Phoenix Digital SmartFlash 99C Power Zoom, Bounce Shoe Mount ETTL-II Flash for Canon EOS SLR's, Guide Number 99

2010-01-30T19:00:00

I teach photography. For thirty years I have been looking to get pro results for the lowest equipment price. I like this unit for the price, so do my students. We will buy more of the same.

THOMAS W.

2009-06-02T21:00:00

This eTTL compatible flash works with my EOS-10D and my S5-IS. Fast recycle time is a treat and the GN99 power is sufficient for fill ins. Manual zoom means the lens housing must be pulled in and out manually, which on this unit is a clunky operation that takes a little bit of extra force so be careful about levering the housing against the hot shoe when you adjust. Plastic ring that locks onto the hot shoe is flimsy and easy to cross-thread. The bleeder button is just millimeters away from that ring, so be very careful when you install/remove the unit if you are in a social environment where an inadvertent flash would disturb others. The battery compartment does not accommodate rechargeable batteries. I didn't really notice that rechargeable's have thicker labels until I tried to stuff them into this flash and they wouldn't fit (several brands attempted). Cheap quality build means the hot shoe contacts and the plastic base wear out quickly and my flash lasted just over a year, but this entry-level discount [$]plastic flash is certainly not durable [$]+ equipment; you get what you pay for. If you are desperate for a cheap flash right now, order this. Otherwise, I find Adorama to have competitive prices and usually a great selection of new and used equipment, so go back to the items list and pony up for a better unit.

Powwow T.

2009-05-04T21:00:00

Not getting predictable results with this flash.

GREG P.

2009-02-19T19:00:00

Very low price for unit with these capabilities. I do not like the physical appearance of the unit, but that does not degrade its performance which is outstanding.

DAVID N.

2009-01-20T19:00:00

For only a fraction of the price of the Canon flash and using it with a non-dslr camera it is a good choice. Recycle time is very short. Very easy to use since it only has an on/off button and flash test button. Easy to adjust bounce angles and zoom head. Relatively lightweight. It has no deflector. You can't rotate the flash head to shoot portrait photo and bounce the flash off the ceiling. Rechargeable batteries barely fit in the battery compartment and not always touching the metal end-plates. No indicator for low battery but very inconsistence output. Doesn't adjust the light compensation or white balance on the camera. A little hard to rotate the dial to mount the flash.

E

2008-08-25T21:00:00

This flash died 21 days after I received it. [...] I only used it about 5 times. Do not buy[...]

chuck

2008-01-20T19:00:00

since nobody on the net or salespeople at 4 stores had tried this flash I decided that my wife should be the guinea pig. good results. 3 other parents in my sons wrestling class borrowed it and loved it. nice and light weight. powerful enough for most situations. no ,its not a 580 ex but its only [$] shipped. It did get rid of red eye and brightened up photo's considerably. we made a good purchase and now the rest of the web can too. distributed by omega satter.check their site too.not much info on this flash. its pretty new. ibet dual transistors mean faster recycle times.almost instant in program mode. more testing this weekend on times for manual mode. this is an add on to our initial review. my wife almost had the flash fall off a couple times. the lock ring is very hard to get locked with her little hands and even a bit of a challenge for me.i will have to buy her a little pliers to make sure the ring can be locked and unlocked properly. we almost asked for our money back ,but the flash itself is good enough to be a keeper.you just have to watch how you lock it in and have the 2 locking tabs line up when the flash is fully seated.

chad8