Canon EL-5
0.9s Full-Power Recycling
High-Power & Radio Control
Li-Ion Battery Included Flash
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
R3 R5 R5C R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R100
Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon EL-5 Flash (20.7 oz./586g with included LP-EL rechargeable battery, measured 0.9s recycle time, measured GN 27m/90' at 35mm or 41m/135' at 105mm, $399). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used flash — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new flash. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new flash before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
August 2023 Better Pictures Canon Reviews Canon Flash Lenses All Reviews
Canon EL-5 on included stand. bigger.
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
Introduction top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
The EL-5 is a superb monster of a full-sized, high-powered, fast and very reasonably-priced flash with a superbly flexible zoom head.
Two gotchas are that it fits only the very newest cameras with a Multi Function Shoe, which as of summer 2023 are the EOS R3, R6 Mark II, R7, R8, R10 and R50, and that you have to provide your own LC-E6 charger which most of us already have.
The EL-5 belts out tons of power and its new dedicated battery system lets it recycle pronto! so you can keep shooting hard and fast. You're going to love this, like the similar EL-1, for shooting sports and action and anything at high frame rates. The EL-5 is even slightly more powerful than the top-of the-line EL-1, in fact, this EL-5 is the most powerful shoe-mounted flash I've tested this decade.
This EL-5 is essentially the same as the top-of-the-line EL-1 with the same battery, power, flash and reflector systems, same features and speed and even slightly more flash power than the EL-1. It has almost exactly the same guts as the EL-1 in a smaller package for a fraction of the price, without some of the accessories.
What you lose in this EL-5 compared to the EL-1 is you don't have an internal cooling fan, you don't have an infrared AF illuminator (it's annoying white instead), it doesn't have the old 1970's style self-contained Auto mode option, it's not compatible with most cameras and you don't get a charger or accessories like filters and diffusers — but otherwise it's the same flash with the same performance in a smaller, lighter package for less than half the price!
It uses a completely new power system that uses a dedicated 14 Wh lithium battery that allows it to recycle completely from a full-power dump in just 9/10 of a second. When you're shooting action or at fast frame rates, this is paramount to letting you shoot as fast as you want without having to wait for the battery and flash to catch up. It recycles instantly at lower power levels.
It easily shoots bursts at 20 FPS at typical power levels. My other pro flashes like my Canon 580EX II also easily shoot at 20 FPS at typical power levels; the big difference is that I can shoot longer bursts or at longer distances with the EL-5 because it replenishes its main capacitor four times as fast.
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
Canon's first flash without traditional hot-shoe contacts. New multipin system only works with the newest cameras.
New LP-EL battery, included.
Manual power sets down to 1/1,024 in third-stops, not that anyone needs to set the flash 10 stops below full power!
Recycling progress bar — as if it matters with a 900 millisecond recycle time! Actually it might if you beat on this and high temperatures make it slow down deliberately.
Rated for 40 full-power dumps before overheating.
Center control button (nipple) also works as a 4-way joystick.
Good top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
Fastest recycling ever, 0.9 seconds at full power! (runs at 20 FPS at most TTL and other power settings).
Most powerful shoe-mount strobe; even more powerful than the EL-1 (but only slightly).
Recycling progress bar (not that you'll ever see it under normal conditions).
New, larger LP-EL battery included. It's similar to the LP-E6 batteries, but bigger.
The new, larger LP-EL battery charges with a standard LC-E6 charger, but it's not included.
Legible and well-lit LCD panel.
LCD panel shows battery charge with a four-segment icon, and the menu can read it in percent.
Fast, easy and obvious to setup and use. It's much easier to do than to read about it.
It gets even better when you realize that the center control button also works as a 4-way joystick!
The widest range of contortions I've ever seen for moving the flash head ±180º horizontally and from -7º to +120º vertically, meaning it can point behind you or wherever you want:
Canon EL-5 on included stand. bigger.
Built-in slide-out 14mm wide panel.
Built-in slide-out catchlight card.
Transmits color temperature information (which varies with power) to the camera for auto white balance optimization.
High-Speed Sync (HSS) mode.
Front- and rear-curtain modes.
Repeating strobe mode.
Built-in continuous LED flashlight or modeling light; press the LAMP button.
Metered manual flash.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Bad top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
No instruction manual included. The one-sheet quick guide says to charge the battery and turn on the power and is otherwise just warnings; there are no specifications or compatibility listings or any explanation of any of the features.
