Canon HF-DC1 High Power Flash for Canon Powershot Digital Cameras
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon HF-DC1 High Power Flash for Canon Powershot Digital Cameras
Customer Review: Camera Flash
Summary: 5 Stars
I like the look and it is great for taking far away pictures that are in a dark environment.Customer Review: It's a necessity item.
Summary: 5 Stars
You will really enjoy the use of the extra flash. My photos have turned out beautifully.Customer Review: Works as expected but not spectacular
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Customer Review: Just What I Needed
Summary: 4 Stars
The Canon HF-DC1 is a great addition to the line of accessories I have for my Canon Powershot A610. The built in flash in my camera hasn't really been a big issue since my photography needs aren't too demanding. However, with the 58mm lenses I recently purchased blocking a huge portion of the flash, I decided to get the HF-DC1. It totally solved my lighting issues and it offers me a lot more shot flexibility. As the term "slave" flash indicates, you can place the HF-DC1 any where around a 30 ft. radius of your subject and let your camera's on-board flash trigger it to help minimize ghosting and shadowing on you pictures. The aesthetic of the flash is a typical Canon and compliments the Powershot line of digital cameras very well. It is small enough to put in your pocket and easily attaches to your camera with the supplied bracket. You can also hold it for better lighting placement and effect. As you can see in the pictures I uploaded, the controls on the back are very straight forward and easy to use. I use Manual mode almost exclusively as it gives me total control of the flash while Min and Mid flash intensity produce ample lighting for my needs.
Overall, although the price of the HF-DC1 is a bit higher compared to non-OEM flashes, I have no regrets from buying it with all things considered.
Customer Review: Off-camera flash rocks
Summary: 4 Stars
The problem with built-in flash is not only that it can be weak, but that it's right in line with the lens. This gives, at best, flat lighting and, at worst, bad red-eye. This unit solves both problems.
I was jazzed to receive mine today. It's very small and light, and seems to work as advertised. I put the unit in several different positions and it always fired. It's so great to get off-camera flash on a P&S!
It worked, that is, until I tried it with the G7's flash output set to manual. Won't work.
Turns out the optical slave doesn't react to the flash, but to the pre-flash. That might not matter to most people, but I'm bummed because I had seen use for this mixed in with studio flashes, perhaps on location, as a way to add an extra pop of light to hard-to-reach places. Oh, well ...
All in all, this is a very cool little item. I'm not going to use the bracket, because I see a great advantage in being able to move the flash off-camera. Do that and your flash pictures will never look the same. And that's a good thing ... :-)