Rumors — sorry guys — but I just saw this post and felt a full spectrum of emotions after reading it.

I suppose the best among them is ‘content’. For better or worse, I was among the first to post about this issue on Canon rumors, and perhaps my having taken that initiative — by seeking the experience of others, sharing my own experiences in a post, and eventually performing a methodical gear evaluation — may have played a contributing factor in identifying the need for this welcome news.

In the past, I have sometimes read on this forum that Canon doesn’t care what we think. Living in a market economy, I don’t hold that view. Moreover, in October 2023, I performed the following evaluation and sent my findings to Canon Canada. They valued my input, understood my frustrations, and repaired both my EL-5 flashes at no expense to me. While my repaired flashes now work well enough to put in my camera bag for paid assignments, I have changed my behaviour in using them, and the trust I lost in Canon's newest equipment has yet to be fully regained. As an aside, I also own and use a Godox flash system (AD400pro; AD1200pro), and to date I've never experienced any adverse issues (or wavering confidence) issues using that gear for paid assignments. Nevertheless, it appears Canon has taken responsibility here, and in my case, have sought to fix an issue that was observed by me and many others.

For those seeking to test their flashes, this was the methodology I used (inspired by some highly knowledgeable people in this forum), because at the time, I did not know if the problem was due to: a) my battery, b) my flash, c) or a combination of both. From this evaluation, I learned the fault that I was experiencing was most certainly being caused by something within the flash, and not the battery.

P.S., My second (control group) flash eventually became faulty a few months later, yet at the time of my first evaluation, it was working OK. So, whatever the issue was, in some cases it immediately impacts the flash unit, while in other cases it derives over time, or as some have claimed, not at all.

P.S.S., I regret not having shared this data earlier with you, as some life events impacted the ambition. Yet, I did share it with Canon, and with content perhaps it helped move the needle for everyone. A big thanks to the people who also run and positively contribute to this forum — having a place to share and learn from others with similar gear can make a difference.




The data in this table sought to see if the issue was with my flash

The data in this table sought to see if the issue was with my battery
* Battery placed in both flashes for gathering unique information, then removed.

miraculum magnum said:

It is not a good way to promote one company, others like Profoto offer also good flashes. I do not think you are paid, so better to stay neutral.

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Honestly, I enjoy and value when people on this forum state their opinions and make recommendations about products they're using, especially when they're not being paid for. That´s just an honest opinion and I believe everybody should have them. What you do about it, is up to you. Please don´t tell others not to state their opinion because you think there is a different/ better option or a an option is left out of the conversation. If you think profoto flashes are great, please state why. I for myself, will value it if there is merit to it. BTW, I don´t like my Canon 430 EX flash, so I´d gladly consider profoto and Godox in the future.

I had great experiences with other peoples opinions here because I found and bought excellent lenses that people on this forum gave me their honest opinion about it. I´d have never even consider purchasing the RF 100-400mm if it wasn't for three people on this forum and that lens is great (thanks again!!!). So please people, continue to voice your opinions (but also state if you're being paid for them, of course).

Furthermore, in my life I base a loooooot of purchases on my friends and families opinion and their experiences with certain products. It basically the only source (besides some forums maybe) where you get real, not by companies influenced opinions without them being bought by anybody.

I do take issue with a lot of (or basically all with some few exemptions) YouTubers promoting gear. I'll state various reasons, please keep in mind I also mean "some" of them, although there are "reviewers" who seem to check all boxes.

First of, a lot of them are paid or profit in a different way from the company.
Secondly, some just state the obvious (soooo, let's look at length of this lens... it is quite small and compact... I love it...)
In addition, there are those who really don´t know what they're talking about...so bad, that an amateur like me will recognize it.
A lot of them make stupid suggestions because they don´t get what a certain lens is about. Latest example RF 28-70mm --> it is not wide enough, I wish it was wider... it is not long enough... I wish it would have an L designation...
Lastly, some make absolutely vage recommendations like: "I see a lot of people buying this lens, but it is up to you if you need it".

In the end, you could easily relabel a lot of reviews just as "adds". Why I am stating this and bothering with it? To show why I appreciate honest opinions on this forum!

