Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Reviews

Average Customer Rating - 4.6 out of 5 stars

64 customer reviews

Perfect compannion for G10 and G11, May 21, 2010
Ok, first of all please dont even try ty to compare the performance of this flash against their bigger brothers.

This is a flash intended to greatly develop the lightning conditions on prosumer point and shoots and entry level DSLR. My review is based on a Canon G10 and i must own this unit is the best purchase i ever made for my G10.

It will help you avoid undesired shadows within portraits, group portraits, iluminating backgrounds and best of all it is the impeccable fill flash for outdoors, you will even be able to shoot associates in between the sun and the camera, it will light them and avoid shadows. This component has the ability to be set contained by 1/3 increments when used in manual mode, it have flash exposure compensation, it doesnt have focus assist but you are ok with the within camera focus beam.

One of the features i really like is that you can "zoom" this flash by pulling it forward, this will increase the coverage by almost another 3 meters (depth) and if you want a widder and softer flash put on the Zeikos difusser - a must - . The part doesnt swibell (turn left or right) like the bigger ones but you can direct it upgards, it have 3 "click" steps up to 90 degrees and this feature is really awsome because you wont be trowing the pallid directly to your subjects, which means you will never ever have closed eyes contained by your picture due to a harsh flash hitting someones face. Think roughly taking pictures of your grandma... they always argue roughly speaking harsh light of flashes hitting them!

The size and shape of the element couldnt be better, it is sort of pulled forward and this means you will be able to cover longer distances, it isnt too high but enough for avoiding shadows created by longer focal lenghts (high zoom) and best of all... you can put it within your jeans front or rear pockets... if you are wearing a coat, jacket, sweatshirt, etc... you wont even feel it is contained by one of your pockets.

If you are planning in getting one of this units dont postpone, you wont be dissapointed... just dont spect it to work like the bigger ones near complicated functions, mettering functions, sync modes, etc,etc... if so spend the extra dollars and get a bigger unit.

This is the ideal balance for any canon G series, specially G10 and the newer G11. I also use it on my girlfriends XSi and it works like a charm.

One finishing technical spec... i know they are really expensive but try the lithium batteries once, you will love the recycle time and output power, they ultimate even longer than any other battery out there and weightiness a lot less. Typical alkaline battery thake a little longer to recycle and last closely less.

It is also a plus that the unit have a solid metal base, it wont wobble and it has a vry practical locking moving parts. It has one single button... on/off and it automatically swithes off if you dont used it for more than 3 minutes or so... your battery wont drain, you can trow it in your bag that you will hold batteries the next time you want to use it. If it is set surrounded by your camera and it goes to "sleep mode" and you turn your camera it will automatically turn on too and will be ready to flash anything.

270ex Compact miracle, June 4, 2009
I purchased this flash for my new (and awesome!) Canon 5D Mark II. Most of the time, the Mark II can handle indoor and low lighting conditions short any issue; it's quite usable up to 3200 ISO. Still, even in RAW mode it can't feel all lighting conditions as it doesn't have an onboard flash. I resembling using flash for fill lighting especially for shooting flowers and insects. That's where the 270ex comes surrounded by as a carry around flash. The most surprising thing be how small and light it is; it really does fit in a shirt pocket. It powers up and is primed much faster than I expected considering it just takes 2 battery. Considering the low profile, the forward angle of the build helps to eliminate lens shadows on long lenses. Still, it isn't short some faults; it isn't the build quality of a 580ex or 430ex. It also isn't the widest coverage I've see on a flash with just 28 & 50mm settings. Still it's pretty great considering that it isn't supposed to be a replacement for a 580ex II.

Pros
*Light & small, fits surrounded by a shirt pocket
*Forward tilt angle doesn't cause lens shadow on a 24-105IS when fully extended
*Usable bounce angles
*Takes just 2 standard AA battery
*Fast flash recharge
*Quite operation; way better than my 430ex Speedlite
*Good color temperature, not too blue
*Simple foot lock switch
*Easy operation beside both the 5dII and 9G

Cons
*Less impressive build that more expensive Canon Speedlites
*So-so flash coverage when lens is 24mm or wider

Nice option for those wanting "a little more", April 30, 2009
The 270EX is a simple, two AA battery-operated flash that should be perfect for someone wishing to make a payment a bit more power or bounce to an digital EOS camera, or one of a few Powershots with a hot shoe.