Offshored to Taiwan, not made domestically in Japan.
While it works fine, the 14mm wide panel is inelegant because it doesn't lie flat:
Canon EL-5 14mm Wide Panel. bigger.
Missing top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
No LC-E6 charger charger included. It expects that you probably have an LC-E6 charger from one of your many midsized Canon DSLRs, or you'll have to buy one.
Can't charge via USB; you need an LC-E6.
No optical wireless control; radio control only.
No Infrared AF illuminator; uses annoying white LEDs instead.
No exposure confirmation beep; if you run out of flash power at long distances or in daylight you'll have to see it on playback rather than hearing some sort of beep or lack thereof (there is a flash-ready beep).
No cooling fan; that's unique to the EL-1.
While the LCD is well illuminated, the buttons are not.
No diffuser included.
No colored filters included. So? Use gels and tape as I've done since the 1970s.
No instruction manual included, and no mention of where to find it. The included one-sheet, twelve-language quick guide says to charge the battery, turn on the power and set it to E-TTL, and that's it along with mostly warnings. There are no specifications, camera compatibility listings or any explanation of any of the features in the box. Boo!
No PC sync terminal.
No remote cord socket; you can't use the SN-R3 cable.
No external power input socket, so it
Can't work with the optional CP-E4N External 8-AA Battery Pack.
No 1970's-style on-flash-metered "A" exposure mode.
Compatibility top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
The EL-5 only fits the very newest cameras with a Multi Function shoe, which as of summer 2023 are the EOS R3, R6 Mark II, R7, R8, R10 and R50.
As of summer of 2023 there is no adapter to let this flash work on any other camera; you'll have to pony-up for the EL-1 to get this same level of performance with older cameras.
It uses a special new foot with 15 gold-plated pins to talk to these new cameras through their 21-pin Multi-Function Shoes. Note the lack of traditional contacts; the 15 gold pins now do everything:
New Multi-Pin Connector. bigger.
The advantage of this 15-pin digital connector is that the EL-5 can use the camera's processing power, rather than needing its own signal processing. Older flashes like the EL-1 need more processors to do all the processing themselves.
Cameras have loads of processing power available while they're not crunching just-shot images, and flashes need this computational ability just before the image is captured when the camera is more idle, so we all win since we don't need to pay to duplicate processing power — if you have a compatible camera.
These 15 pins connect to Canon's new 21-pin Multi Function Shoes. Here's the easy way to identify a Multi Function Shoe:
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The EL-5 won't work with cameras with only a traditional hot shoe lacking the tiny contacts:
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Canon EL-5 dwarfing the tiny EOS R8. bigger.
Specifications top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Rated Power Output specifications top
At full power |
Rated GN* |
Measured GN* |
14mm Wide Panel |
49' / 15m |
40' / 12m |
24mm |
94' / 29m |
70' / 21m |
35mm |
118' / 36m |
90' / 27m |
50mm |
140' / 43m |
105' / 27m |
105mm |
177' / 54m |
135' / 32m |
200mm |
197' / 60m |
143' / 44m |
*Guide Number at ISO 100. Divide the guide number by your distance in meters or feet and that's the aperture to use at full manual power.
Recycling Time specifications top
Rated 1.2 seconds at full power, and I measure just 0.9 seconds (900 mS). Oddly it takes the same 0.9 seconds to recycle from 1/2 manual power as well.
Instantaneous recycling at lower (normal) power levels like 1/4.
Gets slower by design if the flash gets hot from heavy use.
Full-Power Shooting specifications top
Rated for 40 full-power dumps before overheating, then wait 40 minutes to cool.
Flashes per charge specifications top
Rated 350 at full power.
Many more at normal power levels.
Flash Duration specifications top
1/710 second (1.41 mS) at full power to 1/46,290 second (21.6 µS) at 1/1,024 power.
Flash Head Zoom Range specifications top
24 ~ 200mm on full-frame.
Wide Panel: 14mm on full frame.
Flash Head Bounce Angles specifications top
±180º left and right.
-7º down to +120º up, which actually faces up and then 30º backwards!
White LED AF Illuminator Range specifications top
Up to 33 feet (10 meters) in the center.
Sync Modes specifications top
Front or rear curtain, High Speed Sync (HSS), stroboscopic.
Modeling Lamps specifications top
Continuous LED or rapid stroboscopic Xenon discharge.
