Budget flashguns

You don’t need to be flush to afford a decent flash. Save some cash and give one of these bargain blasters a bash

You don’t have to be flush to afford a flash: check out six enticing options

AmazonBasics

Electronic Flash

£25/$29 www.amazon.com

Amazon’s shoestring budget contender sports a proper tilt-swivel head for bouncing the flash burst off walls or a ceiling. The head won’t zoom to match your lens’s focal length – not even manually – but you can’t have everything at such a low price. Build and material quality feels on par with rivals costing several times as much, there’s a metal hotshoe mount, and a stand and pouch are included.

The no-nonsense rear control panel is very easy to use. Flash power is adjustable down to 1/128 brightness, and full power is rated at GN33. That’s fairly low, and our testing rated around three stops dimmer at maximum power than the brightest guns here. But illumination is perfectly even across the image frame, with no colour cast.

This is a fully manual flash with a basic single-contact hotshoe, so it works with all major camera brands. You can also use it as an optically triggered slave flash in S1 or S2 slave modes, although you’ll need to be indoors and within close range to maintain reliable syncing.

PROS Even, neutral flash burst; slave flash modes; tilt-swivel head

CONS Questionable long-term reliability; no TTL or zoom head; not very powerful

Gloxy

GX-F1000

£150 www.photo24.co.uk

The GX-F1000 isn’t everyone’s idea of ‘budget’, but you do get a lot for your money. It’s fully automatic, with Canon E-TTL and Nikon i-TTL compatibility; there’s High Speed Sync up to 1/8,000 sec; a fast two-second recycling time; and a huge max power of GN58 (dimmable though eight levels down to 1/128). The zoom head will focus the flash beam to match a wide 18-180mm focal range, and it features a full range of tilt and swivel movement.

Naturally the GX-F1000 can be used a slave flash. Triggering is via the usual optical sensor, but the Gloxy also adds a built-in 2.4GHz radio frequency link for a much greater range, especially when you’re using it outdoors. A removable flash diffuser dome is included, as is a set of 20 gels to tint the colour.

The large backlit display and control wheel interface are quite intuitive. Flash performance is consistent with the GN58 power rating, although we were less impressed with the slight corner vignetting and the minor banding visible across the centre of the frame.

PROS TTL; very powerful; radio-frequency slave link; fast recycle times

CONS Flash not the most even; pricey

Kenro

Mini Speedflash KFL102

£109 www.kenro.co.uk

At just 110 x 65 x 35mm and 200g loaded with a pair of AA batteries, the compactness of Kenro’s Mini Speedflash is genuinely impressive. Despite being so tiny, the head can still tilt and swivel for a full range of bounce flash effects, although the space-saving measures mean the head won’t zoom to focus the flash beam.

The GN32 power rating is essentially the same as the AmazonBasics budget flashgun, but in our testing the Mini Speedflash was almost two stops dimer at max power, and therefore the weakest here by some margin. Five-second recycle times also won’t break any records. On the plus side, the flash illumination is balanced and neutral, and there’s certainly enough power for indoor use.

You get full TTL compatibility, 1/8,000 sec High Speed Sync, plus optically triggered S1 and S2 slave modes. The backlit LCD display is small but clear and easy enough to navigate, however it’s flanked by small, tightly packed buttons. You can choose between Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony and Micro Four Thirds mount options.

PROS Seriously compact; TTL and HSS, fully articulating head

CONS Weak power; no zoom head; fiddly buttons

Neewer

TT560

£27/$40 www.amazon.com

This popular flashgun certainly ticks the budget box, yet with a power rating of GN38, we measured it at a third of a stop brighter than the equally cheap AmazonBasics flash. Power is adjustable in eight steps and flash coverage is fairly even, with only a hint of corner vignetting – athough, as you’d expect at this price, the head won’t zoom to match your lens’s focal length. It does sport 0-90 degrees tilt and 270 degrees of rotation, however, and conceals a typical bounce card and diffuser panel.

You get extras like S1 and S2 slave modes.

In S2 mode, the TT560 ignores any pre-flash strobing from the master flash and only fires in sync with the main burst. Both modes work well but, as with any optically triggered system, don’t expect perfect reliability outdoors.

Controls are simple, with power and mode controls, and a test fire button. Being a completely manual flashgun, there’s no TTL, and the basic (yet metal) hotshoe has a single contact so will work in any standard camera hotshoe. But if you’re on the tightest of budgets, this is the one to get.

PROS Very low price; reasonably powerful; S1 and S2 slave modes CONS No TTL, HSS or other fun features

Sigma

EF-610 DG ST

£100/$165 www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

There’s a flashgun from a top-tier brand like Sigma for a bargain price? What’s the catch? Judging by the spec sheet, there isn’t one. The EF-610 has a huge GN61 power rating, making it the most potent performer here. Our testing backs this up, and the illumination is even, with only a trace of vignetting.

There’s TTL compatibility with Canon and Nikon DSLRs, and the zoom head can focus the flash burst to suit focal lengths from 17mm to 105mm. The head also boasts a full range of tilt and rotation movement, although both axes are locked with individual release buttons, which can interfere with quick head adjustments.

Compromises have been made, though.

The plastic hotshoe stings considering even the cheapest rival flashguns sport a metal mount, and you can forget about luxuries like a backlit LCD screen. Flash intensity is limited to just two power settings: max and 1/16. Finally, the EF-610 can’t be used as a slave flash, as there’s no form of wireless triggering, limiting you to on-camera or corded use only.

PROS Hugely powerful; zoom head; easy to use CONS No slave modes; only two power settings; plastic mount

Yongnuo

YN-560 IV

£55/$70 www.yongnuo.eu

At nearly double the price of ultra-budget strobes from Amazon and Neewer, Yongnuo’s entry seems like questionable value. It doesn’t offer fancy features like TTL metering or High Speed Sync, and there’s still only a single hotshoe contact, indicating this is a fully manual flashgun. But there are hidden depths. The head can zoom between 24 and 105mm to match the focal length of your lens; while you need to set this manually, it’s very easy. The large backlit LCD screen is also welcome, although the display does fade considerably when viewed from above.

Then there’s the built-in RF receiver that allows the flash to be used as a slave, triggered by a second YN-560 IV, or from Yongnuo’s equally well-priced YN560 TX transmitter. This provides a huge 100-metre wireless range and can trigger up to six groups of flashguns.

The YN-560 IV isn’t short on flash power, with a GN58 rating at ISO100/105mm. Our testing confirmed this, and the output is free from colour casts. Recycle times are also nice and speedy.

PROS Plenty of power; built-in RF slave triggering; zoom head CONS No TTL or HSS; iffy LCD screen quality