The flash is very small, and balance well on cameras like the Powershot G10. I did most of my flash evaluating on a Rebel T1i, and be pleased with the handling of the duo.

The flash has almost nil to set for increased power. Slide it on, turn it on, take pictures. Unlike fancier flashes, there is no power zoom flash panel, but you can manually set the flash to bring back a bit more distance with telephoto lenses by simply pulling the flash head out a serration.

If you want to make your closeup shots a bit less grating, pull the head out (as per above), and you can tilt the pave the way of the flash up at different angles to bounce the flash. My simple test worked very resourcefully, with much more pleasing skin tones (although bouncing does seem to lose, on adjectives flashes, some of the whites of the eyes).

Compared to more expensive Canon flashes, several features are missing. Most notably is a sophisticated (such as a pattern) focusing assist system to help the camera's AF surrounded by low light or low contrast shooting. Additionally, don't expect advanced features like wireless flash, High Sync, etc.

Thus, the 270EX is great for anyone wanting a bit more powerful flash, add bounce, and is in a nice, small, package.

highly practical flash, July 15, 2009
I bought this because of it its small size and ease of use. I needed an external flash for indoor photography for reducing red eye and deer-caught-in-headlight effect. This flash is more than enough for my requirements. Used it with Canon T1i. AF assist worked fine. The range is slightly better than the built-in flash contained by terms of telephoto and wide angle capacity but the evenness of lighting is pretty good compared to built-in flash. Excellent for indoor bounce flash photography. After getting this flash I have stopped using built-in flash for indoor photos. It wishes only two AA batteries vs. 4 surrounded by bigger flashes. The bounce flash worked perfectly even in rooms next to high vaulted ceiling. The colors are awesome vs. wash out colors with built-in flash. The faces don't look shiny anymore and no sharp shadows contained by the background. This flash is the way to stir for indoor bounce flash. This flash can not tilt sideways so it can not be used for bounce flash for vertical photos.

Good Little Flash: Small & Light., October 23, 2009
I wanted a small shoe mounted flash for my G11. This is a great choice. It is small and light, have enough power for a small room, works well as a overrun flash outdoors. fits in a shirt pocket, and has some bounce capability (but at its modest power, do not expect to be bouncing off of 18 foot ceilings!). It DOES NOT hold IR auto-focus assist as all other EOS flashes. That is a big loss, but it keeps it small and flimsy. This flash will go with me whenever I use my G11. It might even walk on an SLR for a day outside when I need a small stuff flash. It will not be a substitute for a real EOS flash like a 580EX. Then again, it is small and street lamp!

It doesn't weigh 10 lb!, June 3, 2009
I've used a 580EX II and own a 430EX II. Of course those swivel everywhere, has proper AF assist that doesn't involve firing the actual flash, and can fill flash a in one piece room. However, where the 270EX wins over the two larger flashes is size. I recurrently left my 430EX II in the shoulder bag in the car, or detested every moment of carrying it. The 270EX fits in my pocket, and I can take it everywhere. Granted it's funny seeing a 270EX attached to an EOS 3, but hey, it works. And lighting is greatly enhanced.

Great little light for little cameras, May 3, 2010
A friend of mine bought a Leica point and shoot (M8?) for $800+ and wouldn't stop bragging about the similes it took. But they were all near ambient light. My Canon EOS DSLRs are not very portable, so I once in a blue moon have them when I'm not working, but recurrently get last second requests to shoot imagery of people or short events. Or maybe I only see something in the right light and in recent times want to capture it spur of the moment. I needed a "bridge" camera. So I bought a Canon G10. Same Digic 4 processor as my big cameras and all the bells and whistle to make one happy outside of the little green rectangle of full auto (what pro doesn't detest that mode?). I put my 580EXII on the hotshoe and it worked just fine, but looked completely ridiculous. So I bought the 270EX and found a StoFen diffuser for it (that was the sturdy part). I actually worked two events just near this kit. The optics won't give you what an "L" series lens will, but everything else is manna from glory. The speedlight takes a ton of images on freshly two AA lithiums and recharges quickly. It pack very small and light and the commander has two bounce positions.

