Bower SFD35C E-TTL I/II Digital Autofocus Flashgun Reviews

Average Customer Rating - 3.0 out of 5 stars

8 customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly made flash, April 15, 2008
This flash may be comparable to its Canon Equivalent in specifications, but it is made very flimsily. The lens fell of the front of the flash and have to be reattached with crazy glue. It flops around on the hot shoe attachment and does not attach firmly.

3.0 out of 5 stars Well, it's cheap..., August 7, 2006
The first part I recieved was defective and unable to function contained by ETTL mode at all. I was emailed a pre-paid return UPS sticky label and immediately shipped another unit. The replacement part arrived a few days later. This one seems fine and does function surrounded by ETTL mode.

The Bower SFD35C ETTL zoom flash for Canon EOS cameras is a basic ETTL flash made in Singapore and is available from a few different outfits lower than different names. The Bower flash can tilt, swivel and has a manually in tune focus for matching the angle of view of the zoom lens you're using. The backside of the unit has a flash tryout trigger button, ON/OFF switch and lights indicating power, charge and ETTL mode and a special OK indicator that lights when the flash calculates that it was competent to fully illuminate the subject during the last shot. There are no manual controls. The reverse of the flash also has a "slide rule" chart for calculating the flash's approximate range for different combinations of ISO and aperture. The flash is somewhat immense with 4 batteries installed and make the Rebel XT quite top-heavy.

First off, I should data that the flash does not support advanced ETTL features, namely, the flash does NOT offer an FP Mode for high-speed sync as listed contained by the product description. The maximum shutter speed on a Rebel XT is 1/200 second for this flash. Period. Additionally, the SFD35C does not support second curtain sync or a modeling lamp features. It does seem to support FEL though.

So, how does it execute? I tossed in 4 freshly charged NiMh batteries and took some assessment shots. Directly aiming the flash at the subject, the flash operated pretty much as expected. Some shots were a bit overexposed but the Rebel XT's flash exposure compensation can be used to adjust for this. The flash also perform fairly well contained by illuminating a backlit subject. But when I tilted the flash for ceiling bounce in order to realize a more even and natural looking illumination, shots consistantly come out extremely underexposed. In the end, I had to increase the ISO from 100 to 400 contained by order to use ceiling bounce at all. At ISO 400, ceiling bounce shots looked slightly nice although, at faster shutter speeds, there were still a few underexposures.

The Bower SFD35C ETTL zoom flash is an inexpensive style to improve your flash photography, turning out much better shots than the built-in flash. You may find the Bower flash's minimal features and power output lacking contained by the long run, however, and might want to seriously consider something else a bit more powerful and feature-rich such as the Sigma EF-500 ST-DG or Super flashes.

To summarize
PROS: inexpensive; swivels/tilts; better than the built-in flash
CONS: weak, especially for ceiling bounce; no advanced features or manual controls

5.0 out of 5 stars Great valaue, June 21, 2006
It wouldn't be unbiased to compare this unit to Canon flashes that cost several times what you'll pay for this one. I needed a flash for my Canon Digital Rebel, but because I don't use flash much, I didn't want to invest surrounded by a Canon or a Sigma flash. I did want E-TTL and I needed bounce and swivel capabilities. This Bower was the most minuscule expensive flash I could find with all those features. It lacks the guide controls of the more expensive flashes.

I am surprised at how well this unit perform. For the price, I expected less. I've used it for shots at close range, as powerfully as photos of moderately-sized rooms. This flash has not disappointed me yet. With a ceiling bounce, it will desk light up a room evenly and sufficiently.

If you're ready to go beyond the limitations of your on-camera flash, but don't want to earnings for a top-of-the line unit, I importantly recommend this Bower flash.

4.0 out of 5 stars For the price I paid, it is great., August 24, 2007
I am not a serious photographer, and take flash photos once contained by a while. I do not have professional knowledge to compare this one beside more sophisticated and expensive ones, but it works great for me.

