Flash for G2

[martijo]

Thinking of getting the 420ex. Any feedback from other G2 users?

Seems to have just the right amount of features but not so big as the 550.

Also, anyone tried the ST-E2 transmitter with the speedlights? either the 420 or the 550? What thinketh thou?

John

[DWerner]

Love the 420Ex with both the G1 and the G2...

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

[Steve6390]

I have a 220EX on my G2 and have found that it tends to overexpose the foreground a bit for my tastes. I've been happier with it since I set the flash output down about a half-stop. Regardless, an E-TTL flash is a must for this camera.
Hope this helps.

[Wayne]

Hi, I have just today joined the forum. According to Phil Askey's comprehensive review of the G2 on his site, www.dpreview.com, the 420 is the best choice for the G2, but I have no personal knowledge that this is the case. I did notice today that Focus Camera's price on this unit is very low. Good luck!

Greetings from sunny California,
Wayne

[John Ason]

I will be purchasing a G2 shortly and have read about serveral of the Cannon speedlites. Which of the speedlite models are complatible with the G2? Is there any place where I can get specs, size, weight information? This is my first message. Thanks for your help.

[kd6lor]

I have a question for external flash users on G2. When I put my 380 on my G2, I found that it fired and exposed properly, but I could not use the flash setting button on camera to change flash settings from on/off/red eye/automatic. Is this normal for a 380?? Does the 420 do better?

Thanks for reply.

Paul

[Mike K]

The 420ex and 550ex are the only eTTL compatible Canon flashes for the G1 (and I presume the G2). eTTL means that the camera will zoom the flash lens with the camera lens zoom and the G-1/2 will control the intensity of the flash. When the flash is not pointed forward (as in bounce) there is no flash zoom. Other flashes will fire full intensity all of the time. There is much more information on Kevin Bjorke web site, follow all of the questions and links about flash use:
http://www.botzilla.com/photo/g1faq.html
Regards, Mike K

[DWerner]

kd6lor wrote:
I have a question for external flash users on G2. When I put my 380 on my G2, I found that it fired and exposed properly, but I could not use the flash setting button on camera to change flash settings from on/off/red eye/automatic. Is this normal for a 380?? Does the 420 do better?

Thanks for reply.

Paul



Same result with the 420EX. The flash overides the camera. Results are outstanding.

cul de W2QA

[RogerB]

Hi, I use the 420 ex also, and with my Eos 3 and Eos 7 it works great. I to find that sometimes it overexposes the foreground with my G1, But then sometimes it is right on. Go figure!. Roger

[Hans]

The 420 EX is great. There is only one thing I am missing. There is a slave-option, but you can not start the slave funktion with the internal-flash from the camera. What I do is, I have a little photo-cell connected to the foot of the 420 EX. I post this with 45
on a tripoid and than I use the internal-flash from the G2. It works. Canon has "forgotten" to include this option.

But again the 420 EX is great.

Hans

Sorry, my english is not perfect...

[thschwab]

Hans wrote:
...I post this with 45
on a tripoid and than I use the internal-flash from the G2. It works. Canon has "forgotten" to include this option.
...
Sounds interesting.

How do you exactly manage to have the 420EX fired?
Can you please explain in more details?

Thanks
-Thomas

[justincase]

i second dave's affection for the 420ex...love it! i actually don't know how i ever lived without it. the *only* problems (ha-ha) with it are 1) it makes the G2 a bit top-heavy and makes the camera not feel very balanced because the G2 has that slippery finger grip to begin with, and 2) it doesn't match the finish of the G2--oh how i wish the G2 was black! and 3) it's rather pricey (but, i guess no more so than any of the competitors). i would love to buy the wireless transmitter to move the flash a couple of feet off to one side but the wife would KILL me! why does that thing cost almost $200????

[martijo]

RE: the 420EX making the camera topheavy and the ability to move the flash a couple of feet off center to avoid red-eye, etc.

I bought a cable(canon) that plugs one end into the hot shoe on the g2 and the other end to the 420. It will stretch out to about arm's length.

I now can hold the 420 at any angle I want up to an arm's length away, and the camera is not top heavy.

The major benefit to me is the ability to instantly shift the 420's angle just by tilting my hand, without having to remove the camera from my eye. For many pics, I actually bounce it backwards.

The downside is that you have to get used to using the g2 with one hand, since the other is holding the flash.

John

[Mike K]

Since no one has mentioned it, for completeness sake Kevin Bjorke's web site is the best source of information on G-1/2 use of Canon flash equipment;
http://www.botzilla.com/photo/ETTL1.html
Several good links buried within the text too.
Mike K

[haddadlf]

Hi, I used both the 420ex and teh 550ex with the Canon Elan 7e with excellent and consistent results, since I got my G2 (a week ago) I tried the same combo with the 550 as a Master and bounce and the 420 as a slave and direct flash, I had excellent results, I am very pleased. I tried one flash only and had excellent results as well. Both flash(s) are well built and perform way above average, the 550 gives you more control. I had the 220 ex, but ebayed it since it was too limited. The difference in price and the extra weight of the 420ex are worth it. If you want great flash pictures with the G2, you definitly need either the 420 or the 550.

[croptop]

Based on the recommendations here, I went hunting for the 420ex and was startled to discover that Canon doesn't even mention it on their website. I did find it for sale @ www.adorama.com and www.bhphoto.com but searches of my favourite Canadian photo retailer sites turned up nothing. Is this flash so new that it hasn't propagated yet or is it old and discontinued so I should grab one before they dissappear?