When it comes to on-camera flash units, it really is hard to beat the offerings from Godox/Flashpoint when you consider value. The built-in R2 wireless trigger system makes them so incredibly useful that I can’t see myself using any other brand…and I formerly worked under a sponsorship with a lighting company and got free products - I still used my own money for Flashpoint and eventually abandoned them because they simply had an inferior product they refused to improve upon it. The fact is, you have loads of on-camera flash options, smaller 100w/s strobe that’s smaller than a can of Coke, a 200w/s small strobe that’s works flawlessly, a 300w/s strobe with compact modifier mount that can be converted to Bowens, and 400w/s and 600w/s strobes. These are all battery powered with reliable, modern batteries. My only major complaint is that they keep changing the charging plugs for their 400-600w/s strobes and don’t mark them. I’ve accidentally flown with an incorrect charger before and it was wildly annoying. haha

It seems that my 430 EX II will get some more actuations until I might change to something more modern (and reliable).
Just "Meh!"

Canon Rumors Guy said:

I use Godox flashes and like them a lot. Profoto makes great products as well, but I don't think their price/performance ratio is better than Godox/Flashpoint for my use case.

Godox has never given me a speedlite and have never paid me a penny. So unlike the YouTube world, my promo is an honest one. You're free to ignore it.

I wasn't exactly "neutral" with my brief thoughts on Canon's current Speedlite situation.

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For higher end professional works there’s legit reason to go for for profoto and broncolor over godox. Light quality, output and color accuracy throughout power range are things that even the latest godox strobes still can’t quite compete.

The 2 I have are covered by the recall but I'm not really experiencing the the issue to the extent described. After I purchased them in August last year, I did notice that the batteries drained a lot in the flash but the spares also drained significantly while stored. It was lucky that I usually check them the day before they are required, so I have been able to have them fully charged for the few events I need them. The last time I used mine was the 7th and I just checked them now - the speedlight I used on the night is still at 58% (75% at then end of use), the one I didn't use is at 78% while the spares are down to 84%.

bbasiaga said:

I have two speedlights and a remote from Flashpoint (Adorama's rebranded GODOX units) that work just fine, even in ETTL mode. They were cheap, and I only use them a few times a year. I have a 430EX and 580EXII as well. But I got to the point where I wanted flashes off camera and zone control etc. The Flashpoint system was way cheaper than anything from Canon. So far have been very happy. May buy their macro flash at some point.

Brian

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I use Flashpoint a lot (have at least 10 strobes/speedlites) but E-TTL is no where near as precise as on Canon speedlites. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad but at the same time not even close to as precise as on Canon. Especially in tricky situations (like pitch black scene). Even 600 EX RT is more precise than most Godox/Flashpoint units but yes there is a price difference you pay for that.

And all in all build quality is superior on Canon units. 600 EX RT for example can take a beating for years without any damage in comparison to most Godox units.

bergstrom said:

Its really nice of canon to also CHARGE their customers to fix it. Sort of like Sony bricking cameras with their firmware and expecting people to pay Sony to fix the problem they created.

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You really cannot read or..?

The repair is FREE. If you want any other work or check to be done outside of the recalled issue then they will charge you for it. It clearly says that in the notice.

"If the product in question exhibits this phenomenon, we will inspect and repair it free of charge.

However, please note that there may be a charge for inspection and repair of the product in question for any other phenomena not mentioned above."

Read again, slowly!

So what’s the actual process? Do we just contact support?

...and now it's $129 at Canon Refurb. I also find the color and TTL exposure more accurate than my Godox units.

futzy said:

I use Flashpoint a lot (have at least 10 strobes/speedlites) but E-TTL is no where near as precise as on Canon speedlites. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad but at the same time not even close to as precise as on Canon. Especially in tricky situations (like pitch black scene). Even 600 EX RT is more precise than most Godox/Flashpoint units but yes there is a price difference you pay for that.

And all in all build quality is superior on Canon units. 600 EX RT for example can take a beating for years without any damage in comparison to most Godox units.

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I know the FLashpoint works in ETTL, but I hardly ever use the mode so am sure you could be correct about the consistency of the performance in that mode.

I think in terms of build quality, it really depends on if its worth it for what you do. If you're running and banging around then you're likely to benefit from the higher cost of the Canon models, and maybe even a pro-body like the 1/3 series. But for a casual user, or fixed in a studio the value is there.

Brian

ComradYUmad91 said:

For higher end professional works there’s legit reason to go for for profoto and broncolor over godox. Light quality, output and color accuracy throughout power range are things that even the latest godox strobes still can’t quite compete.