1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap and forget warranty coverage, July 23, 2008
I ordered this flash from Ace Photo Digital in December and received it in January, notice right off the bat that it fit the hotshoe rather loosely, the flash blind was not straight and also experienced some exposure problems. Still, it was better than the built-in flash so I hung on to it. After several months (and ONE freestyle change) one of the clips that hold the battery door closed snapped off. Note - I am VERY kind with my equipment. I contacted Ace and didn't receive a reply for some time - when it came it be "contact Bower". I called, went on unremitting hold and when I finally reached a "customer service" rep he would not even provide the slightest information with me describing the flash using Ace's description (which pertains to exactly ONE of their products) - he would merely talk to me if I had the cut number printed on the unit (which was home at the time). On my second telephone, I didn't even get the part number out previously the non-listening second rep tried to sell me a new battery-operated door - WITHOUT a part number. I explained the door was fine, it be the body that was broken - to which he replied they only cover the electronic flash (which is not what the warranty says) and after accused me of breaking it by mishandling. I contacted Ace, and they refused to intervene, aphorism it's Bower's problem. I can only say I would never suggest buying a product from the trader based on the poor support I received, nor would I ever buy a Bower product, since in my evaluation they just dodge warranties assuming buyers own no recourse. I apparently can't get mine fixed, but I hope no one else get sucked into buying one of these things.

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent flash for the money, November 5, 2010
This is my first flash; I bought it to compliment the Canon Rebel T1i. So far I have a mixed feeling nearly this flash. It's a good flash for the money, but I am nevertheless somewhat disappointed. The flash has a minimal phase set, it works just like your pop-up flash surrounded by all respects, except that it can swivel and bounce, and is more powerful than the pop-up flash.

Although the manufacturer claims it supports ETTL II, surrounded by reality, it supports none of the advance ETTL features. There is no soaring speed sync, no 2nd curtain sync (you can enable it camera menu, not sure if it works), no modeling light, etc. There is also no optical slave, no PC sync port, and wireless ETTL is plainly not supported. So do not buy this flash if you are looking for any of these features and read on if these are unimportant to you.

The flash's build quality is clothed. It falls well short of the sturdiness of Canon flashes and some of the better 3rd party ones. If you are firm on your equipment or a professional who uses flash heavily, I do not think this unit will fare too okay under heavy usage. However, for dispassionate users who sometimes need a better flash than the in-camera flash, this unit should do the trick. It's not build to professional standard, but not overly fragile any.

TTL metering seems to work pretty well when you use the flash straight-on, if you bounce it however, you should plan on adding together +2 or so exposure compensation or increase your ISO. There is no manual control, so there is no path you can tell the flash to always fire at maximum power. If your camera can do flash exposure lock, afterwards you can trick the camera into firing it at max power. Speaking of power output, this flash's biggest con by far is its weak output. Comparing to the pop-up flash on my T1i, this flash is only just about 2 stops brighter. (at the same shutter/aperture, a picture with this flash at ISO 100 will look in the order of as bright as a picture at ISO 800 taken with the onboard flash).

Recharge time is moderate to slow. About 3-4 seconds if fired at partly power, but up to 10 seconds if fired at full power. This is not great, but not horrible either. Capacitor make whizzing noise, can be nature of annoying if you listen closely, but in my environments should be inaudible. Size is bigger than I thought, about as big as the 55-250mm lens. It can put together a Rebel body somewhat top heavy.

The real redeeming standard of this flash is its price. It's the cheapest flash you can get that bounce, swivels and supports TTL. It produces 2 stops more light than the pop-up flash. These come across to be all I need for very soon, so I am happy with my purchase. It's worthy for people taking casual shots of people or just starting out in photography. You can other buy a 430EX/580EX later and use this one as backup if you feel the want.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bower SFD35C Flash for Can on EOS System, April 24, 2009
Just received this flash today and I find it excellent for the price. Even if it was priced more it would be worth it. Having been a PROFESSIONAL photographer since 1969 I long ago knowledgeable to read all the instructions, and look at ll the mechanical things on a section. That's why I didn't find this unit loose on my camera hot shoe at all. As far as mortal sturdy or not being sturdy I treat my equipment as if it all be very delicate and enjoy no problem unless it's due to my own stupidity like thinking I have to rush or something similar to that. Works perfectly as advertised. I would buy another one if I needed to.


Related Product Reviews: