anthwo's Full Review: Canon Speedlite 420EX TTL Flash
Introduction
I have previously posted a review on the 550EX, and since I also own a 420EX, I like to give my personal impressions on it while making some comparisons with the 550EX. I realized that it will be like comparing apples with oranges, but I have often been asked this question, “should we buy the 550EX or the 420EX, and why?”. It is up to the reader to decide after they read more articles before making an informed decision on what to buy. I had many reasons for wanting to own both, and these will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
Features
It comes with the following features:
• Tilt and swivel head for bounce flash photography has very wide coverage, but it lacks the 5˚ downward tilt necessary for close-up shooting.
• Auto zoom with lenses to cover 24-105mm range but it lacks a built in 17mm diffuser panel for ultra-wide lens coverage.
• Channel & group selector for wireless slave setup. This prevents inadvertent tripping of other photographers’ flashes.
• Focal plane flash (high speed sync) which allows flash photography at higher shutter speeds at higher ambient lighting to maintain creative aperture control
• AF assist beam will emit under low light shooting to assist the camera AF system. However for older “Type B” cameras like the EOS 10, it will not emit as the camera’s on-board emitter will emit.
• Flash exposure confirmation on the pilot lamp – lamp will turn red when its ready to fire, and turn green to confirm the flash exposure is good
• Flash exposure lock feature – this allows you to fire a pre-flash to allow flash metering to be computed by the camera. The metered reading is locked in memory for 16 seconds while you recompose to take the shot
• Modeling flash – allows you to check the lighting effects by a short burst of flash via the camera depth of field preview button. However it is not recommended to use modeling flash more than 10 times in one go, as the flash will heat up and it needs to cool down to avoid damage.
• Flash exposure compensation – this can be used on any camera with a flash exposure compensation function that can be transferred to the flash.
• Can be set as a wireless slave flash in a multiple Speedlite setup.
• Test firing in wireless setup is possible from a master unit such as a 550EX.
• Second curtain synchronization to allow creative effects especially during night time shooting.
• Flash metering mode will switch automatically between ETTL or TTL for newer type A or older type B cameras. Hence it is compatible with most older EOS models except the EOS-1N which uses ATTL metering which the flash does not.
• Flash zoom position indicator to show the lens position while zooming between 24mm and 105mm. These indicators are made up of a series of LED which will illuminate corresponding to the lens focal length within that range.
What It Lacks
The 420EX lacks the power, versatility and many of the cool features of the 550EX as summarized on the following list:
• Less powerful flash output than 550EX, but more than the older 380EX it was intended to replace.
• No LCD control and display panel at the back. The control functions at the back are bland and somewhat lacking, as there are less functions.
• It can work only as a wireless slave or independent unit – no master mode available.
• No flash ratio control in a multiple flash setup.
• Does not have the flash range LCD display of the 550EX – this information allows the photographer to double check if the flash is within the operating distance before shooting.
• No ultra wide angle coverage as it lacks a wide panel diffuser. It won’t illuminate adequately any shot wider than 24mm.
• Limited tilt coverage – the 550EX has a 5˚ downward tilt for close-up shots while the 420EX does not.
• Many desirable features are not available when mounted on older type B cameras. These features include: ETTL flash, FP flash (high speed sync), FE lock and wireless auto flash with multiple speedlites.
• I find that the LED zoom position indicator is less desirable than the LCD panel of the 550EX.
• Since it had no LCD panel, it had no back lighting to allow you to continue working in the dark.
• In older type B cameras, the AF emitter will not function, because the camera’s on-board emitter will take precedence. This is disadvantageous as some older camera emitter is located too close to the lens mount, so if you are using a lens hood, it will block the AF emitter from the camera. Needless to say the lens will not be able to AF unless you remove the lens hood.
Choices
I personally own 2 units of 550EX and 1 unit of 420EX. Why would someone who already owns the better 550EX want to bother with a 420EX? Here are my reasons:
• It is cheaper, physically smaller and lighter than the 550EX, so it is easier to carry around for casual shooting.
• For many normal situations the 420EX is sufficient and would give very good results. However I would still prefer to shoot with the 550EX for important situations such as wedding, because I depend on the extended power and versatility.
• Its physically smaller size does not over-power the small G1 or G2 digital camera. In contrast, the 550EX mounted on the G1 or G2 camera looks much larger and heavier than the camera itself.
• I have one extra slave flash to work with my 550EX master or ST-E2 wireless transmitter unit.
• For serious photographers on a budget, it is a good flash to start with and one can eventually migrate to a more upscale flash like the 550EX later on and still keep the 420EX.
Summary
Due to the above advantages, it is a recommended flash for any photographer’s bag. So, please do not overlook the 420EX while shopping for a good flash. Rather than trying to rate it against the 550EX which isn’t possible, I would rate it on its own merits and class, while pointing out what it has and doesn’t have.
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