GEAR FLASHGUN TEST
With a touch of gold, it’s the first Speedlite to feature Canon’s new ‘multi-function foot’ £499/$399
This new Speedlite shoehorns most of the features of the flagship Speedlite EL-1 into a more lightweight build. It runs on the same Canon LP-EL rechargeable Li-ion battery, boosting stamina and recycling speed between flashes, but costs less than half as much to buy.
The EL-5 is the first Canon Speedlite to feature the new 21-pin ‘multi-function foot’ which takes full advantage of the companion multi-function shoe built into most of the latest EOS R System cameras, including the EOS R3, R6 Mark II, R7, R8, R10 and R50 (but not the EOS R100). However, without any of the conventional array of connection pins in the foot, it cannot be used in the hotshoe of other Canon cameras, whether they’re EOS DLSRs or M-system and R-system mirrorless bodies.
Key features
Dedicated functions for compatible Canon EOS R-system cameras include E-TTL (Electronic-Through The Lens) flash metering and a full range of flash modes, from front and rear curtain flash options, through HSS (High Speed Sync), to programmable strobe, firing the flash in bursts at frequencies from 1Hz to 500Hz. There is a full range of bounce and swivel, from -7 degrees (slightly downward) to 120 degrees (slightly rear-facing) vertical bounce, plus full 180-degree lateral swivel to both the left and the right. The automatic, motorized zoom range is similarly generous, stretching from 24-200mm in full-frame terms, with auto-sensing for APS-C format cameras. For extra wide-angle coverage, there’s the usual flipdown 14mm diffusion panel built into the flash tube, as well as a catchlight reflector bounce card.
Mirrorless cameras can’t use the red AF-assist lamps featured in conventional flashguns, so the EL-5’s secondary dual LED lamp is a useful feature. With five power levels, you can use it for short-range stills and video, as well as for modelling use to prejudge the effect of flash and, naturally, for AF-assist, where it has a range of up to 10m.
Frustratingly, the EL-5 itself is sold without a charger for its Li-ion battery. It’s not a major problem if you have an EOS R6 Mark II or R7 camera, as you can charge the flashgun’s battery using your camera’s charger, but if you have an EOS R3, R8, R10 or R50, the optional LC-E6E battery charger co
