Customer Reviews

Sigma EF 500 DG Super Flash for Canon SLR Cameras

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Over the past 15 years, i've had the whole gamut of inexpensive vivitar/sunpak thristor flashes to pro level quantum qflash 400w/s packs and this flash is the best bang for the buck. I love my new canon 580ex, but it's twice the cost of this flash. I found myself using this flash the most (after I converted the door by drilling a small hole) for the quantum cable and quantum 1+1 battery pack.

I did have a problem of the flash plastic lens turning black and having to replace it. But I was using it as a primary flash for weddings on the digital rebel. It did say not to repeatedly flash the unit...ahahha...my fault. seriously though, the flash is a good flash. bounce and diffuser panel work well.

Slower in recycling than the 550 or 580 EX. So if you need faster recycling, get the canon brands (for twice the cost) or if you're a name brand junky. get the canon brand.

oh..one last somewhat important thing. i DID notice the sigma had more problems getting my digital SLR's to focus with it's infra-red focusing beam than the canon flashes...so if you're doing a lot of indoor and very low light photography, i would say the canon flashes are a better bet.

I used to own the Canon Speedlite 420EX which I used to great effect with a Canon G5. When I upgraded to a Digital Rebel 300D I lost the ability to manually adjust the 420EX because neither it nor the Rebel has flash compensation. Hence I bought this Sigma flash for the ability to manually adjust flash output.

My first impressions of the Sigma Super EF-500:-
Comparing it to the Canon 420 EX I found it to be equally robust in every way. However there are one or two exceptions. I feel that the buttons on the Sigma are too small and flimsy (for my large hands). I don't like the on/off switch. This feels particularly flimsy. I don't know whether it is my imagination but I seem to remember the E-TTL (automatic mode) of the Canon 420EX ALWAYS as more accurate than the Sigma. That is not to say that the Sigma is bad using E-TTL auto mode. However, I have moved on and I don't trust my beloved photos to `auto mode' anymore. I use manual mode nearly all the time now. In manual mode the Simga helps me get spectacular shots that are exposed to perfection. I cannot complain. I really enjoy its performance and reliability.

Finally
I managed to get this Sigma flashgun, brand new, for LESS THAN half the price of its rival, the Canon 550EX. I don't believe for a moment that this makes the Canon twice as good a flash gun. Yes, the Canon is better but only marginally better, in my opinion. If you are a professional photographer using a flashgun EVERY DAY then I would suggest you buy the Canon. But if, like me, you are just an enthusiastic amateur (albeit one who uses the flashgun quite a lot) then this Sigma flash is more flash than you will ever need. It is a powerful AND RELIABLE accessory. I cannot give it any more praise than that! Despite my quibbles above, about flimsy switches, I am still giving this 5 stars. I personally don't see how anyone can be disappointed with this flash or how anyone can give it a bad review. Add in the relatively cheap cost and, as far as I am concerned, all cause for complaint melts away!

Enjoy your new Sigma flash!!! I certainly am enjoying mine!

One of the major attractions of this flash was that I can use it not only with my Digital Rebel, but also with my Rebel 2000 35mm camera. The performance (especially with 2500 mAH NiMH batteries) is awesome. Cycle times with freshly charged batteries are about 2 seconds. Lots more features than the Canon 420EX. The only negative is the instruction manual; the translation (from Japanese) to English is poor, and the descriptions of some of the modes are rather vague.

Hard to believe you don't see the rear panel when looking around for this unit.. thought I better upload some.

So far, this is a nice flash for my 20d, we'll see how it does over time and update here.

update June 17, 2006;

Still doing a great job for me after one month.. happy with my purchase of the Sigma 500 Super. Lots of power and lots of user control settings have made it a keeper. Being used with the Canon off camera 2 cord for even more control.

Update Sept 13, 2007

Over a year in use and still no complaints with this product, working just fine, getting well over 1000 shots per charge on 2700 batteries. Now I see the price gets even lower than it was a year ago.

Update Dec 12, 2008

Still working just fine on both my 20d & 40D

This is a great flash for canon cameras.
It has all of the features you need. Lots of power. Rear curtain sync. Slave and master modes. Flash zooming. Multiple angles. Pictures come out very well lit with no obvious color casts.
The only downsides compared to a canon flash (and these in no way take away from its overall usefulness) are:
A little more bulky than canon flash.
No lock at 45 degrees.
No multiple point focus assist (although if the subject is more than 10 feet away then the focus assist light covers a pretty good area).
Built in charger or even DC power supply connector would be nice.
But for the price and photo quality, it can't be beat.
Also, the master/slave flash functionality is certainly worth the extra $60 over the non-super version.

I'd read the reviews for the DF 500 DG here and asked for one for Christmas from my wife. In the meantime, her cousin gave me the opportunity to play with his Canon Speedlite 440 EX over Thanksgiving. Then, the flash arrived, and I convinced my wife to let me take it out and play with it a little early. :)

First, at my current skill level (enthusiastic amateur, but learning quickly), the feature set of both flashes is larger than I can work with effectively now. However, as my abilities grow, the Sigma offers a little more headroom in terms of feature sets.

Using the Sigma flash on a EOS 350D, I've been unable to identify any compatibility problems. The Sigma unit talks quite nicely to the camera, allowing me to use the FEC and flash bracketing controls on camera rather than have to move my hands to the flash and back down while prepping the exposure. I've primarily used it in bounce mode rather than direct, and have managed to get some quite nice pictures. Direct flash is a little harsh (as one would expect), and my one quibble with Sigma: the flash zoom motor is LOUD! Possibly loud enough to startle something if you are in direct mode. The zoom motor on the 440 EX was virtually silent, but the zoom motor on the Sigma was loud enough to startle me when I first heard it. On the brighter side, though, when being used in bounce mode, the flash zooms all the way back and stays there, so it generally isn't too big a deal.

I have had a couple of pictures come out underexposed, but they were fairly early on, so it may have been a case of me getting used to the Sigma unit and the surroundings rather than a problem with the ETTL logic in the flash: They were in my living room with a vaulted ceiling, and I think the angles worked out wrong with bouncing the flash into the subject.

Overall, I'm very satisfied. Now, to convince the wife to buy a couple of more, so I can set up a studio in the house! :)

Does everything the Canon EX 500 series can do, but for $200 less.
I like to use all authentic Canon lenses and accessories. But when I saw this flash I was sold. I just used it on a 9-hour wedding job. It worked perfectly on the same batteries all day long. ETTL communication with my "A Type" EOS digital was perfect. Also works quite well as a slave unit.
Definitely would recommend the Sigma EF 500 DG.

The Flash has preform well with little problem. the direction needs updating however. I am a novice user and I think the direction don't take in account for the novice.

This is a knockoff of the Canon 550EX flash. It works great. I've had mine for three years now...and it is always trusty.

It uses Canon's E-TTL-II information just like My Canon 550EX flash...in fact I use it with the 550EX all the time.

It is such a great flash for the money I am buying another one.

I gave it 4 stars because it feels cheap and more "plastic" vs. my Canon 550EX, and it cycles slower than the Canon...but for the money it is a good unit.

I purchased this flash to use as a master with my 430ex. It is powerful, with fast recycle time. It works as well as my 430EX, though its bulkier. It also works perfectly as a master, reliably firing the slave for me, although I have heard some have had more difficulty with this feature. Great buy.