Customer Reviews

Digital Concepts Powerzoom 952AF/CAN Flash for Canon Cameras

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have the Canon Rebel XT, XTi, and XSi and have used this flash on all of them. It is very easy use...especially compared to the Speedlite 430 EX that I use on my XSi. I am a semi-professional photographer and an Art professor. I use this for my XT, when I'm at work, both on and off camera. It has a slave flash setting that works well, but I mostly use a wireless transmitter when it is off camera (on a stand with a reflective umbrella). It gives off great, consistent light. The ETTL function is wonderful, but mostly use the manual setting since I use it off the camera. You can change ISO, speed, and zoom very quickly in manual mode. It also regenerates quickly for the next shot. People that give this flash a negative review need to remember 2 things: 1. if you are shooting the flash strait at an object or person, you really need a diffuser besides the built-in one that comes with the flash. I like the inflatable diffuser that acts like a mini soft box. 2. If you are trying to lighten up objects BUT reduce their shadow, you need to bounce the light off of the wall or ceiling. If you are in a room with high ceilings (church, gym, auditorium, etc.), then you will either have to bounce it off a wall OR get your diffuser out and shoot directly at your objects. So in short, the built-in diffuser is junk (just like the one in the Canon 430 EX) so get a soft box diffuser for it and it will be just fine. Remember, practice makes perfect...so get some NiMH AA batteries and start practicing angles, zoom, and speed. Once you know how this flash works and its capabilities, you will be very happy that you purchased this flash.

it is a great product, the item does the work. It may not serve you if you are a professional cameraman but for amateur it does the work. light, this flash also allow to get better lighting that the comparables

I needed a flash for my Powershot S5 IS and decided to get this middle-of-the road flash instead of a cheap point and shoot flash or a full-blown Canon flash.
Having done a lot of film photography in previous decades I was concerned that the TTL metering wouldn't match up well with the Powershot's abbreviated feature set as compared to a full Canon DSLR.
My concerns, I'm happy to report, were unwarranted.

A flash this size with a tilt/swivel/zoom just begs for you to be creative with bounce and diffusion and it doesn't disappoint. I was able to take all kinds of shots of my newborn son using the built in bounce card and various rotations and swivels of the flash head. Throughout my experience the TTL was pretty much dead on with both exposure and color balance remaining almost perfect. The combination of natural, incandescent and strobe light led to few issues with color temperature and the exposure in P mode on the camera very effectively biased exposure values towards mid tones.

This is, of course, what Canon's TTL is supposed to do and this flash appears to play along nicely.

The zoom on the flash works flawlessly when the flash is in standard position and moves through it's range immediately when the lens is zoomed. It moves back out to its widest setting when it is tilted or swiveled out of parallel with the lens.

The build quality of the flash is adequate with moving parts that move through their range of motion without any binding or creaking. The tilt/swivel on the flash clicks nicely through its range of motion and stays put when you set it. The hot shoe is mainly plastic, not metal, which could be a point of failure if you drop it while on the camera. The buttons are small but well marked and the display, if you need it, is easy to read. The unit comes with a vinyl pouch which may be attractive to some but isn't particularly useful for me.

In summary -
PROS: Powerful flash
Seamless Canon TTL integration
Consistent metering
Good tilt/swivel/zoom operation

CONS: Pricier than many point and shoot flash units
Can blow out details of you are too close (as with any big flash)
Not as full a feature set as Canon's dedicated TTL flashes if you're using a DSLR
Looks kind of funny on a Powershot S series that's 3/4 the size of a DSLR...

I've used this flash on many occasions and have nothing but positive things to say about it. This flash is 1/2 the cost of a Canon flash unit and has a swivel head with a diffuser. I've used it in portraits and candid shots. The only thing is I wish it were a little lighter in weight.

This products works very well and seems to be a well made, sturdy flash that has all the features of the higher end flashes.

Received as promised from vendor. I'm a novice photographer and just trying out. The instructions were daunting.

I purchased this flash for my Canon Digital Rebel XTi. Overall, the features for the price are great including bounce and swivel, fast refresh, etc. However, I found this flash produced pictures that were way to dark even in decent lighting scenarios particularly when I was trying to bounce the flash off the ceiling (the ceilings in question are white and only 8' high). The flash produced decent shots when the flash was pointed straight at the subject but that produces harsh shadows which is why I bought a flash that is supposed to be able to bounce in the first place. For walking around and snapping pictures I use an 18x200 lens with image stabilizer so maybe that has something to do with it. I am a novice photographer with a limited budget so I thought I'd give this flash a try. In the end, I wound up returning it to Amazon. I will wait until I can afford something better. Maybe more experienced photographers could make this flash work effectively but I wouldn't recommend it for someone just getting started.

I purchased this flash and used it ONCE before it stopped firing completely. I contacted the seller and they exchanged it for a brand new one. After using the new flash TWICE, it did the exact same thing - except this time it stopped firing right in the middle of a friend's wedding I was shooting. Seems to me this thing is a P.O.S. ... I have contacted Sakar and hope they'll remedy the situation, but I won't trust this as anything but a back up flash in the future ... maybe not even that!

This product for Canon hum!!!!!!......
realy I can't talk, some time it's hard to use.
sometime not enoug light, the pics I took too dark.
sometime too much light, even I set it autofocus.
if I have more money let go up pick Canon light,
I hope it good then it many many.......time.