Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

This is a nice little convenient flash to carry when you cannot or do not want to carry a larger flash. It weighs almost exactly half of the 420EX or 430EX and balances very nicely on a 40D camera. I bought the 270ex with the intention to use it for fill flash on my 30D and 40D cameras.

HOWEVER, it is not good for my purposes because…

The flash is touted to cover the view of a 28mm lens on a 1.6x camera. This should allow it to be used with the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens at 17 or 18mm (which is equivalent to a 28mm lens on a full-frame camera)… You get a shadow at the bottom of the frame when using that lens at less than about 24mm with an attached lens hood. Sure, bouncing would correct that but, it the unit cannot be adjusted right to left so you cannot bounce it at 24mm or below with the camera in the vertical position. Also, you could remove the hood to alleviate the shadow problem but, I don’t want to be removing and replacing the hood frequently.

The flash cannot be controlled on a camera earlier than the 40D, despite the instruction book saying that the 270ex is compatible with “E-TTL II/E-TTL autoflash EOS cameras” In other words, you cannot reduce the power of the flash or select 1st curtain, 2nd curtain or Hi Speed Sync on a camera like a 30D.

Neither of the above problems was noted in any review of this unit, nor in the instruction manual.

My final grade for this flash would be 3-stars (because it can only tilt and cannot swivel) for 40D cameras and later and 1-star for cameras earlier than the 40D.
Rating: 1 / 5
Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

I bought the 270EX for my Powershot G10, simply because the thought and usability of putting my 580EX II on a “point and shoot” camera is quite comical. The flash on the Powershot G10 isn’t that bad, but I’ve got a Lensmate with a UV filter and the G10’s onboard flash is effectively cut down and makes shadows because of the barrel of the Lensmate.

The decision came down to the 220EX and the 270EX. The 270EX’s ability to bounce the flash towards the ceiling so I am not blinding my subjects is pretty nice. It also puts distance between the Lensmate, so I can have a “mini-SLR” rig instead of the full 5D Mark II and accessories. And the price difference was negligible.

Like anything, there’s a tradeoff. Smaller flash units means less power, and thus less distance. Instead of the LCD I’m used to on my 580EX II, I’ve got to control everything from the camera’s LCD, which is no real big deal. But since it’s smaller, I’m more likely to carry it than not in a jacket pocket.

If you’ve got a Powershot G series camera, you might want to consider this flash. It’s worked fine for me, and would probably even work if you had one of the Digital Rebel series instead of the 430EX II. But like anything photography related, you get what you pay for BUT the more you spend, the more time it takes to adequately learn it.

Rating: 4 / 5
Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras