Canon HF-DC1 High Power Flash for Canon Powershot Digital Cameras Description and Reviews.

From the Manufacturer
In a first for its digital camera line-up, Canon has introduced an optional zoom flash, the HF-DC1. Linked to the zoom lens, the zoom mechanism narrows the flash's angle of throw to extend flash range at the telephoto end and further extends the options for night and indoor shooting. With a guide number of 18 (ISO 100 meters), the slave flash automatically fires in-sync with the camera's in-built flash, ignoring any pre-flash. It can be adjusted to three power output settings based on the aperture value of the camera. The unit attaches to the camera with a supplied bracket that maintains the ability to mount both camera and flash on a tripod.

Product Description
High power flash for select Canon Powershot digital cameras / Compatible with the Canon Powershot A510

________________________________________________________________

Product Reviews:

Works as expected but not spectacular, August 29, 2005
Reviewer: W. Mayall

This flash does what it shound but don't expect wonders. It essentially "brightens" your flash photo. I am using it with a PowerShot S2 IS.

When reading reviews, you might see it said that this is a wireless flash. While true, that's a bit misleading. The flash works by simply sensing that the primary flash has occurred and then firing as well. This means that you *must* fire the primary flash to have it work.

Another thing that you might read is that this flash "focuses". I can't imagine what the reviewers mean. This is a simple slave flash. You can set the "range" in 3 basic increments but that seems to be it for adjustments. The manual is slim and gives no hint that there is anything sophisticated occurring.
A few notes:

- The flash is very compact and lightweight.

- You can easily hold the flash in your hand to position it for better coverage.

- The recharge time is extremely fast with a new battery -- essentially immediate.

- It uses a non-rechargable lithium battery. These tend to be pretty expensive. The manual says it will get over 250 flashes on a battery.

- This flash *does not* eliminate the shadow that the PowerShot S2 IS wide angle lens creates. It does reduce the shadow.

Overall this is a good flash but seems a bit pricey.
________________________________________________________________

Very good, November 26, 2005
Reviewer: Rashed Y. Abdulnabi

I had problems with the built in flash in my canon Ixus 40 when taking pics in the dark..

so i decided to try the HF-DC1 power flash and the result is way better .. You can place the flash anywhere in the room and take a perfect picture .. or simply attach it with the camera..

Great product .. recommended.
________________________________________________________________

Review of Canon HF-DC-1 Flash for Canon Powershot, March 21, 2006
Reviewer: Robert B. Ormsby

The unit performs exceptionally well. It truly lights up subjects that are 20 to 25 feet away, well beyond the range of the flash built into the camera. It is also suitable for hand holding a foot or more from the camera and fires with the built-in camera flash so as to avoid the "flat lighting" normally expected with on camera flash pictures. I have no serious complaints. My only negative is that the so-called "manual flash" does not work as I expected it to. The instructions could be a bit better on this point. Overall performance I would rate a 5 out of 5.
________________________________________________________________

It's a necessity item., March 21, 2006
Reviewer: Victoria Johnson

You will really enjoy the use of the extra flash. My photos have turned out beautifully.

________________________________________________________________

Powerful flash, March 9, 2006
Reviewer: T. Betts

This flash is so easy to use and does what I wanted - adds enough power when in large rooms/halls. So glad I bought it. One small negative - as it's wireless, it will fire if others are using Canon cameras with the wireless facility!
________________________________________________________________

Canon HF-DC1 Slave Flash, February 19, 2006
Reviewer: R. Andelfinger "randelfi"
This is an excellent add-on to the Canon series of Powershot cameras, I am using it with an A620 and it produces beautiful pictures. The flash is a "slave" in that it triggers when the camera's built-in flash fires, so there is no cord needed to connect it to the camera. It comes with a fixed bracket but you can also hand-hold it for bounce flash effects very easily. It uses a 123A lithium battery which recharges very quickly (generally less than 2-3 seconds, about 7 seconds for a maximum-brightness flash), Canon claims approximately 250 shots from a new battery. There is an adjustment for low-mid-high intensity but the flash does not, to my knowledge, focus or adjust for subject distance (the camera auto-exposure does an excellent job of that). Finally, there is a "manual" mode which only means that you have to press and hold the indicator button to enable the flash to fire, this is to attempt to avoid having the slave trigger on someone else's flash if you are in a roomful of cameras. The guide number is 18 meters at ISO 100. I have found that, for example, taking pictures of actors in a high-school play from the audience, about 30 feet away, with relatively dim stage lighting, this flash was more than powerful enough to get excellent face shots, even with the camera moderately zoomed. This is a very useful and high-performance accessory, definitely worthwhile if you do a lot of indoor shooting where you can't get close to your subject.

Back to Canon HF-DC1 High Power Flash for Canon Powershot Digital Cameras