Very consistant exposures. ETTL is awesome - it makes flash photography a no brainer. For a relativelt inexpensive flash it has quite a bit of power.

None really - anything more I would want on a flash is found on the 550ex

I was blown away by this thing. I hated using a flash and now I use it a lot, because ETTR works so well. 380ex and the ELAN II is a great combination. It could use a bit more power, but even with a pocket bouncer and a diffuser on it I get enough light usually. And without that stuff the 380ex has plenty of power.

Customer Service

no need for it yet.

Similar Products Used:

Vivitar 285

e-ttl produces great results and has a neat side effect outlined below. not terribly expensive. lightweight.

no swivel. doesn't withstand abuse on a pro level (not that it really should, just be wary).

buying speedlites for canon is pretty much a no-brainer. each flash is designed with a specific body in mind, so if you buy a particular body, just buy the flash that goes with. in this case, the 380 is designed specifically for the elanii and iie. the e-ttl works amazingly well, producing flawlessly in less than perfect situations by producing a small burst of light before the actual exposure and using the burst to read the light quality in the situation your shooting. the nice side-effect mentioned above is that you can see this burst in the viewfinder just before the mirror raises. this way you know your flash went off, which i found to be a bonus in sports photography.

once i stepped up my efforts, however, and began shooting more, two things happened: the battery cover went bad, popping open at very in-opportune moments, and then the zoom head conked out. i've learned recently that the zoom head problem is common in this flash. so if you do plan to take your work to that level, even if you have the elan ii, scrap the e-ttl and spend the dough on a 540. you'll appreciate all the extra features anyway.

Customer Service

no experience

Similar Products Used:

not too many

Great Flash for the money. Works great with the Elan II. I like the High Speed Flash sync, it's very good for fill flash outdoors on a bright day.

No LCD Display and no Manual mode.

Great flash for use with the Rebel 2000 and EOS Elan II series.

Customer Service

Never had to call

Similar Products Used:

Canon Speedlight 430EZ
Sunpak 383

Great compliment to my EOS IX Lite (a Canon rep at a trade show thought it might have been overkill). I love the high speed synch and E-TTL.

It's not fully backwards compatable with my A2 (no A-TTL, second curtain synch. Swivel head would be a nice touch.

I'll eventually buy the 540 EZ for my A2, but this is still an excellent flash for the proper cameras.

Customer Service

No problems so no need to call.

Similar Products Used:

None

Great addition to the 500N. Especially if you don't know too much about flash photography.

No one at this price.

A good flash for the 500N (Rebel G). Although the features are limited, so is the price, so I guess that's fair. This is a perfect companion with Canon 500 N for party, family, and portrait shots. E-TTL works very well for off-centered subjects. High speed sync works for all shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/4000s, making fill flash very easy. Also, 2nd curtain sync provides very creative control in night photography

Customer Service

The best- I don't need.

Similar Products Used:

Metz 24

Easy to use, spot-on flash exposures without any hassle

Little to none manual control.

A very easy to use flash, to say the least. It makes great exposures over and over again, with or without bouncing and whatever you're bouncing from. There is th manual control problem though, although such things can be expected at this price, the off-camera shoe cord is also ridiculously expensive.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Some sunpaks, Vivitar 283

Dedicated flash for Elan IIE. Batteries hold up well. Seems well built.

Flash too weak. Does not swivel.

I am disappointed in this flash. I bought this flash because it was the dedicated flash for the Elan IIE. However, for indoor photography, it has just proven to me to be too weak in power after eights months of use. I did not notice any difference with the TTL feature. I may switch to a Vivitar 285.

Customer Service

With other Canon products, very quick response.

Similar Products Used:

None

Decent range
Good price
Makes a Rebel look "pro" (sort of)

None for my needs

I bought this flash for my wife's Rebel 2000. She uses the camera to document interior design projects. I knew when I bought the Rebel that the built-in flash wouldn't get the job done. She doesn't need manual control, so this is not an issue. We have the EF 28-105mm USM lens on this camera. The flash covers this same focal length range, so interior lighting control is easy - the flash and camera take care of everything automatically. The best feature at this price is the tilt head. Also, you can fool a lot of party-goers into thinking you're the party-pic guy with this flash and the lens hood installed. What do they know about cameras (especially if they've been drinking)! Overall a good value, although it has been replaced by the 420EX.