John
London, ON

[simmonsrandal]

croptop
i just recieved my 420 ex i ordered on monday from http://www.17photo.com

it was the cheapest price i found on the net. $175 before shipping.

so far, the flash is awesome.!

[Robert Harris]

Hi everyone

I bought a 420EX for my G2 at the weekend and took it to a party. Although I got some good photos, frankly I didn't have a clue how to use the 420EX properly because I hadn't read the instructions. When I did I was amazed to find no reference to PowerShot digital cameras, only 'type A' and 'type B' EOS cameras. Is the G2 equivalent to one or other of these? My supplier (Jessops Bracknell) was unable to help me.

I live in the UK, is it the same in the USA?

Fortunately I joined this forum a few days ago and have just read Kevin Bjorke's webpage which answers most of my questions (see Mike K-11/14/01). Thanks Kevin.

By the way, you guys don't know how lucky you are, we pay as much in Pounds for our kit as you do in Dollars!

Robert UK

[justincase]

hi robert,

yes, it is the same here in the USA...i don't have a clue either whether the G2 is a type A or type B camera...pretty nutty, i'd say! however, the 420ex is a snap to use and i almost NEVER take any indoor photograph now without it. i pretty much always leave it tilted at 75º when a sufficiently low ceiling (12' and under) is available (and as long as it is not too far off white). if i'm shooting closer than about 5', i'll tilt the head back to 90º or all the way back, depending on ceiling height. if the ceiling is too high or i'm shooting closer in, i attach a sto-fen omnibounce EX (http://www.stofen.com/Info/index.htm) to get some more direct light on faces. the omnibounce is only 'okay' in that i always use the LCD to compose my shots and the omnibounce always flashes back in my eyes too and gives me a headache. now, i'm also looking at picking up the lumiquest pro-max system (http://www.lumiquest.com/promax.htm). are there specific shooting situations you need advice on?

justin




Robert Harris wrote:
Hi everyone

I bought a 420EX for my G2 at the weekend and took it to a party. Although I got some good photos, frankly I didn't have a clue how to use the 420EX properly because I hadn't read the instructions. When I did I was amazed to find no reference to PowerShot digital cameras, only 'type A' and 'type B' EOS cameras. Is the G2 equivalent to one or other of these? My supplier (Jessops Bracknell) was unable to help me.

I live in the UK, is it the same in the USA?

Fortunately I joined this forum a few days ago and have just read Kevin Bjorke's webpage which answers most of my questions (see Mike K-11/14/01). Thanks Kevin.

By the way, you guys don't know how lucky you are, we pay as much in Pounds for our kit as you do in Dollars!

Robert UK

[mlfrancis]

I have a new G2 and was thinking about adding a flash a little while down the line. I was wondering if the G2 would benifit from the IR assist on the canon speedlight flashes or would it not use the IR assist? The G2 manual mentions that some of the flash's features would not be supported, but it didn't specifically mention the IR assist. The autofocus of the G2 seems kind of poor in low light and I was hoping the IR assist of the external flash would help. Anyone know for sure?

Thanks in advance,
Michael

[justincase]

hi, the 420ex's focus assist light does not work with the G2 although i did read that you can cover two of the contacts and make it work.

[ahhai]

I was scratching my head over this af assist light issue. any idea where i might find the link or the words that i might use for the search? thks...

issues...

af focus assist DOES NOT work on an as is basis...

also, whatever lens adapter, esp wide angled, renders the on camera flash useless, you'd see the flash masked out.

and is it normal to be having a recycle bin in the cf cards? my 128mb shows only 121mb...

and with my long standing experience of abt 2 whole weeks of using the g2, feel free to ask about my mistakes if you guys think it will help.

cheers.

[ahhai]

I was scratching my head over this af assist light issue. any idea where i might find the link or the words that i might use for the search? thks...

issues...

af focus assist DOES NOT work on an as is basis...

also, whatever lens adapter, esp wide angled, renders the on camera flash useless, you'd see the flash masked out.

and is it normal to be having a recycle bin in the cf cards? my 128mb shows only 121mb...

and with my long standing experience of abt 2 whole weeks of using the g2, feel free to ask about my mistakes if you guys think it will help.

cheers.

[Barry]

O.K., O.K. - the responses so far have convinced me and I too will be spending my cash (and lots of it here in rip-off-Britain!) on the Speedlite 420EX primarily for a wedding I will be doing on the 2nd February (5 days after me birthday - hint, hint)

Barry

[justincase]

congrats on your decision! here are some 420ex bounce flash examples using a lumiquest 80/20:

http://www.siverly.net/yrellag/2002-01-01/

here's the whole thread: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=1984358

[justincase]

sorry for the confusion, folks. i am NOT bryan siverly! i was just posting a link to his photos as a good testament to what the 420ex is capable of at a celebration (he was using the lumiquest 80-20).

[ltdedorc]

Barry,

I would recommend using a customized white balance setting for your indoors shots, the FE camera function, a difffuser, as well as ceilng bounce for landscape shots & wall bounce for portrait /vertical shots. Of course fill flash for your outdoors shots really helps.

Personally I like shots with the subjects looking at a spot just pass my shoulder in addition to looking diredtly at the camera. You can see the shape of their eyes better. You can get the smae effect by standing to one side of the professional /primary photographer.

Good shooting...Harvey

Barry wrote:
on the Speedlite 420EX primarily for a wedding I will be doing on the 2nd February