(1) almost 1/2 price of 550EX (2) smaller size and weight than 550EX (3) good enough for many situations that don't require the better 550EX (4) wireless slave function that can be controlled by ST-E2 or 550EX (5) zoom head can tilt in many directions like 550EX

(1) No wireless master facility (2) No built in 17mm wide diffuser (3) No close-up 7 deg downward tilting (4) no LCD control panel (5) too simple

Wow! it is great to use and light to hold. Easier and lighter to carry around than the famed 550EX. At 1/2 price, this baby is good enough for many situations not requiring the many features of the 550EX.

Customer Service

not required

Similar Products Used:

Canon 550EX, offbrand flash

Good Design, swirl base.
Cheap price compare with 550EX. Zoomed head.

Only Auto Exp. no other choice.

I still thinking to get a 550EX, as main flash, and use 420EX as slave will be better choice. A Manual mode should be given if Canon consider an update model. Strongly suggest use 420EX as a slave unit.

Customer Service

Never used

Similar Products Used:

220EX

Power
Zoom Head cover entire range I needed
Tilt and Swivel

None

Purchased to use with a G1 Digital camera for better lighting than the built in. Worked perfectly I used it for a photo shoot of 200+ consecutive pictures and it did not even go through a set of batteries! The cycle time kept up with the G1 and photos look great.

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

Vivitar
Sunpak

Size and weight!
10% smaller than 380EX
AF assist beam supports seven focusing points.

None for me!

I have used 420EX with my EOS300 body for a while and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this exellent piece of equipment! FE lock works perfectly and the AF assist beam supporting seven focusing points has never failed me! Maybe some professional photographers would find something negative to say, but not me! Perfect flashgun for me.

Customer Service

Very good!

Similar Products Used:

220EX, 380EX

1) Fully compatible with most older EOS cameras flash system as well as the new EOS type A

2) Fully swivelling bounch head covers all angles

3) Can be set to wireless slave flash mode with ratio control and triggered wirelessly by a 550EX or ST-E2 units

4) Coverage 24-105mm fully automatic zoom head

5) A lot cheaper than the 550EX but is good enough for many applications

6) more compact size and weight than the 550EX, but quite powerful for its class

7) Uncluttered back panel control layout is simple and easy to operate.

8) Results, in my case, are correctly always correctly exposed, very crisp and evenly illuminated.

9) Fully compatible with other Canon digital cameras such as G1 powershot and D30.

10) very fast recharge times compared to older EZ flashes

11) Can FP flash (high speed synch) up to 1/4000 sec.

1) Does not have master mode for wireless flash photography; it functions only as a slave or independent unit

2) Does not have backlit LCD screen like the 550EX, so you may fumble in the dark a bit to do some settings

3) Wide angle flash coverage is only 24mm, unlike the 550EX which can cover up to 17mm with a built in diffuser panel

4) Unfortunately when used with older EOS bodies such as the EOS-10, the flash AF illuminator is disabled, and the camera depends on its own AF illuminator. This is a problem when using the lens hood, which block the camera AF illuminator so that the camera cannot focus correctly. Lens hood must be taken off when using flash on an older EOS body.

5) Slightly less power than the 550EX but then, it is ok for most situations.

The best buy Canon E-TTL flash unit, fully compatible with old and new EOS cameras as well as Canon digital cameras.

Customer Service

Not required. They might as well be unemployed!

Similar Products Used:

Canon 550EX, older EZ series

Highly automated
Excellent exposure w/Elan 7 body
Reasonable size/weight/cost
Good range (GN about 140 ft w/100 ASA)

Noisy (not a big deal to me)

I brought this flash to complement the (weak) flash built into my Elan 7 body. This flash is extremely well coordinated with the Elan 7, and I have been very impressed with the results I've gotten (very good exposure). So far I've mainly used it taking pictures of cats indoors, using an f/5.6 Canon zoom lens.

Elan 7 combination with this flash is very versatile -- you can set the camera any way you want (program mode to fully manual), and the flash will automatically fire at the proper level. Flash output compensation can also be adjusted on the Elan 7 body, which is nice.

Flash also works well for outdoor fill flash, when the subject is too far away for the built-in flash. I recently took a picture in mid-day of a squirrel up in a tree, about 40 feet away, and in complete shade (under a canopy of trees). The picture I took with the built-in flash was completely underexposed. The picture I took with the 420EX came out nicely exposed and clear.

Customer Service

None needed

Similar Products Used:

Cheap third-party flashes with my old Nikon body

Versatility
Powerful

Not full featured with

Since I have a T90 and an A2E, this let me kill 2 birds with one stone. The quality has definitely be superior to the builtin A2E flash. Although the features are lacking with the Type B body, it was still a good purchase. When I upgrade to a Type A body I'll be very happy.

Customer Service

Not tried

Similar Products Used:

None