Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI flashgun
What’s the hardest thing about using bounce flash? Working out where to point it! Canon’s new robotic flash takes control
now and again, a camera maker comes along with an innovation so extraordinary that you have to do a double-take – and that’s what Canon has achieved with its 470EX-AI.
‘AI’ stands for Auto Intelligent function, which automatically rotates and tilts the flash head to give the best possible bounce flash effect. It does this by firing an initial flash to assess the lighting for the subject, then quickly repositioning the head to bounce the light off a wall or ceiling.
Bounce flash is great for softer, broader light indoors with an on-camera flash, but until now, photographers have had to work out for themselves how to angle the flash for best results. This involves trial and error that we don’t always have the time or skills for.
Portrait, lifestyle and wedding photographer Jo Thorne, recruited by Canon to help demonstrate its new product, says: “The results are exceptional… using this flash has reignited my love of light.” We tried the 470EX-AI briefly at its launch, and the results looked very good.
If you want to keep some control over where the flash is bounced, you can switch to semi-automatic mode and direct the head yourself. After that, the motorized head tilts and swivels automatically as you change position to keep the bounce angle the same. It even automatically re-orientates if you swap from horizontal to vertical shooting.
With a guide number of 47m at ISO100, the Speedlite 470EX-AI is not short of power, which is important when bouncing flash, as it has further to travel. It has a zoom head that can cover lenses from 24-105mm, and there’s a built-in wide-angle adaptor to allow for lenses as wide as 14mm.
Canon quotes a recycle time of 5.5 seconds with AA batteries, or 3.5 with rechargeable NIMH cells. It supports high-speed sync and has a wireless optical trigger for remote firing from up to 10m away.