Sunpak 5000AF and 300D

Has anyone got experience/opinions of the above combination? Any
opinions of the flash appreciated.

Thanks
Simo

 

hi All

I would also appreciate any feedback
thanks

 

I don't have a 300D, but a D60. The Sunpak 5000AF is pretty good and
reliable. It's almost a dedicated flash for me, with the 420ex being a
secondary flash that I use for outdoor fill flash. I just don't like E-TTL,
having to FEL and all, plus I like to use the FEL/* button to focus and FEL
doesn't work in this circumstance. I've found that it does suck up power
pretty quickly and recycle times are slower than the 420ex, if you are
shooting a lot. I use it in auto mode and set output power depending on
whether I'm bouncing the flash or firing it forward.

What I would prefer is if the Sunpak allowed overriding of parameters in its
manual mode because sometimes the auto mode doesn't push out enough power.
So manual mode is pretty useless when its on the hotshoe.

The AF assist beam/pattern isn't as good as Canon's and the angle doesn't
seem right, ie my flash unit has more beams at the upper half of the frame.

There is one flaw, err problem, with using the Sunpak on a D60 (and possibly
other Canon digitals) - you can't have the flash turned on before the
camera boots up, otherwise the camera just sits idle in the boot process.

Another thing I noticed is even if I set my custom function to not fire any
flash, when you only want to use it as a focus assist tool, the Sunpak
still gets triggered if you press the shutter. It saved my life twice, but
nevertheless, it shouldn't operate like that.

What the Sunpak gains in power, it lacks in build quality (feels flimsy) and
a bit bulky given that it feels "empty" somewhat. The pins on the hotshoe
is pretty stiff and can give the camera scar marks if you put in/take off
the flash a lot. You'll need to rotate both sides of the hotshoe
tightener/dial/thingo if you want to rotate it easily, otherwise it feels
extremely stuck.

For the reasons of it being an auto flash and not expensive, I like the
product. My next flash is going to be a Metz 54 and use it as my dedicated
unit (it's got E-TTL and high speed sync). I should've bought the Metz
earlier tho.

Leon

 

Leon,
Thanks for the insight, answered most of the queries I had about it.
How much did you pay for it and from where, if timings are still
comparitive.

Simo

 

Hi Simo,

I bought it a very long time ago, but if I recall correctly, it was
similarly priced as a 420ex. Bought it from Photo Continental.

Leon