Speelite 100 discontinued, best external flash EOS T7

[KayJayW]

I received a new EOS T7 Rebel as a gift. I'm new to photography and I would like to purchase an external flash. My EOS T7 has the large center contact pin in the hot shoe. I know some of them don't, but mine does.

I saw one post where someone was asking about an external flash for the EOS t75, and the Speedlight EL-100 was recommended, as well as the Speedlite 430EX-III RT.

The El - 100 has been discontinued.

The Speedlite 430EX-III RT has been replaced by the EL-10. The EL-10 only fits Canon's new multi function shoe and the currently supported cameras include the EOS R3, R6 MKII, R7, R8, R10 and R50 running the latest firmware.

What can I purchase for my EOS T7 Rebel?

Thank you! 

[deebatman316]

Any older Canon EX series speedlite will work. You’ll have to buy used though. What are your needs for flash. Some older speedlites would be the 220EX, 430EX II & 600EX II-RT. Older speedlites released prior to 2007 or released before the original 270EX, 430EX II & 580EX II. Are NOT COMPATIBLE with the in camera flash menu. The camera will report incompatible flash or flash powered off. This is normal and the flash is functioning correctly. Older speedlites were not designed to be controlled by the camera menu. Settings can be changed on the flash unit itself. The flash functions menu will display settings grayed out or missing. This is normal and the speedlite is functioning correctly. Avoid older E, EZ, TL & G series flashes. Those flashes are designed for film cameras and utilize a different and INCOMPATIBLE flash system. Example speedlite models would be 90EX, 220EX, 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 380EX, 420EX, 430EX, 430EX II, 430EX III/ III-RT, 470EX-AI, 550EX, 580EX, 580EX II, 600EX/-RT, 600EX II-RT, EL-100, EL-1 & EL-1 Version II. Entry level flashes are the 200EX series & EL-100 ie 220EX. Midrange flashes are the 400EX series flashes ie 430EX II. Professional flashes are the 500EX, 600EX & EL-1 flash units ie 580EX.

Example picture of what camera displays with an older speedlites not coming with the camera menu. Example speedlite used 550EX.

[KayJayW]

I'm just looking for an entry level type flash. Thank you for such a detailed answer. I'm so sad Canon isn't manufacturing anything I could buy new. Just to make sure I understand you correctly, the examples you listed at the end are flashes that I *should* look for, correct?

I'm curious as to how I would know when a flash was released. You mentioned the year 2007, how would I know if a flash was relessed before that or not? Is there something somewhere on the flash with that information? I am very new to the world of photography and until now my only experience with equipment has been point and shoot cameras. 

[deebatman316]

I’ll simply it for you. Speedlites released before 2007. 380EX (1995-2009), 220EX, (1996-2009), 550EX (1998-2004), 420EX (2000-2005), 580EX (Classic, 2004-2007), 430EX (Classic, 2005-2008). Or you could also Google it too. You’ll be very limited with an entry level speedlite. They do not allow manual adjustments or recharge quickly enough if high power levels are needed. They also lack on flash controls. Newer entry level speedlites are very dependent on the camera menu to change settings. The old 220EX also lacks on flash controls but it doesn’t rely on the camera menu to control it. That speedlite along with the 380EX & 420EX retain partial compatibility to set 1st/ 2nd curtain sync and Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC). Since these older flashes lack a physical button or switch to set that function. They only have a switch to enable and disable high speed sync (HSS). When set to HSS it overrides the camera menu’s ability to set 1st or 2nd curtain sync. With the camera set to Auto you cannot change any flash settings. The speedlite’s on flash controls are completely disabled. All the speedlites I listed are compatible with your camera since you didn’t know which were. Some speedlites were in production for years before being replaced. The 220EX was in production from 1996-2009 (13 years) before being replaced by the original 270EX in 2009. So it was never designed with in camera flash menu compatibility in mind aside from setting 2nd curtain sync. Originally there was a custom function in older film cameras and DSLRs to set that. But in 2007 it was moved into the in camera flash menu which is present in all cameras released from there on. When that speedlite was released only film cameras were available. Canon’s first DSLR the (EOS D30) was released in the year 2000. So newer features in newer cameras won’t magically work with older speedlites that never supported to begin with. Except for E-TTL II being supported. This was a change in the camera body not the speedlite itself. So all speedlites support it. Canon originally released the E-TTL flash system in 1995 (30 years ago). Then updated it in 2004 for better flash metering. This was done in the camera body. So there isn’t such thing as an E-TTL II compatible flash from Canon. All of them support both the original E-TTL flash system and the updated E-TTL II flash system released in 2004. Auto flash exposure is controlled by the camera not the flash. I recommend sticking with a midrange flash for beginners. They usually have enough power and support future off camera use if needed later on. Unless off camera flash work is not needed. A boost in power is very helpful outdoors in bright light and so is fast recharging.

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

For the T7, my vote is the 430EX-II, 580EX-II or 430EX-III RT.  All are affordable high performing mid rage flashes.  Check out KEH.

[KayJayW]

Thank you! 

[KayJayW]

Thank you for breaking it down! 

KJ

[KayJayW]

Thank you! 

KJ 

[zakslm]

KayJayW,

Demetirius has and unselfishly shares his encylopedic knowledge of speedlites and Canon flash photography on this forum.  My guess is he knows more about the subject than most of the engineers and technicians at Canon!

Having said that, a couple of years ago, I was in exactly your postion.  I had a T7 that I was learning to use and having fun exploring it's features. Having used Canon speedlites on an EOS film camera, I wanted an external speedlite for my T7.  After Googling and reading up a bit and asking advice on another forum, I zero'd in on the 430EX or 430EX II - used of course.  As far as I know, the main difference between the 2 generations is the 430EX II could be controlled from the T7's flash menu whereas only flash exposure compensation could be controlled from the T7's flash menu.  Also, the 430EX II locks in place with a lever (very nice feature) and the 430EX has a wheel to tighten it on the hotshoe.  There may be some other features such as the 430EX can only be a "slave" in a multi-flash set up and maybe the 430EX II can be a master or a slave, but I'm not certain about that.

In any case, I came across a 430EX in excellent condition at a price I couldn't pass up. The speedlite worked great with my T7 and still works great on my 90D.  It has features like High Speed Flash Sync, can be wirelessly triggered by the pop-up flash of my 90D and other features that Demetrius has told us about in his posts.    

From a quick Google search, used 430EX & EXII's and 550EX & EXII's seem to be quite reasonably priced (in my opinion) at reputable used equipment sellers like KEH, MPB, B&H, Used Photo Pro and others.  You may want to research the 430EX and 550EX family of speedlites further.  I think they'd work well with your T7 and should be compatible with any other EOS digital camera with a 5 pin hot shoe.

Good luck!

LZ

[deebatman316]

The 430EX series flashes cannot be used as a master/ sender speedlite in optical mode. That was reserved for the 500 & 600 series speedlites. The 550EX only had one version and was replaced by the original 580EX. The 580EX series speedlite had 2 different versions. Many of the features such as the locking mechanism were carried over to the 430EX series.