Wireless specifications top
Optical
NONE.
Radio
2.405 ~ 2.475 GHz.
Rated up to 10'/30m indoors.
Groups A, B, C, D and/or E.
Channels 1 - 15 or Auto.
Wireless Radio ID 0 ~ 9999.
Quality specifications top
Certifications & Serial Number. bigger.
Flash made in Taiwan.
Battery made in Japan.
Power & Battery specifications top
Battery
7.2V, 1,920 mAh (14 Wh), Made in Japan:
Included LP-EL battery. bigger.
Included LP-EL battery. bigger.
Battery Level Indicator
4-segment icon.
Percentage readout in menus.
Battery health and full-power shot counter in menus.
Charging
Charges only with an LC-E6 external charger which you must provide.
Most of us have these from older cameras so Canon saves us all money by not making us all have to buy another one with this flash.
LC-E6 folding plug 100-240V 50-60 cps charger included.
Rated 2.2 hours to charge from 0% to 100%.
Size specifications top
3.16 × 5.51 × 4.85 inches WHD.
80.2 × 139.9 × 123.3 millimeters WHD.
Weight specifications top
20.690 oz. (586.5 g) with included LP-EL battery, actual measured weight.
Rated 21.38 oz. (606 g) w/battery; 17.32 oz. (491 g) stripped.
Operating Environment specifications top
0º ～ 45º C (32º ～ 113º F).
0 to 85% RH.
Canon's Model Number specifications top
5654C002.
Included specifications top
Flash.
Shoe cover (orange).
LP-EF battery (charger not included).
Stand.
Case:
Included case. bigger.
Announced specifications top
02 November 2022, 12:01 AM NYC Time.
Promised for specifications top
Late March 2023.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
August 2023
$399 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.
About $300 used if you know How to Win at eBay.
November 2022
$399.99 MSRP at introduction.
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Box, Canon EL-5. bigger. |
Back of Box, Canon EL-5. bigger. |
Accessories (what's included) top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
LC-E6 Battery Charger (required but not included)
LP-EF battery (spares)
Getting a Legal U. S. A. Version top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This section applies in the U. S. A. only.
Your flash must include a U. S. A. warranty card. It should be inside your box. The serial number on the card must match the serial number on the sticker on the bottom of your flash head.
Like the flash's shoe, my warranty card is different from other Canon products. Mine is a huge folded sheet with the model and serial numbers on one side that says AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, and it says UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and Canada on the other side.
If you didn't get a UNITED STATES card or the serial numbers don't match, you got ripped off with a gray market version intended for another country. This is why I never buy from any place other than my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-U. S. A. versions have no warranty in the U. S. A., and you probably won't be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!
Shifty dealers may include copies of a card from a legitimate U. S. A. item in a gray-market box, hoping you won't check serial numbers and catch their fraud. A card with the wrong serial number means nothing other than that you have no warranty coverage.
The tiny serial number below the UPC code on the sticker on the top of the box doesn't have to match, but it should. If not, it means a shady dealer took things out of boxes and was too sloppy to put them back correctly — and it means you got a used lens if anyone other than you took it out of the box.
If a gray market version saves you $150 the risk might be worth it, but for $100 or less savings I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.
Always be sure to check yours while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed. Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem.
Performance top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Measured Power Output performance top
At full power |
Measured GN* |
Rated GN* |
14mm Wide Panel |
40' / 12m |
49' / 15m |
24mm |
70' / 21m |
94' / 29m |
35mm |
90' / 27m |
118' / 36m |
50mm |
105' / 32m |
140' / 43m |
105mm |
135' / 41m |
177' / 54m |
200mm |
143' / 44m |
197' / 60m |
*Guide Number at ISO 100. Divide the guide number by your distance in meters or feet and that's the aperture to use at full manual power.
Recycling Time performance top
0.9 seconds (900 mS) at full power, measured.
Also 0.9s at 1/2 power, and instantaneous at 1/4 power and below.
For normal shooting it doesn't need to recycle because it rarely needs more than 1/4 power.
Exposure performance top
Exposure is mostly a factor of your own technique and your camera; your camera's TTL system is more critical to exposure than the flash, which is simply controlled by the camera.
Exposures are all wonderful on my R8.
Ergonomics performance top
It's easy to use; just twiddle the control nipple in the middle of the rear rotary control.
The manual makes it seem far more difficult than it is.
