Well, I guess I'll reply to my own question...
I brought the SN600SC through Eachshot on Amazon. It arrived 3 days ago and I've had little time to play with it. Nevertheless, I do have some initial thoughts.
As others have said, it seems solidly built. I've never held a Canon flash. My other flash is a Sunpak 383 super, an old reliable manual flash. The Shanny feels more solid than it.
It sits solidly on the hot shoe flash. The locking lever works well but is a bit hard to unlock... Not a bad thing really. The buttons work well. The control dial is a bit stiff, again, probably not a bad thing. I'm very pleased with the fit&finish, materials, and feel. The screen looks a bit "clunkly" but is very usable.
Based on the testing I've done, the ettl produces correct exposures. But this is my first ettl flash, so my expectations are based on what I've read, not first-hand experience. More to come on this as I gain experience.
Two surprises:
1 - on 2Ti Rebel with a Sigma 18-35, it is notably heavy. Makes me wonder how wedding photographers carry around their 7D's with flash and lens.
2 - I compared its power to my old Sunpak, expecting a noteworthy increase in power. With both flashes on full manual, the Shanny provided no more than a half stop advantage, and probably closer to a third. I thought the Sunpak had a guide number of 120, versus the Shanny's 160. I need to look into this a bit more. This doesn't concern me as I bought it for ettl, not more power.
Very happy thus far. Will have its first real outing next week when I go to Vietnam.
David
