I'm quite disappointed that there isn't a canon speedlite dedicated for rebel 2000. For 420ex it is impossible to set FEC and the wireless function is not used frequently. The discontinued 380ex has no swivel head and FEC. 550ex has lots of functions but costs too much,which i,as an armateur do not want to spend so much on flash. The third-party seems to be better but there's the risk of incompability problem... Any opinion?

-- albert chris (a@b.com), May 06, 2002

Answers

It would have been cheaper just to build FEC into the body (like the Elan) than to add such contols on the flash. I think this is Canon's way of saying that if you (like maybe only 1% of Rebel users) need FEC, trade up. As a consumer, I don't like this approach anymore than having to upgrade to an EOS 3 to get a true spot meter (certainly this could be accomplised in the Elan 7 and Rebel 2K via firmware).

As long as this approach maximizes profits for Canon, they are unlikely to change.

-- Kenneth Katz (socks@bestweb.net), May 06, 2002.

You can always dump flash dedication and TTL metering and go to an auto flash unit like Sunpak's 383. Tilt, swivel, and even FEC once you get the hang of it. As long as you're not using a very wide or very long lens the metering is generally quite good. There are even cheap ways of doing wireless flash with them too. One thing you can't get is high speed sync, but one of Canon's dirty little secrets is that with an auto flash unit, the Rebel syncs to 1/125 sec.

-- Jim Strutz (j.strutz@gci.net), May 06, 2002.

"Impossible" indicates a poor understanding of the E-TTL system. The REBEL 2000 is capable of FEL with the 420EX, so you can make use of substitute-FEC or full-power (manual) flash, if you know how.

Unless it is just another excuse to buy more equipment, like the Elan 7E, which has easier FEC, as well as multi-group wireless flash compatibility.

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), May 06, 2002.

Go through the site by N.K.Guy and learn a lot on EOS flash system. You should be able to do FEC even with R2K. I could do so with some tricks suggested by Guy. Just go through the notes. They are excellent. Read all the 3 parts throughly before using any technique mentioned by him.

-- sajeev (chack74@yahoo.co.in), May 07, 2002.