Compared top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
More Canon Flash Reviews.
The EL-5 stands out for its insanely fast recycling speeds and high power. If I'm shooting action, the EL-5 is the flash to have unless you want to spring for the EL-1 with its built-in fan to allow you to shoot longer before the flash overheats.
If I'm not shooting loads of bursts at 20 FPS, then I always have my compact 320EX in my case ready to go for everything else.
Canon EL-1, 580EX II and 320EX Flashes Compared. This EL-5 is a little bigger than the 580EX II. bigger.
Compared to Current Flashes
(roughly to scale—>) |
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 |
Full-power GN at 24mm* |
63' / 19m |
70' / 22m |
56' / 17m |
53' / 16m |
Full-power GN at 50mm* |
87' / 27m |
105' / 31m |
80' / 24m |
67' / 20m |
Full-power recycling* |
0.9s |
0.9s |
3.0s |
3.1s |
Battery |
4 AA |
2 AA |
||
Remote Control |
Optical & Radio |
Radio only |
Radio or Optical |
Optical only |
Txmttr and/or Slave |
Txmttr or Slave |
Txmttr or Slave |
Txmttr or Slave |
Txmttr or Slave |
Foot |
Standard 5-pin |
Multi-Function only |
Standard 5-pin |
Standard 5-pin |
Works with |
Just about every EOS camera, digital or 35mm, made since the late 1990s. | Only the newest cameras since about 2021 with the "Multi-Function Shoe." | Just about every EOS camera, digital or 35mm, made since the late 1990s. | Just about every EOS camera, digital or 35mm, made since the late 1990s. |
Infrared AF Illuminator |
Yes |
No (uses white LED) |
Yes |
No |
White LED |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Weight w/battery, oz.* |
23.9 oz. |
20.7 oz. |
13.9 oz. |
8.4 oz. |
Weight w/battery, g.* |
676 g. |
586 g. |
394 g. |
239 g. |
Made in |
Myanmar |
Taiwan |
Taiwan |
Taiwan |
Introduced |
2020 October |
2022 November 02 |
2015 July 08 |
2018 September 06 |
Gone by |
current |
current |
current |
current |
Price, 03/2021 |
n/a |
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Price, 09/2022 |
n/a |
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Price, 08/2023 |
* Actual measured values.
All four can shoot bursts at lower power at 20 FPS; the difference is how many frames each can shoot before it loses steam. The EL-5 and EL-1 are the best for this, and the EL-1 adds a fan to keep the flash cooler and let you shoot longer before it overheats.
Compared to Some Great Used Flashes
(roughly to scale—>) |
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 |
Full-power GN at 24mm* |
70' / 22m |
71' / 22m |
67' / 20m |
Full-power GN at 50mm* |
105' / 31m |
101' / 31m |
80' / 24m |
Full-power recycling* |
0.9s |
4.1s |
2.4s |
Battery |
4 AA |
4 AA |
|
Remote Control |
Radio only |
Optical only |
Optical only |
Txmttr and/or Slave |
Txmttr or Slave |
Txmttr or Slave |
Slave only |
Foot |
Multi-Function only |
Standard 5-pin |
Standard 5-pin |
Works with |
Only the newest cameras since about 2021 with the "Multi-Function Shoe." | Just about every EOS camera, digital or 35mm, made since the late 1990s. | |
Infrared AF Illuminator |
No (uses white LED) |
Yes |
No |
White LED |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Weight w/battery, oz.* |
20.7 oz. |
18.1 oz. |
13.1 oz. |
Weight w/battery, g.* |
586 g. |
513 g. |
373 g. |
Made in |
Taiwan |
Japan |
Taiwan |
Introduced |
2022 November 02 |
2007 February |
2011 February |
Gone by |
current |
2012 |
2017 |
Price, 03/2021 |
n/a |
About $100 used if you know How to Win at eBay. |
About $65 used if you know How to Win at eBay. |
Price, 09/2022 |
n/a |
About $90 used if you know How to Win at eBay. |
About $50 used if you know How to Win at eBay. |
Price, 08/2023 |
About $85 used if you know How to Win at eBay. |
About $50 used if you know How to Win at eBay. |
* Actual measured values.
These all take the same pictures, and have surprisingly similar maximum power outputs at wide settings. The lens systems of the bigger flashes give them more power at longer focal lengths as they're better able to focus the light.
