Canon EOS 300D Flash and batteries

Getting one of these - but not sure what the crack is with flashguns. I
know it's E-TTL but will any E-TTL flash work or does it have (as the bloke
in my local shop told me) to be a Canon 220, 420 or 550 EX (with the 'X'
being the important bit)?

And what sort of battery life do you get out of them? I've ordered one
spare battery, but I do tend to go a bit daft (that's the beauty of digital)
sometimes, so would another be in order? 7dayshop have the equivalents for
£15.

thanks

 

The only other Canon E-TTL flashes are the discontinued 380EX and the Macro
Ringlite(s). The 550 EX is a top flash. I've heard good things about Metz
E-TTL compatible flashes too, and Sigma do a 550EX clone (or as near as
damnit).

I have a 10D, and the battery life is pretty good - can easily fill up a
512Mb on large fine JPG settings without troubling the battery as long as I
don't review every image on the screen. Go for a battery grpip if you feel
vulnerable.

Cheers,
Chris

 

Thanks - camera shop bloke said it was <only> the Canon EX guns that's
work - the 420's the one I'm considering. When you say 'near as dammit'
what wouldn't it do if it's not fully compatible? Are we talking it and the
camera not talking, as it were, or just some relatively small limit on
functionality?

 

Go for the genuine Canon units. I have two 550EXs bought some years ago, and
they simply work, apart from the point described below.
The 420EX is slightly more compatible with the 10D and 300D than the older but
more powerful 550EX. When fitted to the camera and turned on, the 550EX
prevents the camera acquiring focus on the two focus points above and below the
central point. The 420EX, designed after the EOS30 appeared, is OK and allows
all 7 points to be active. Doesn't really matter to me as I nearly always use
just the central, most sensitive point.