Bower SFD290 Digital Automatic Zoom Bounce Flash for Olympus E-5, E-30, E-3, Evolt E-420, E-620, Pen E-PL2 Digital SLR Cameras

by Bower

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001O882JI
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #85 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Flashes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 20, 2008

Product Description

The Bower SFD290 Digital Automatic Zoom Flash is an innovatively designed flash unit for both digital and traditional SLR cameras with a wide array of high-end features at an affordable price. This model -- compatible with Olympus SLR cameras -- features fully automatic operation and helps photographers fill shadows, add depth, avoid red-eye and improve image resolution.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slave Flash for Olympus ultrazoom, December 28, 2010

By 

Norm - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bower SFD290 Digital Automatic Zoom Bounce Flash for Olympus E-5, E-30, E-3, Evolt E-420, E-620, Pen E-PL2 Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

The product works as expected. I've been taking action photos of middle school/high school wrestling and basketball. My old flash did not sync welll with the Olympus Ultrazoom. This flash does the job. It brightens up these action shots. I normally set the camera on fixed focal range and set the camera on manual settings to avoid flash delay from autofocus/redeye reduction. I also use a handle bracket to attach this flash to camera becuase camera does not have a hot shoe.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great deal for starting out with flash photography, December 27, 2011

By 

Dave Homans (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bower SFD290 Digital Automatic Zoom Bounce Flash for Olympus E-5, E-30, E-3, Evolt E-420, E-620, Pen E-PL2 Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I purchased this flash with the the purchase of my first DSLR camera. Having since upgraded to a proper fancy speedlite, I can now look back and say that this flash was a great buy. Sure, it's plastic-y, there is no E-TTL fanciness and there is limited control over the flash power, etc... Regardless, the flash works very well; it recycles fast enough, and very comfortably provides some of the most important features of a non dedicated flash- it can be easily used off camera with a chord or radio receiver, and, most importantly, the flash head comfortably tilts and rotates to provide bounce flash. With this simple ability I was able to immediately improve all of my indoor snapshots and create some of the most memorable photos that I've taken yet, and all for under $40. It also served as a cheap into to manual flash photography, which taught me a great deal that the more nuanced abilities that I now have with a speedlite.

The build is adequate for the price- mostly plastic, though not so flimsy as to feel like it will break any second. The rotation of the flash head clicks satisfyingly and is sturdy enough. The battery door is inconvenient and a bit hard to slide in and out, but, so long as you are not using this in a regular professional manner, I don't think battery change convenience should be your top priority. The flash has a pretty impressive output; I was able to bounce off a 2-story ceiling and add adequate light to take indoor shots at a fairly low ISO.

Overall, I would highly recommend this as an entry level flash for someone just getting into DSLR photography who doesn't want to invest much.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Value in a Bounce Flash for the Price, November 9, 2011

By 

DesertRose - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bower SFD290 Digital Automatic Zoom Bounce Flash for Olympus E-5, E-30, E-3, Evolt E-420, E-620, Pen E-PL2 Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I take a lot of photos of flowers, sometimes using a black and/or a white background, depending upon the color of the flowers. I was looking for a good bounce flash to improve the quality of the light on the flowers and this one is just perfect. The head swivels enough to direct the light just where I need it go. For the price of this unit, you just can't beat it. And once again, Amazon had what I needed in stock.