The 580EX II has the same high power as this EL-5, while the EL-5 recycles over four times as fast.
The 320EX is much smaller, and impressively has as much maximum power (and therefore range) as the the EL-5 at the 24mm setting. At long settings the bigger flashes have more-focussed zoom heads for longer range.
All three can shoot bursts at lower power at 20 FPS; the difference is how many frames each can shoot before it loses steam.
EL-1 versus EL-5
The EL-1 works on almost all cameras, while the EL-5 only works on a few of the newest cameras.
The EL-1 is bigger.
The EL-1 includes a charger, while Canon expects you to provide your own with the EL-5.
The EL-1 has many more external connectors like external power and PC corded sync.
The EL-1 includes more accessories like a diffuser and filters.
The EL-5 has a little more maximum flash power per burst, while the EL-1 has a fan to let you shoot at maximum power for more bursts before the flash melts or slows down.
The EL-1 is for people who need to use it on older cameras without a Multi Function shoe, as well as the newest cameras.
The EL-1 has more internal processing power than the EL-5; the EL-5 as a digital-shoe only flash actually offloads some of its processing to the camera's processors!
At full power |
EL-5 Measured GN* |
EL-1 Measured GN* |
14mm Wide Panel |
40' / 12m |
35' / 11m |
24mm |
70' / 21m |
63' / 19m |
35mm |
90' / 27m |
80' / 24m |
50mm |
105' / 32m |
87' / 27m |
105mm |
135' / 41m |
110' / 34m |
200mm |
143' / 44m |
134' / 41m |
*Guide Number at ISO 100. Divide the guide number by your distance in meters or feet and that's the aperture to use at full manual power.
At full power |
EL-5 Rated GN* |
EL-1 Rated GN* |
14mm Wide Panel |
49' / 15m |
46' / 14m |
24mm |
94' / 29m |
89' / 27m |
35mm |
118' / 36m |
105' / 32m |
50mm |
140' / 43m |
121' / 37m |
105mm |
177' / 54m |
167' / 51m |
200mm |
197' / 60m |
197' / 60m |
*Guide Number at ISO 100. Divide the guide number by your distance in meters or feet and that's the aperture to use at full manual power.
User's Guide top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
See also Canon's EL-5 User's Guide PDF and Phil Steele's Advanced Off-Camera Flash course.
Charging user's guide top
The only way to charge is with an external LC-E6 charger. It won't charge with USB.
Most of us have numerous LC-E6 chargers from other Canon cameras; if you don't have one then you'll need to buy one.
Canon suggests removing the battery from the flash if left unused for a long time, as it could over-discharge and damage the battery.
If the 4-segment battery charge icon isn't precise enough for you, you can read the battery percent by pressing the rear SUB MENU button, then turning the wheel to "information" and pressing the central control button.
If you want to know even more (like battery health and how many full-power flashes you've made), press the center button again.
Watch the Connectors user's guide top
Conventional hot shoes are pretty much indestructible, however these tiny new pins can be delicate.
Use more care watching out for the tiny pins on the flash, and likewise try to keep crud and water out of your camera's shoe. Canon suggests being careful not to force the flash too far forward when sliding it into the camera's shoe.
Use the included orange shoe cover when you put away this flash, and use your camera's shoe covers to keep out crud as well.
Colored Filters user's guide top
It comes with no dedicated filters or diffusers.
So? No flashes did years ago; we made our own from colored sheets of filter material used in stage and screen production.
All I do is tape gel filters to the flash, or if I get fancy, I use peel-and-stick Velcro to attach material I have cut to size.
Pro practice is to filter your flash to match the ambient light. Otherwise subject and background take on different color casts — yuck!
In daylight, no filter is needed as the flash matches daylight.
Indoors with tungsten or 3,200K or 2,700K lighting, tape a piece of orange CTO color-conversion filter over the front of the flash to make it match the ambient light and prevent very warm backgrounds or blue people. You get either one or the other or a combination of both if you don't match the flash to ambient light, but use a filter and all should look awesome. Use a full CTO for complete conversion, and fractional CTO for a more mild effect if you set the camera's white balance to match the flash and then the background will be warmer.
Also use an orange filter to taste when the flash is used for fill at sunset — but set your white balance manually to preserve the orange glow to taste (otherwise the Auto WB will try to make everything look too blue).
