Home > Consumer Reviews > Precision Design DSLR300 Universal High Power Auto Flash with Zoom/Bounce/Swivel Head for Canon Rebel XT XTi XS XSi EOS 30D 40D 50D 5D SLR Cameras
Precision Design DSLR300 Universal High Power Auto Flash with Zoom/Bounce/Swivel Head for Canon Rebel XT XTi XS XSi EOS 30D 40D 50D 5D SLR Cameras
See it at Amazon.com for $49.95Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
Not as flexible as you might think
(3 out of 5) by Charles Lyons, Ph.D. on Jun 10, 2009 (Houston, Texas)I found this flash disappointing. I am not a professional photographer but I am experienced and have owned Cannon SLR's and done some medium format photography. To the positive it does tilt, swivel and the flash head does have a 4 position zoom shroud. It has an auto sensor that is designed to adjust the power of the flash. It comes with a PC cord which the instructions indicate, "is NOT required for normal use," (their emphasis.)
As to the negative, the only link in the mount from the flash to the camera, a Canon Rebel XS, is just for the purpose of firing the flash. The instructions direct you to set the camera to manual exposure control, adjust the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second, ISO speed to 200 and the lens aperture to F4. You can pretty well forget action shots at 1/60th. Also, in practice I found that the flash was firing so strong that skin tones seemed bleached. In addition the cycle time of the flash with fresh batteries, based on the manufacturer's instructions, is 1 - 6 seconds. Again no action shots, certainly you will lose a quick follow-up shot. In practice the cycle time seems just over a second with fully charged batteries.
The flash can be used but only within limited guidelines. The DSLR300 was specified for this model camera and yet is not receiving the data from the camera. The two do not work in harmony together. I don't mind shooting in manual, in truth I prefer the control. What I don't like is knowing that the camera and flash are not communicating fully. The flash is holding the performance of the camera back since it can only function in restrictive capacities. You can aim it where you want but after that the camera (and photographer) will be doing the serious work of trying to compensate for the limitations of the flash.
I recognize that this is not an expensive flash and it would not be fare to expect it to perform on the same level as the Canon Speedlite 430EX II. However, when you advertise that it is designed to perform on the Canon platform I expect full functionality. If they advertised the limitations so the consumer can make an informed choice I would not have had an issue.
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
As to the negative, the only link in the mount from the flash to the camera, a Canon Rebel XS, is just for the purpose of firing the flash. The instructions direct you to set the camera to manual exposure control, adjust the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second, ISO speed to 200 and the lens aperture to F4. You can pretty well forget action shots at 1/60th. Also, in practice I found that the flash was firing so strong that skin tones seemed bleached. In addition the cycle time of the flash with fresh batteries, based on the manufacturer's instructions, is 1 - 6 seconds. Again no action shots, certainly you will lose a quick follow-up shot. In practice the cycle time seems just over a second with fully charged batteries.
The flash can be used but only within limited guidelines. The DSLR300 was specified for this model camera and yet is not receiving the data from the camera. The two do not work in harmony together. I don't mind shooting in manual, in truth I prefer the control. What I don't like is knowing that the camera and flash are not communicating fully. The flash is holding the performance of the camera back since it can only function in restrictive capacities. You can aim it where you want but after that the camera (and photographer) will be doing the serious work of trying to compensate for the limitations of the flash.
I recognize that this is not an expensive flash and it would not be fare to expect it to perform on the same level as the Canon Speedlite 430EX II. However, when you advertise that it is designed to perform on the Canon platform I expect full functionality. If they advertised the limitations so the consumer can make an informed choice I would not have had an issue.
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Does the job for a Great Price!
(5 out of 5) by Tina V on Apr 29, 2009 (Twin Cities, MN USA)This product does a great job. I love that it can do a 360 which is super helpful when I take veritcal photos. The lighting is more equal that way, rather than it being only one direction. Delivery and packaging was fine, everything came in one pc. :) I would recommend this product for starters and plan to order thru this co. again.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Great flash for the price
(4 out of 5) by Jason Rubo on Nov 9, 2009 (Chicago)I recently purchased this flash for my Canon Rebel XS and was a little worried about buying a flash that didnt have the Canon name on it, but when I looked at the price difference between the Canon 430 and this, I decided I would try this out. So far, I am quite impressed with the flash. The flash level seems bright but not too bright and with a omnibounce diffuser on it, it takes great pictures in low light settings. The reason I gave this a four rather than a five is that it does have a little bit of a cheap plastic feel to it and since it is not a Canon, you can not do as much adjusting with the flash inside the camera. Overall great product, especially for those on a budget, need a spare flash, or just starting in the DSLR world.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Bright bang for the buck
(5 out of 5) by Lech Naumovich on Oct 29, 2009Great value for this product. I've been using it for about 4 months and can confidently recommend it. Bright, with new batteries (rechargables) recycle time was 1 s. Simple functions, lightweight and stellar with a soft box. Great as an off camera flash too.
Look, if you want to compare a $500 Canon Speedlite to this $50 product you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't see Motor Trend comparing an Acura with a Yugo. But if you want a great intro flash to learn about strobes then you can't beat this deal.
Look, if you want to compare a $500 Canon Speedlite to this $50 product you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't see Motor Trend comparing an Acura with a Yugo. But if you want a great intro flash to learn about strobes then you can't beat this deal.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Precision Flash
(3 out of 5) by W. J. Roberts on Sep 19, 2009 (Los Angeles)For the price, this flash is fine for simpler projects. The multi directional swivel capability is great. It locks and releases easily onto my Canon 350D. I used it for portrait session and it was cool. When I attempted to move around with it and shoot more spontaneously, the flash reset proved to be rather slow and cause me to miss an important shot -- no rapid fire. Make sure to replace batteries often, because the more you use the flash, the slower it resets.