Speedlite 600EX-RT
4.8
5
6
6
best flash I have ever owned
I have been with canon since my AE-1 35mm. I have made the mistake of buying cheap flashes and suffered for buying them. When I bought my t4i, I decided to get a really good flash to go with it. Oh my goodness, I had no idea I could do the stuff I have been doing with this thing. The batteries have lasted way longer than any other flash I have had to date. The first real test came when I was taking pictures of a soccer game at night and was getting perfect stills (action mind you) as far out as the half field and beyond. I know the camera played a part, but I was lighting up a good portion of the field with this thing. It was also very quiet. I had gotten used to the whinning flashes as they charged up for the next flash, but not this thing. I also loved the fact that I could take pictures quickly with this flash. I normally have to play the waiting game for my other flashes to charge and get ready for me to take another picture. This thing has an incredibly short turn around time between flash cycles. I was able to take pictures in rapid succession. I was taking pictures, and got ahead of myself. I forgot I had a flash on my camera. When I realized how fast i was taking pictures, I had to stop and check the pictures, sure enough the flash had kept up with me. The flash locks down to the camera body with just the flip of a lever. I must say that, to this point, I have just been using the flash for basic photography. But, the way it has worked out so far, I am looking forward to discovering all that this thing has to offer. I know the cost is pretty high, but I got lucky with the price. I was at a Bestbuy at the right time. They had a 600ex-rt that someone had just returned. I got a great price break on the thing. I can't say that I have found any cons as of yet.
March 15, 2013
Multi Flash Set-up overexpozure
This is a reaction to the previous review below by njw1224
from Wheeling, WV. It seems that there is an over exposure problem when using multiple flash set-ups with the 600EX Rt/600EX.
This can happen if there are three firing groups - A, B, and C.
If a firing group C has been added and an over exposure results, avoid firing group C toward the main subject as this will likely cause the said overexposure.
Alternatively, eliminate firing group C, and lump the extra slaves (from the now defunct firng group C) to firing group B or A. This works 99% of the time even if you point all flashes to the main subject.
The phenomenon of over exposure in multi flash set-ups has
been mentioned in pages 87 and 112 of the 600EX RT manual.
October 28, 2012
Good, most of the time
This flash is great for all the reasons you'd think it would be great. I bought three of them to use as master/slave units. I've been using them for about 6 weeks. Until yesterday I used them in mainly outdoor or fairly bright indoor conditions, and the multiple flash setups worked great and the radio feature was wonderful. Then comes yesterday - shooting a wedding. All went well with the brighter indoor shots and daylight outdoor shots. But when it came to the reception and the lights were turned really dark for the dancing portion of the evening, I began getting a fairly high percentage of extreme over-exposures - and I mean so blown out that they weren't recoverable (I even shoot in RAW mode). It was almost as if the lens aperture wasn't stopping down, so the sensor of the camera was getting the full blast of the flash. So my first thought was maybe I had a malfunctioning lens. So I switched lenses and had the same problem with the second lens. I'd say maybe one out of twelve shots was grossly overexposing to the point that the highlight detail was gone and the shot was unusable. That's too many bad shots for a professional to deal with. Again, I've only had this issue when using the multiple flash setups in really dark conditions like a wedding reception. And in case anyone's wondering, I use all Canon gear. No third party lenses, etc. that might interfere with the communication of the system.
Needless to say I'm very disappointed because weddings are one of the main reasons I bought the 3-flash system. And if these flashes are inconsistent when used in really dark, contrasty settings, then that's a big negative strike against them.
August 26, 2012
Best canon speedlite to date
I have most of the speedlites by Canon. I also have several other brands. This one was bought for my 5 D mk III, and qickly has become the favorite. The built quality is the best that I have seen, and the easy menu is a pleasure to work with. As far as performance goes, it is flawless and is also very good on batteris (even with some pretty heavy use). Fast recycling and consistant output is the best that I have had with self contained powered speedlite. Very, very happy with it.
June 5, 2012
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