Here's a decades-old SCUBA trick underwater in daylight: use a piece of full CTO filter over your flash to match tungsten and set your camera to manual tungsten white balance. Now whatever's lit by flash (think close-up fish or colorful plants) looks normal, while the background lit by ambient daylight will look very blue! Cool, huh?
If I can't avoid shooting under fluorescent light, I use a a small piece of green fluorescent conversion filter taped over the flash.
Getting 20 FPS user's guide top
Obviously you can't shoot at 20 FPS at full power if it takes 0.9s to recycle, however we almost never actually shoot at full power.
Even at quarter power (which is still a pretty hefty blast), you can get off two shots at the 20 FPS rate, and at 1/8 you can get off 4 shots at 20 FPS, and so on as the power level drops.
Power levels are usually much less than this in typical TTL shooting. Depending on how close you are to your subject and the level of ambient light, you'll be able to make longer and longer bursts at 20 FPS — and the EL-5 is always back up and ready for another burst a second later.
If you're close enough you conceivably could shoot all day at 20 FPS. It all depends on how much power you're using, which depends on how close you are and the ambient light for fill.
The EL-5 can recharge its capacitor from 0% to 100% in 0.9 seconds (beat that, Porsche), and if you're shooting at low enough power the EL-5 can keep its capacitor full all the time as you blast away; a blast at 1/10 power only brings the capacitor down to 90%, for instance.
So yes, most of the time it works just fine at 20 FPS. I'm astonished at just how hot and heavy it blasts away for 20 FPS bursts as I'm shooting; no flash other than the EL-1 has been able to keep up as well as the EL-5 does.
Multiple Light Setups user's guide top
I always use battery powered flash on top of my camera for fill flash when photographing people or pups in strong sunlight, as well as most kinds of light.
For multiple light setups, I use plug-in-the-wall, stand-mounted wired studio strobes, which saves me having to screw around with all the maddening wireless settings. I use one optical slave plugged into my powerpack to trigger the whole wired system wirelessly from any basic on-camera flash and I'm done.
Even the most basic studio strobes are about tens times as powerful as the EL-5 so I can stop down more and shoot at ISO 100 for much sharper images, and studio strobes are built to live on light stands and don't require the fiddling needed to attach little flashes like the EL-5 to a stand — and I never have to change batteries in my studio strobes. My one optical slave always fires everything, so I spend zero time cursing at units not firing.
If you want to mess around with battery powered multiple lights with the EL-5 go right ahead, but I don't use battery powered shoe-mount strobes for multiple light setups. My entire pro strobe system, complete with stands and umbrellas, cost me not much more than one EL-5 costs — and I've been using the same set of used studio strobes for close to 20 years! Today you can get a complete set of studio strobes, stands and umbrellas for $499 new!
I doubt the EL-5 has enough power to work well (meaning being able to shoot at at least f/8 at ISO 100) with umbrellas. If I have to shoot a gig at another location, my whole strobe system pops into one case and I'm on the road.
Recommendations top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Compatibility Specifications Accessories
USA Version Performance Compared
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
The biggest reasons for the EL-5 are its fast recycling and ability to belt out loads of high-speed bursts again and again in ways that would melt any flash other then the EL-1.
Have a compatible camera and shoot news, sports, action or events for a living? Get yourself an EL-5. Need ultrafast recycling or need to shoot lots of rapid bursts at longer distances? Get yourself an EL-5. Need to shoot hard and heavy without waiting for your flash to cool off? Get yourself an EL-5, or get an EL-1. if yore going to shoot so long and hard that you need the cooling fan, or have an older camera.
If you're a dog agility photographer you need an EL-1 or EL-5 for fill at high frame rates.
If you're not shooting so hard and fast, any other Canon flash works as well for a lot less money. A flash is just a xenon tube, a capacitor and a battery. Exposure is controlled by the camera's TTL system, not by the flash itself. Two of my favorites are my fully professional professional 580EX II and my compact 320EX. Either of them are available used (see the links at each review) for one fifth the price of a new EL-5, which does the same thing if you're not trying to shoot fast bursts or at full power all day, every day — but ooooh, I so love the EL-5 for shooting all my portrait sessions at 20 FPS in short bursts to get lots of similars which lets me pick the absolutely best expression of several. This alone can give you a competitive professional edge where you didn't think you need speed; just shoot three-shot bursts where you used to shoot just one frame and see what happens.
I got my EL-5 at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used flash — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new flash. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new flash before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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