Customer 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

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Great 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.

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

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.

I bought this for my daughters Canon EOS XSi, which she uses for her photography class.

She got about a month worth of use from it, then it died. Just beyond the return policy limit. Go figure.

Qualiy was just ok... maybe 8/10. Could be a little more solid in my mind.

Functionality was about a 9/10. Not bad for a $50 flash.

I really like(d) the telescoping flash lens, which converts the flash from direct to diffused flash instantly without adding a separate diffuser. VERY nice feature.

I would give it a 4/5 if it did not die on me so soon.

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.

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.

So far so good with this flash. I bought the Precision flash as a backup to my Canon 430 EX flash. I had a wedding to shoot and I wanted to have a flash for both camera bodies. Well to my surpirse I had better results with this flash than I did with Canon's. First off the back panel gives you the settings. For example if you are shooting with a 2.8 Lens... on the back of the flash there is a switch for 2.8 and also a diagram that tells you what the F stop should be as well as the ISO. So this worked great right out of the box. Secondly the batteries lasted way longer in which I shot with this flash for most of the time, and I still had a decent amount of juice left in it. I really struggled with the 430 EX flash, and adjustments for the lighting situation at the Wedding and it's partially due to my own lack of knowledge, and familiarizing myself with all it's settings. So I'm not saying that this flash is better what Im saying is that it's easier to use right out of the box and will render really good results, and yet the cost is easier on the pocket especially for those who are just getting into Photography, or have decided to take it up a notch. I've had mine a little over a month now and it still going strong. The only con is that the adjusting head doesn't truly lock in any particular spot so if there is a little jarring the flash head may lose it's position but to be honest it's very very minor.

It says it works with Canon. Technically correct but not the way canon designed the camera to work. The canon camera has a 5 point hot shoe but this is only a 1 point so it doesn't do everything, but it does flash. OK for the price.

I have had this flash for a little over a month now. I am very "anti-flash" and will pretty much do ANYTHING I CAN not to need one. There is only so much you can do with your aperture, ISO, and shutter speed before you start losing serious quality in your photos...sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and use the flash. I find that this flash paired with a Lumiquest Portable Softbox and bounced off a white ceiling really does the trick in low light situations. I haven't had much of a problem so far...and it has made it possible to take crisp photos even in an almost dark area. I say, for the price, it is certainly worth a try.

I ordered and received it in two days. Packaging is very good and FLASH albeit nothing like my Canon 430 or series 5 Flash. But pretty awesome when used with OPTEKA diffueser. Great results you just need to know how to use a non TTL type flash.

I can't say enough for a FLASH which only cost fraction of very expensive FLASH'es for DSLR camera's works great and cost less then 3rd of the price.

very happy customer.