Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Slave Flash with bracket for digital SLR and point and shoot camaras, no camera connection required, automatically synchronizes and fires with your built-in flash

by Zeikos

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.1 x 3.6 inches ; 2.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001M90S7S
• Item model number: ZE-DS12
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #66 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Flashes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 26, 2008

Product Description

Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Slave Flash with bracket for digital SLR and point and shoot camaras, no camera connection required, automatically synchronizes and fires with your built-in flash

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Pro Slave Flash, November 24, 2009

By 

O. Sidat - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Slave Flash with bracket for digital SLR and point and shoot camaras, no camera connection required, automatically synchronizes and fires with your built-in flash (Electronics)

This flash appears to be nicely built and well finished. For its price, it doesn't appear to be cheap. It has two switches. One of the switch works as a power on/off switch as well as to select "Normal Mode" i.e., mounted on camera hot shoe triggered by the camera circuitry, or "Slave On Mode", where the flash can be used as an optical slave triggered by the camera's on-board flash. The second switch is a programed slave mode selector, where you can set the preflash occurances between One preflash up to 4 preflashes. If your camera made 3 pre-flash bursts before the actul photo illumination flash, you can set the slave selector to S3 and it will sync properly with your camera.

I tried using the flash in slave mode with a Sony Alpha DSLR, a Sony H10 point and shoot and a Panasonic point and shoot. The flash worked perfectly at S3 setting with both the Sony H10 and the Panasonic point and shoot. However it did not work with the Sony Alpha preflash anywhere between its S1 to S4 preflash range. Although I kept the Red Eye mode off on the Sony Alpha, the flash appears to fire along with the Alpha's preflash and before the exposure is made. This was a disappointment, since I have primarily purchased this flash to be used as a slave with my Sony Alpha system. This is a the only reason why I am giving it a 3 Stars. Otherwise, for any point and shoot camera, this could surely get a 5 star rating for what it does and at which price it does it.

Definitely a good handy lighting tool to have with a point and shoot set up. Not recommended for DSLR, at least for the Sony Alpha system. I have not checked it with any other DSLR brands (Canon, Nikon, Olumpus, Pentax etc), as such I cannot make a comment vis-a-vis compatibility of this flash in slave mode with other DSLRs.

However, if you are using this flash as part of a wired or chanel based wireless flash trigger under a studio set up, then it should work since the on-board preflahes are no longer there.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than I had hoped., April 8, 2011

By 

D. Spencer "My Life is based on a True Story." (Bakersfield, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Slave Flash with bracket for digital SLR and point and shoot camaras, no camera connection required, automatically synchronizes and fires with your built-in flash (Electronics)

I desperately needed a small, off camera, slaved flash for a photo session.
I ordered this Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Pro Slave Flasheven after reading the mixed reviews and figured
1.) it's CHEAP.
2.) It MIGHT work.
When I got it, I noted that it was very cheaply built. I didn't even test it
(I was afraid it would only work once).
So I set it up in the studio as a "kicker" light and I tell ya...
This little thing ROCKS! It worked PERFECT! EVERY time!
OK, well, It only "misfired" ONCE ...in 67 shots!
I expected it to work only ONCE!
I am thrilled with this in-expensive little kicker light.
Here is a photo of the flash in use in the studio:
http://i51.tinypic.com/wb6p9f.jpg
I put the flash in a jar with a amber gel in front of it to cast
a pretty "glow" on the subjects. This little flash worked PERFECTLY!
Dan
[...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars only buy it if you trust the seller, June 22, 2011

By 

Robert Miler - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zeikos ZE-DS12 Digital Slave Flash with bracket for digital SLR and point and shoot camaras, no camera connection required, automatically synchronizes and fires with your built-in flash (Electronics)

This was the second time I bought this rebranded flash, the first time under a different name. they are hit and miss, sometimes you get lucky and they work great, sometimes they don't work at all. this time I was unlucky. when I asked underground deals (the seller) to correct the situation, they treated me like I was asking too much, since I didn't pay that much for them. buy it directly from Amazon, and cross your fingers and you might get a good flash. I finaly got a refund, but it was like pulling teeth.