The downsides are that the head doesn't swivel and adjectives you get is ETTL. Since my G10 will shoot in full brochure, it would be nice to be able to adjust the flash output. But this kit isn't a replacement for my EOS DSLRs, so I can slickly live with those trade-offs.

Now when my friend brags about his Leica, I a short time ago pull my G10/270EX out of my pocket and shoot a well-lit image within a darkened room for less than what he paid for his camera alone. He doesn't bother to deploy his fancy in-camera flash to show me a poorly lit room full of red-eyed ancestors. This is easily one of my favorite new toys and is built near the quality you expect in a Canon Speedlite.

camera controllable bounce flash, but no IR AF assist or red-eye?!!, March 21, 2010
Good supplement for my X4 and 5D Mark ii when I dont want to carry a larger Canon flash. I bought this primarily to help the 5D focus within total darkness.. Once it can focus, the full size sensor can capture an amazing statue; the only limitation is that initial focusing. So, 5D owners, this is strongly recommended for you.
For relatives shots, A bounce flash is a necessity; direct flashes look horrible. This is a vast improvement over the X4 built contained by flash. So, X4 (T2i, 550) owners, grab this as well.

2 AA's parsimonious light and small; I can keep this contained by my back pocket when the camera's on my shoulder. Integrates perfectly next to the onboard menus. A beginner (like me) can learn profoundly from this. Fool with flash exposure compensation, -1/0/+1 AND also exposure bracketing, -1/0/+1. This gives you 9 combinations of effects from subtle to intentionally over exposed/artistic.

The one TERRIBLE side of this flash is the 'missing' IR light which should be on-board for AF and red-eye. The old Canon 220EX flash used an IR fluffy for focus assist; it was subtle. But it had no bounce angle (that's a no-go). This flash uses a horrific full power noticeable light strobing effect which annoys people past its sell-by date and blinds them. It is really like some technology from 1960 or something. (this can be disabled but then you lose the AF assist entirely) And, the flash doesn't use that strobbing when it SHOULD, merely before the shutter opens, to dampen red-eye. Canon could have had a unblemished little flash if it had included IR and red-eye, but as is, they fall short. I would enjoy gladly payed more to have than within a pocketable flash. The workaround for the 5D, is to add the flash menu item to the 'quick menu' so you can turn AF assist on/off quickly.

So, overall, its small and compact, but it is missing critical features you expect surrounded by the 21st century, IR AF assist and red-eye bursts. C'mon Canon; release a complete 2xAA version soon.

Update: Visible light AF assist works on my X4 (T2i), not on my X2(T1i). T1i owners, be advise.

Nice, but all features do not work on Rebel XTi, July 8, 2009
Nice flash, better than the built-in pop-up flash on my Rebel XTi. However, the AF-assist on the flash will not work on an XTi, even with the lastest XTi firmware. I didn't know this beforehand buying and will may return the flash.

Update (7/22/09): I've decided to keep the 270EX after adjectives. The compact size is the main reason why I've approved to keep it. I will just hold to compromise and put up with using my built-in flash instead in those really low bedside light situations where I want to auto-focus.

For those that do not know, the AF-assist feature surrounded by the 270EX is supposed to help in low lantern situations where there isn't plenty light for auto-focus. The 270EX works in like way as the XTi's pop-up flash in that it fires a few bursts surrounded by order to help auto-focus.

I don't know why Canon have not decided to offer a firmware upgrade to support the 270EX, especially since the XTi is still displayed on the Canon USA cameras page.

I can't believe not using an external flash now., June 12, 2010
This flash works perfectly on my Canon Powershot SX20 IS. The feature of my indoor pictures has vastly improved. No more blind ancestors and pets! I just added some pictures of the 270EX on my camera, with more details surrounded by the captions and notes. Comparison shots to come - trying to have an idea that of something that really shows what big a difference is made.

I picked mine up at best buy using a rebate they gave me, but I paid indistinguishable as on here. It is $140 well spent if you take more than a picture or two every month. The size is in recent times right for the SX Powershot, G11, EOS, you name it.

-Mike

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