Choosing Between Canon Cameras Based on Over the Air Flash Uses

If you plan on doing any amount of portrait photography, then ultimatley you will have to learn the way to use off-camera light. Some times, available light is ok, but you will be able to produce much better photos by using a couple speedlites, a few light modifiers, and designing the light in your picture.

Does this raise any problems to weigh? You’re going to need to drop some cash on speedlites, to start with. This  highlights the the necessity for a trick for triggering those speedlights wirelessly. In my eyes, that is the most obtuse part, initially, about doing strobist style photography.

In the past, this wasn’t a normal feature on Canon digital SLR cameras. You were required to invest in some equipment – either the OEM Canon infrared transmitter, an expensive as hell pair of pocket wizards, or a few cheap third party triggers. I needed to invest in a set of wireless triggers when I first got into using flashes with my Canon t1i 500D. It didn’t have a on camera commander flash.

A pop up commander flash is now a standard feature on most Canon dSLR cameras, and I hope this trend continues. So which Canon digital SLR cameras come with the power to set off speedlites?

The pop up commander flash is a offering on all of the newest Canon dSLR cameras. This means that the Canon EOS  t3i 600D, the Caon 60D, and the Canon EOS 7D will all work. On each of these cameras, the pop up flash can be set as a commander flash, and it will by infrared set off the main flashes in the group. The on camera flash goes off to transmit this infrared light, but the power level of this first flash is so low that it won’t affect the brightness of your photo (unless of course you plan for it to and you raise the strength).

Past models, like the Canon Rebel t2i 550D and the Canon EOS 50D, don’t come with this ability. The higher end Canon digital SLR cameras, meaning the Canon 5D and the Canon 1D Mark IV, don’t come with on camera flashes at all, though. So those cameras don’t sport that capability either. But honestly, if you’re dropping upwards of $2,000 on a digital camera, it ain’t a giant problem to pay a couple hundred dollars on a Canon ST-E2 wireless transmitter.

If you’re confused comparing the t2i vs t3i, then this is a legitimate reason to choose the updated camera. If, though, you’re stuck choosing between the Canon 60D vs 7D, this isn’t going to be much help. They both come with the same features for flashes.