Canon Speedlite 220EX for G2, G3, G5, Pro 1, Digital Rebel, XT & all EOS Cameras Reviews.

I notice another reviewer called the Speedlite 220 the perfect companion for your G1; I thought of it as the perfect companion for my G2. Whichever camera you have, the Speedlite 220 is indeed the perfect way to get better illuminated flash photos and extend battery life in your G-series camera.
The single most important thing you can do to get rid of red eye and insure that your flash photography subjects don't have that flat, pasty-faced, deer-caught-in-the-headlights look is to seperate the camera from the flash. (You'll need Canon's off-camera extension cord for this) You can shoot it.

with the camera in one hand and hold the flash in the other, or use a bracket to hold them. Or you can get creative, bouncing the flash off the walls, lighting behind your subject, etc. It's great for providing fill flash on sunny days, lighting shadows- and with digital cameras it costs you next to nothing to experiment with lighting and get immidiate feedback.

The 220 talks to all the G-series cameras (as well as all modern Canon SLRs) so you can concentrate on lighting and composition and let the camera worry about exposure. Add a couple sets of rechargeable AA cells and a small charger- cheap these days- and you have an inexpensive but powerful lighting studio. Some may recoil at the price- after all, you can get a tiny flash unit for half or a quarter the cost- but the ability to integrate withe the camera electronics are well worth

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great flash, July 16, 2003
Reviewer: A customer

I loved this flash. I think it might fall short for the pros but I am not a pro. If you want more flash then the one that comes on the camers this does a great job.
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Compact, powerful, and a perfect complement to the G1, June 6, 2001
Reviewer: A customer

Having just purchased a Canon PowerShot G1 digital camera a few weeks ago, I felt the built-in flash to be of OK performance, but it was far from what I was used to using with some of my older SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras.
After reading the review here on the 220EX, I decided to go for it. I have seen the other EX offerings, and they are really big flash units. Since the G1 is pretty compact, I figured the 220EX would be the best fit. And after having used it for a while, I know I made the best choice. With 4 AA batteries in the flash, it's pretty heavy (especially in addition to the already somewhat heavy G1). Throw on your lens(es) of choice, and you have a camera of substantial size and weight.

But getting back to the flash, it's so user-friendly that you'll be taking great pictures in minutes. The real light metering works wonders, even in conditions where the subject you're taking a picture of is in complete darkness. I was really happy with how well this flash lit up rooms, evenly and naturally.

This flash is a great value, and comes highly recommended, as is the camera that I bought it for, the PowerShot G1.

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Small flash, deigned for Canon E-TTL cameras, November 22, 2000
Reviewer: mister_t42

I purchased this flash to use with my Canon G1 digital camera. When using the latest Canon camera lines there is a huge benefit in going with the Canon "EX" flashes, as they deliver E-TTL metering. Without boring you, the essence of this is that when you press the shutter button the flash is momentarily fired so the camera can measure the actual light and determine the best exposure, and then it fires the flash again and takes the actual picture (all in a fraction of a second). Sorry, if you don't have a Canon camera, you don't get E-TTL.
Why is this important? Because it is measuring the real light and not estimating what might be needed or trying to turn off the flash while it takes the picture when it thinks enough light has been delivered. Its complicated, but trust me you're pictures will be a lot better.

Now the 220EX model is Canon's smallest and lightest. You can opt for other Canon models (380EX is discontinued, 420 EX, 550EX), and you'll get higher light output (so you can use flash from more than 100 feet away), and swivel/tilt so you can bounce flash - but at the added cost of larger size, more weight, and more cost.

The 220EX also provides a long battery life (check out Amazon's price on Kodak photolife batteries) - I seem to get well more than 300 shots per set of AAs. And it also manages power by shutting down the flash after inactivity.

The 220EX makes sense for any smaller Canon camera, or even a larger one where the photographer is less likely to use flash form more than 70 feet away or use bounce flash capability. If that sounds like you, then buy this flash. Its a winner.

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