My hobby is wildflower photography, but I am ashamed to say I have never used flash with my Canon A1's. I would like to start using it but am rather confused over the selection process. I read in the forum that the Speedlite 199A is dedicated for the Canon A series, but that the 299T can also be used. Now I have read in a book on the A1 that the 500G series can be used as well. The advice I recieved from my camera store was to go with the 299T since it had some many modes and other features such as tilting and rotating head, hihg guide # and adjustable reflector. Any and all advise would be appreciated.

-- Dr. Richard H. Evans (snaver@home.com), August 22, 1999

Answers

I have not tried the 299T. I have the 277T, the 300TL and the 577G. The 277T is fine for fill-in flash with any camera. The 300TL only works on my T90, and the 577G is big enough for outside (landscape) useage.

The Metz 45 CT / CL -4 could replace all of them.

It is as powerful as the 577G, but has the same options on aperture as the 277T, it can be used with TTL on the T90 if you ever switch camera. It has a wide range of add-ons, such as loading from the net?, filters, TTL adapters to your friends Nikon and high capacity battery replacement. And it is built as good as a Canon. I you are going for the 577/533G or the Metz, you might need the 277T or another easy operated, multi aperture flash as well. Good luck.

-- Xyvind Dahle (oeyvind.dahle@kvaerner.com), August 23, 1999.

The other consideration, are you doing macro type photos?

If so none of those flashes will work well unless you have off camera cord so you can move the flash off the hot shoe and point it where you need to. And then all the tilt and swivel doesn't make any difference.

If you aren't going to do any bounce flash, you won't use the tilt and swivel.

And for macro, you might want to consider a Macro Ring light, this is a flash where the flash tube is mounted around the lens.

Also the extra modes with the 299T may not make any difference with your A-1, it doesn't have the sensors for TTL flash and such. The 199A does allow auto setting of the shutter speed and aperature, or slow speed sync (longer than 1/60 shutter speed with flash).

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), August 23, 1999.

FWIW, unless you're in a hurry or shooting fidgety subjects - kids and pets - there's not much advantage to dedicated flash units, and with some cameras a potential disadvantage. The Canon T70, for example, automatically defaults to 1/90 with any dedicated flash, whether Canon, Vivitar or other. While you wouldn't normally want a faster-than-sync shutter speed with flash, it's sometimes useful to use a slower speed than the fastest sync. Can't do it with the T70 and dedicated flash - it's 1/90 or nothing, not even open flash on "B." So for careful work like macro shots you might be as well off with a Vivitar 283 or similar automatic, but non-dedicated flash unit.

-- Lex Jenkins (lexjenkins@hotmail.com), September 10, 1999.

Lex,

Does that include the 199A which has a switch to use auto or manual shutter speed setting?

Fancy meeting you here. :)

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), September 29, 1999.