Canon Speedlite EL-1

Is this luxury flash really worth £1,299?

The price tag is enough to make you do a double-take. £1,299/$1,099 for a flashgun? That’s more than twice the price of Canon’s very capable Speedlite 600EX II-RT, and almost as much as a Canon EOS RP complete with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM kit zoom lens. So Canon’s new Speedlite EL-1 should be something pretty special if it’s to deserve a place as one of the best flashguns, and indeed it is. We’re just not sure if it’s special enough.

A headline feature of the EL-1 is that it doesn’t run on the usual set of four AA cells. Instead, it has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with the promise of greater stamina and quicker recycling speeds. But we’ve seen this before in the likes of the cheaper Hähnel Modus 600RT Mk II and Modus 360RT, as well as the Godox V860II.

All of these third-party flashguns feature built-in Radio Frequency transceivers for wireless master/slave operation over a range of up to 100m (50m for the Hahnel 360RT), another of the EL-1’s main claims to fame. However, Canon gives a shorter recommended maximum operating distance of 30m for RF transmission, and 10-15m for infra-red optical linking.

Performance

They say that power is nothing without control, and the EL-1 really does stand out in this respect. Not only does it have a highly intuitive onboard control system, but you can turn the flash down to really low levels, equivalent to just 1/8,192 of maximum power. That’s great for really subtle flash and extreme close-ups.

Recycling times are practically instantaneous at low to medium power settings and still less than a second even at the full-power setting. TTL accuracy proved excellent in our tests and the colour quality of the flash remains very consistent even at extremely low settings, which is a significant technical challenge for flashgun technology. Matthew Richards

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There’s no fancy colour touchscreen, but the controls are highly intuitive and make adjustments quick and easy to carry out.

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Two built-in LED modelling lamps enable you to preview how the flash light will fall on your subject.

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The EL-1 is weathersealed, unlike most flashguns, so rain needn’t stop play. Note the red ‘luxury’ ring.