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I use Broncolor for studio work and those babies are worth the price tag. Their softboxes are incredibly sturdy, the light output and color is perfectly consistent and once you use them, you understand why they cost as much as they do.

For me, the fact that they can keep up with my R5 in high speed burst mode has made a world of difference. There are some shots that I'd never be able to take without that.

Yes, I could've bought many more lights from Godox, more softboxes, more everything, but I do not regret going Broncolor not one bit.

Canon Rumors Guy said:

Canon seems to have lost the ability to make speelites. The Speedlite EL-1 was recently discontinued and had been a trainwreck of availability for a long time. Now the Canon Speedlite EL-5 has been recalled. Do what I do, just buy Godox flashes. From Canon Japan Thank you for your continued patronage of Canon products.

See full article...

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Well, I just had the worst experience with Canon Professional Services on the EL-5 recall. I read about the recall here. I'm wondering why I had to find out about it on this forum as opposed to getting a notification directly from Canon, but that's another issue I suppose.
I've been a Canon user for 30 years and a CPS member most of that time. I've always had incredible service with them and one reason I've stuck with them through most of my career. I have EF lenses from 14 2.8, through 400 2.8 (50 1.2, 35 1.4, 135 f2, 70-200 2.8 and more) Usually you ship a repair on a Monday and you will receive it by Friday that week. Amazing. I only switched to mirrorless early this year with an R5 & R6 mkII, don't shoot video (except for one client doing some shorts on the iPhone.)
I've have a complete Godox system from the V1, AD200, AD100 & 600. However I felt like the V1 didn't work great with the R5 and I was intrigued with the ST-E10 and several reviews of the EL-5 that were very positive. So purchased in early August the El-5 and transmitter and discovered the battery problem, having it discharge in the middle of shoots.
Sent to CPS last week (I'm a gold member, could qualify for the platinum) describing the problem and recall notification. Got it back on that Friday and the service detail I received indicated that the "product was examined and it was found that the product performed according to specifications.We recommend storing your battery separate from the flash." It was cleaned and checked, product functions were confirmed. Thank you for using Canon!"

I apologize for the long rant, I have tried both batteries in the strobe and they discharge within 2 days. Why the recall then? I'm about to make a nasty call to CPS to ask that the unit be replaced since obviously this is one of the defective ones and others have stated here that their EL-5 doesn't have the problem. WTF!!!! Any advice is appreciated.

Steve
www.stevejonesphoto.com

Well, as a follow up the second time is a charm. Still a lot of questions and shaky confidence in this unit. Repair order from CPS indicated they replaced a circuit board and no overnight drainage so far. Not sure why they didn't do that the first time....? I see they've dropped the EL 5 price $100 so I'm suspecting they may discontinue it? Crazy.

stevejonesphoto said:

Well, I just had the worst experience with Canon Professional Services on the EL-5 recall. I read about the recall here. I'm wondering why I had to find out about it on this forum as opposed to getting a notification directly from Canon, but that's another issue I suppose.
I've been a Canon user for 30 years and a CPS member most of that time. I've always had incredible service with them and one reason I've stuck with them through most of my career. I have EF lenses from 14 2.8, through 400 2.8 (50 1.2, 35 1.4, 135 f2, 70-200 2.8 and more) Usually you ship a repair on a Monday and you will receive it by Friday that week. Amazing. I only switched to mirrorless early this year with an R5 & R6 mkII, don't shoot video (except for one client doing some shorts on the iPhone.)
I've have a complete Godox system from the V1, AD200, AD100 & 600. However I felt like the V1 didn't work great with the R5 and I was intrigued with the ST-E10 and several reviews of the EL-5 that were very positive. So purchased in early August the El-5 and transmitter and discovered the battery problem, having it discharge in the middle of shoots.
Sent to CPS last week (I'm a gold member, could qualify for the platinum) describing the problem and recall notification. Got it back on that Friday and the service detail I received indicated that the "product was examined and it was found that the product performed according to specifications.We recommend storing your battery separate from the flash." It was cleaned and checked, product functions were confirmed. Thank you for using Canon!"

I apologize for the long rant, I have tried both batteries in the strobe and they discharge within 2 days. Why the recall then? I'm about to make a nasty call to CPS to ask that the unit be replaced since obviously this is one of the defective ones and others have stated here that their EL-5 doesn't have the problem. WTF!!!! Any advice is appreciated.

Steve
www.stevejonesphoto.com

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