topic Re: Flash for Crippled Canons? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Flash for Crippled Canons?

Quiet — Fri, 08 May 2020 17:37:11 GMT

Would anyone have concrete knowledge of whether Canon's or anyone else's flash will operate on the "cold shoe" of the Rebel T7 or its similarly denuded siblings like the SL3?

Canon removed the larger X-sync contact from the shoe thus severely limiting the third party flashes that can work with it. I've asked in many other forums and get a lot of definite maybees. The Canon rep where I bought it assures me even the baby Speedlight EL-100 will operate with it, and the interwebs inform me that 3rd party outfits like Godox have updated the firmware in their flashes to do so.

But I'd sure like to hear from someone who owns one of the affected cameras and has found a flash that absolutely works.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

Waddizzle — Fri, 08 May 2020 19:08:13 GMT

Canon does not design their gear to be compatible with 3rd party hardware. It is of no concern to them.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

Quiet — Fri, 08 May 2020 21:34:33 GMT

More than casual incompatibility, they've actively ensured that these particular camera models are incompatible with every third party flash unit made since the 1930s.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

ebiggs1 — Sat, 09 May 2020 14:02:29 GMT

And that is their right. If I had a company I would not engineer any of my gadgets to work with off brand hardware and neither would you. Besides some off brand flashes can damage a Canon camera.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

Quiet — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:20:08 GMT

Every SLR with a hot shoe made prior to these denuded Rebels/1500s has had an X-sync contact in its hot shoe. One therefore reasnoably expects that given its 50+ years of consistency. Had I not bought this under plandemic rules I'd have immediately noticed it during hands-on fiddling in the store.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

Ray-uk — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:19:59 GMT

Some Sigma flashguns work without using the centre pin, I had what I think was a Sigma EF-500 DG flash a few years ago and although it had a centre pin it wasn't used. I sold it because I couldn't use it with a remote trigger although it worked fine in the hotshoe..

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

Quiet — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:27:23 GMT

Thanks, Ray-uk. I'm just going to keep using my old Vivitar 5600 with the bare bulb head as a slave for the T7's little onboard flash. If I stay in manual focus mode there are no annoying pre-flashes to worry about and I can just pop enough fill flash while the bare bulb bounces all over everywhere. 😄

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kenwah52 — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 21:53:16 GMT

That's ok for your comment. I'm glad you aren't a CEO of any company. But if you are going to remove the 5th pin on your camera, make it public. And also, don't add a flash in your T7 bundle as that doen't work either. I've spent many hours trying to resolve this issue, but Canon has a person by the short hairs on this one. They have lost a customer on this end. Hope you enjoy your fantasy company that makes exclusive products for exclusive equiptment. I am waiting to hear from my complaint filed to the BBB, but in this current political climate, I may as well scrawled my message on a pine tree.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kvbarkley — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 01:08:43 GMT

What bundle? What flash? Are you sure it isn't a third party one? All Canon flashes use ETTL not using the center pin.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kenwah52 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 01:34:18 GMT

Well the bunndles found at both Amazon and Walmart. It still doesn't negate Canon's small and petty removal of the 5th pin. Think about it. My word of mouth from hence will be to steer any prospective buyer to anyone but Canon. Fisher-Price if I have to.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kenwah52 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 01:36:16 GMT

Just one person not buying a Canon is equal to their **bleep** prioritized flashes.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kenwah52 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 01:48:58 GMT

And to the party saying it is Canon's perogative to make an exclusive flash shoe for their cameras, because some flashes can ruin a camera . . . well that is the very "new" attitude you will find with most capitalists. For years every camera had a flash shoe compatible with any flash. Now, without notice, putting out a product in buyer beware mode? Give me a break! When we go down, it will be on account of the Canon's of our world, pulling us down with them.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:44:36 GMT

As stated earlier....

"Canon does not design their gear to be compatible with 3rd party hardware. It is of no concern to them."

Why would they? If you sold flashes and cameras you would not make sure your camera worked with any and all off brand flashes.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:47:39 GMT

" I am waiting to hear from my complaint filed to the BBB,..."

I, also, am interested in knowing whether the BBB cares if Canon doesn't make sure its cameras work with all other brands of flashes. You might try that "pine tree" for some sympathy!

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kenwah52 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 15:06:00 GMT

So the general concensus is this: Canon can, and did, change their flash shoe by eliminating the central 5th pin, so that purchasers of their recent photo equiptment will be forced to buy their external flashes. I'm ok with that if that is the road they care to take, but after making cameras for such a long time, going back to the 60's and 70's with their SLR's that were equipped with a standard flash shoe and then to not advertise or post any warnings to the general public that they had made these changes is ok?

The argument that 3rd party flashes causes damage to Canon cameras falls flat on account of Canon making their pricier cameras with a standard flash shoe. This makes no sense.

My question is why you defend this practice, especially in these days of a very precarious economy? Since the days I had started in the very early years of the 70's with my Minolta SRT 101, I thoroughly enjoyed photography. It was a means that I could express my view of the world. When my Canon bundle arrived, that happiness came back. But it was soon vanquished when I learned it would not accept my Godox flash.

Maybe you are an employee of Canon, but if I worked there, I would hang my head in shame for allowing my company to fail the public in such a way as this.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kvbarkley — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 15:26:15 GMT

Look, it is what it is.

Exactly *2* people have complained about this since Canon removed the central contact point on *entry level* cameras. It is really down in the noise.

We have no insight as to why Canon might make these kinds of decisions. We are just users.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

Quiet — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 16:04:11 GMT

I've found a satisfying work-around is to buy a genyoowine Canon EX flash on eBay for a dime on the dollar 😄

Now I have a great E-TTL flash for my otherwise great Canon camera while foiling Canon's daft and petty strategem.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 17:03:36 GMT

"I had started in the very early years of the 70's with my Minolta SRT 101,..."

Did you make such a fuss when the camera mount changed? I didn't like it because I had way more invested in lenses than you have in a obsolete flash. It was in the best interest of the company. Companies have to make a profit or they won't make any cameras with or with out flash shoes. Things change, things progress.

What model Canon camera did you buy anyway? A dedicated flash sure would be a nice addition!

No, I am not a Canon employee and I doubt any of them hang their head in shame over the flash shoe.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

kenwah52 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 19:13:49 GMT

I got what I could afford. A Rebel T7. I should have guessed with a camera being named "Rebel" doesn't exactly fit in the echelon of Hasselblad or Nikon, but this I say as my truth. If there was a dissclaimer on the ad I saw on Amazon, I would not have made the purchase.

It is a shame that in these days no one hangs there head with remorse. It is simply $$$ any more and to a 68 year old guy, I am just going to have to accept the new 'Golden Rule' which is the man with the gold is the one who makes the rules.

As a staunch left-winger I live for the hope of capitalism sinking like the Titantic as I cannot foresee something so temporary as companies like Halliburton, BP, Dole, and yes Canon who some take land with impunity, some clear rain forest's, some even make systems that are made exclusive and require the companies parts and mechanisms to work. All these things we face but don't care enough about. I do look for the market crash and if society ever gets back on its feet, they will remember that unlike Gordon Geccko, GREED is not got.

Re: Flash for Crippled Canons?

ebiggs1 — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 01:11:45 GMT

Man by 68 I am surprised you haven’t learned better but you are certainly on the wrong forum for a political rant.