A dealer in my area has a Canon EG480 for sale for about $400. I've heard that this flash is under powered and doesn't use all the exposure functions like A-TTL and such. Is this true? Is this a good buy? If you use one of these, tell me of your experiences.

Thank You Marcus J.

-- Marcus J. Wilson (marcus.wilson@dtra.mil), April 06, 1999

Answers

Asking if something is "any good" here generally isn't very productive.

The 480EG is "different". It isn't a shoe mount speedlight, it's a an external bracket mount flash. It's "claim to fame" is that it has a higher guide number (68 iso100/m) than the shoe mount flashes. It doesn't have a zoom head (though there is a 20mm wide adapter and a 135mm tele adapter) and it's bigger and heavier than the shoe mount units. It also requires an external battery pack. It's the sort of thing a wedding photographer might use I guess.

If you don't know why you want one, then you probably don't want one. Buying something beacuse it's "cheap" (which this one isn't anyway) probably isn't a good idea.

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), April 12, 1999.

Yes, I would like to use this flash as part of my wedding equipment. I am looking at the Quantum T2 flash and this one. I know this one does not have E-TTL, however it seems to mate with the Canon A2's I have fairly well. Plus it seems to put out a lot of light (very important in wedding photography). I guess I asked my question wrong. What I'm looking for is someone who has used the 480 in action. How does it handle as compared to a Metz or Quantum or the old reliable Vivitar 283? Did you like the results in your photos? Is is truly as powerful as the manufacturer claims. For those of you who have one of these what don't you like about the flash and would you buy another one?

Thanks for your time and patience.

Marcus J.

-- Marcus J. Wilson (marcus.wilson@dtra.mil), April 13, 1999.

Marcus, take a look at my web page. Notice that for many lens focal lengths (24mm-28mm and 80mm-105mm), the 480EG is not as powerful as the 540EZ.

-Dave

-- Dave Herzstein (dherzstein@juno.com), April 13, 1999.

For the price, and the added versatility, I would probably go with a Metz 45 CL, either a 3 or 4, depending on whether the secondary flash tube is worht an extra $60 to you or not. If the ratings can be believed, and they probably aren't too far off, the 480 EG is only a tiny bit more powerful than the Metz. $400 isn't too bad of a price for the 480, but don't forget that you will spend another $200 or so to get the transistor pack/NiCd pack that it needs. I wouldn't advise it, but for about $325 you can get the Metz 45 CL3, and use AA batteries in it. I think the 45 series Metz needs a Quantum Battery 2 or equivalent, which should be about $150, you can also use high volt packs as well. Of course you will have to buy and adapter for the EOS as well, which will end up putting the price on equal footing, but if you need service 10 years from now Metz will probably still be making the parts, if not the same flash. Who knows about the Canon?

The price is good on the 480 (for a 480 anyway) but I would put my trust in a Metz considering the huge number of wedding photographers who do the same. I don't think you would be going wrong to buy it, I just tend to doubt that it has much of an advantage over the Metz, if any. Okay, it comes with a tele adapter, but how many wedding photographers have you seen using one? If you need it, Metz makes one too.

-- Brad (bhutcheson@iname.com), April 15, 1999.