Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$190.00
from B&H Summary: I bought a G2 system (one of the greatest cameras on earth) and needed a flash that would do multi-flash TTL, or single-flash TTL without redeye, but wouldn't completely overpower this compact camera and defeat its purpose. The TLA 360 was too big and heavy. The TLA 200, which is part of the G system, is to small and causes redeye. I opted for a pair of 280's, which are more powerful than the more expensive TLA 200, and stand up higher above the lens, reducing the chance of redeye with a single flash. I also bought the off-camera cord and a connecting cord, so I can shoot with two off-camera flashes. It's really a mismatch because the 280 is built for the Contax SLR's and its cheesy manual zoom-head settings don't quite correspond to the G lenses (28, 35, 45, 90 vs 28, 35, 50, 85 on the flash). It's three-pin hot-shoe connection with the camera is limited to flash ready, flash on, and flash off, much less sophisticated than the TLA 360. Also, though more powerful than the TLA200, it's still got a relatively wimpy guide number. One of the two that I bought didn't signal flash-ready to the camera, I had to have it fixed on day-one out of the box. Contax was very good about taking care of me though.
The only feature this unit has that prevented me from going with an Auto-Vivitar for one third the price is the ability to hook 2 or 3 flashes together with wires so you have some flexibility with lighting. I'm not sure I did the right thing.
It's a shame because, as I said, the Contax G2, within its limits, is one of the nicest 35mm camera systems on the planet. Strengths: Better than TLA200 because it doesn't cause red-eye when used with G2. Light weight & simple. Can be used in (wired) multi-flash TTL setups. Bounce but no swivel. Second fill-flash tube. Cheaper than other Contax units of similar power, but still definitely overpriced for what you get. Weaknesses: Cheap feel. Was broken out of the box and needed to be repaired. "Zoom head" feature to 28, 35, 50 and 85 focal length is MANUAL: you have to pull out the flash head to a click-stop with your hand!!! Doesn't read film speed from camera or do anything else very interesting. It's mostly a $50 Vivitar with a Contax badge and a fill tube. Similar Products Used: Contax TLA 360. Canon 550EX, 430EZ, 420EX. Customer Service: Good...they fixed my broken brand new flash in one day with no questions asked and mailed it back the next day.
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