Customer Reviews

Dotline/RPS Studio Auto Bounce Flash

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

 

 

I have had this flash unit for almost 4 months now on my Panasonic DMC-FZ30, and it has been interesting the whole time.

This flash unit may claim to be automatic, in fact it is equipped with a rudimentary light measuring sensor on the front of the flash. Every time I tried to use the auto mode I wound up with either over exposed, or under exposed photos, and a whole host of complaints by the subject. In the end I gave up trying to understand the auto mode, and switched over to using it completely manual.

I must say, using the flash in manual mode takes practice, but once you get a "feel" for the way the flash throws then every shot comes out flawless. On the back of the flash unit is a large slider that is mistaken for a manual flash adjustment. However this is not the case, the slid is merely a slide rule, used to calculate the aperture setting of your camera based off of the sensitivity (ISO) and distance to the subject.

Using this flash has given me true appreciation for hotshoe flashes. The increased distance from the lens eliminates red-eye compared to the pop-up flash, and the tilt head provides for bouncing the flash off low ceilings for a more diffused light. Unfortunately I have not been able to use that function as much as I would like to, out here in Iraq all construction is unpainted plywood, which gives a bounce a nasty orange color.

To be fair, this flash has quite a few flaws that keep it from being a true 5-star product. The first thing I encountered was a minor difficulty installing the batteries. This flash takes 4 AA sized batteries, and they must all be installed simultaneously. The battery compartment has no dividers between each battery so if you load the batteries in one at a time they fall over at an angle preventing you from installing any more. To solve this arrange 4 batteries in the manner that they would be installed and slide them in as a "pack" rather than individually. Then you must press down on the batteries with your thumb as you slide the compartment cover closed or it jams.

In conclusion, It's an inexpensive manual flash that does a great job. It has a few flaws, plastic shoe mount, annoying battery compartment, but that's to be expected.

This flash unit is excellent! It served me well until it took a dive into the lake! I've used it in tons of shoots and it has fired every single time and the battery consumption is excellent. It has not overheated and it has been a great unit. I decided to try out the YN flash which works great too.

If you are on a tight budget and learning to use flash technology, I highly recommend this flash unit.

The flash is great...But for someone learning. an automatic would be great.
But I gotta learn...