Customer Service

No experience

Similar Products Used:

Yashica CS240

1) Cheap
2) Good Range
3) Able to Tilt
4) Light
5) TTL

1) Nothing at this price

I used it with my Canon EOS50, and EOS10QD to provide a better and more powerful light source. Very useful for indoor photography with bounce flash. Should be consider as a perfect supplement to the build in flash.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

None

- High-speed flash sync.
- 2nd shutter sync.

380EX badly underexp.:
- For backlit subj. or light b/ground.
- For subj. w/ high contrast (eg. very dark person
wearing white shirt + pants, or vice versa).
- For subj. w/ any light source seen in the viewfinder.
These occurs when Elan IIE camera is set @ exp. compen.
to 0.0 + flash exp. compen. to 0.0.

My Canon 380EX flash w/ Canon Elan IIE camera
fitted w/ Canon EF 28-105/3.5-4.5 USM lens has
ruined all my flash shots until I decided to
create my "custom function No.12" as detailed below:

380EX Flash Problems:
---------------------
380EX flash badly underexp.:
- For backlit subj. or light b/ground.
- For subj. w/ high contrast (eg. very dark person
wearing white shirt + pants, or vice versa).
- For subj. w/ any light source seen in the
viewfinder.
NOTE: Elan IIE is set @ exp. compen. to 0.0 and
flash exp. compen. to 0.0.
Canon designers didn't add a custom function to
switch off the auto. flash output reduction
option as given in EOS A2E/1N/3/IV cameras.

Problem Rectified By:
---------------------

| |
| X | Hotshoe of
| | Elan IIE
| 1 2 | camera
| 3 4 |

- Stuck two layers of paper tape strips to cover
signal contacts 1, 2 + 3 ONLY. Signal contact 4
is NOT covered.
- Signal contact 4 is flash ready + auto.
switches on the 380EX flash after auto-off
(after 90sec. of non-use), when shutter button
is pressed half-way.
- E-TTL LED will not light + 380EX is set @ full
manual output (GN 28/m @ 35mm).
- When 380EX flash is in bounce position, it
auto. sets to 50mm.
- Use flash for indoor shoots only. Set Elan IIE
camera to M (Manual) mode w/ shutter speed
manually set @ 1/60sec. + aper. according to
the table below:

GN 28/m @ 35mm (380EX Flash)

m | 1.2| 1.7| 2.5| 3.5| 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 20
-----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----
50| 16 | 11 | 8 | 5.6| 4 | 2.8| 2 | 1.4| 1
100| 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 5.6| 4 | 2.8| 2 | 1.4
200| 32 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 5.6| 4 | 2.8| 2
400| 45 | 32 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 5.6| 4 | 2.8
800| 64 | 45 | 32 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 5.6| 4

- For user's convenience, stick the above table on
380EX flash head w/ clear cellophene tape over
it as protection too.
- Example for use: if u are using ISO100 film,
focus on the subj. + read off the dist. (in
metres) from the lens dist. scale. If yr subj.
is 6.0m away, then set manually yr aper. to f/4
(not f/5.6 which is effective up to 5.0m ONLY).
Aim + recompose + shoot your pict. w/ 380EX
flash switched on + ready light on.
- Picture Result: Excellent pict. quality
regardless of focal length used (ie. for my
lens 35 to 105mm).
- Battery life: alkal-mang.: 260 shots @ full
manual. Never ever use NiCad or NiMH batteries
(even though recommended by Canon) as it ruins
electronic circuits by pumping large amt of
current into it. Use carbon-zinc, zinc-chrolide
or alkal-mang. + yr 380EX flash will last yr
life-time.
- For outdoor shots do NOT use 380EX flash, use
ONLY partial metering on Elan IIE camera for
best exp. results in P, Tv, Av and M modes.

Conclusion:
-----------
This is how I "added" my Custom Function No.12"
on my Elan IIE camera to switch off the auto.
flash output reduction to give excellent flash
pict. regardless of focal length used. (ie. for
my lens 35 to 105mm).

Pl feel free to contact me if u require any
further info. at: Mr Aji, "saip@lycos.com".

Customer Service

NiCad + NiMH batteries (even though recommend by Canon) ruined my 380EX flash by pumping large amt of current into its electronic circuit. Repaired it locally.

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Canon 277T Flash