Product ReviewsCanon Speedlite 380EX Shoe Mount Flash for Canon

Canon 380EX TTL Flash Great for E-TTL

Good:
Very easy to use with your Canon.
Fully automatic Just like the built in flash.
Zoom with lens from 28mm to 105mm and has zoom indicator light
Good recycle time
Head tilts

Bad:
Fully automatic Very little user can do to tweak it for special effects
Zoom is not silent
Head does not Swivel

Overall I am very pleased with the flash. It easily outperforms the built in flash and will be perfect for all but the hard core photographers.Read full review...

Great first flash

The Canon 380EX flash is a great flash for those still using film and those that are using Canon DSLR's for the first time. I purchased mine for remote flash applications where I was just seeking to fill light a entire room / concert venue. I tried it off my 1D body and it worked great on the camera and depending on my application would be more then enough flash. There is two semi critical things to know before purchase. 1. does not have a pc sync port. 2. does not rotate. This however lowers your price point and makes it a great snag to add to your flash collection!Read full review...

Canon Speedlite 380EX - A Great Choice!

The Canon Speedlite 380EX is one of Canon's older electronic flash units, but it still works great with all of their digital SLR's. It has bounce capability, and automatically adjusts for lenses from 24 to 105mm. It properly lights pictures, is reasonably compact, and you can find them available in great condition for $50 or less. Why pay more for the latest & greatest, when a flash unit like this does the job for so little money.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: robertscamera

I do not need any more than this too often.

Very affordable but powerful enough for most family pictures. It has been so reliable. It is Canon!
It does not weigh much and it is all automatic. I use it more than my 430EX or 580EX. This one does well most of the time.
It works well with my 40D and Canon film cameras...even on little G9 and old 300D.
It does not swivel and it does not have wireless capability. It is slightly weaker than 420EX, but lighter. It is not perfect, but if you understand and accept its limitations I think you will be just fine. I will not put anything but Canon Speedlites on my Canon cameras. This is a very affordable way to go!
I have always used rechargeable batteries, and now great Sanyo Enloop's which provide me very long continuous use and quick recovery.
I am going to keep one of them for my back up because it is so light and dependable. I really like this flash :)Read full review...

380EX Works great on my Rebel XT and my S5.

This flash works excellent on my Digital Rebel XT and my Canon S5. I have a Metz flash also, and the Canon produces better more consistent results. This one tilts but does not swivel. It allows you to tilt it up to bounce off the ceiling, but if you hold your camera in portrait (sideways) it does not swivel. With 8mp on my camera, I just use landscape format and crop them to portrait. (Note if you hold your camera sideways with a flash head on you usually get a shadow on the side of your subject.) It is not as strong as the 580ex or 430ex, but it has worked perfectly in normal size rooms in homes where I have taken most if not all of my pictures. I have not been in a situation requiring more flash. Definitely recommended to anyone using their camera mounted flash. This does away with the deer in the headlight, red-eye and shadows behind the subject problems. The reason I bought a Canon S5 is because it has the flash mount, and this solved the point and shoot noise issues indoors for me. Very happy with it.Read full review...

Canon Speedlight 380EX

A simple basic canon flash that works on all EOS cameras

I love the simplicity of the flash. There is no programming manual needed to be read to use this flash. It may lack some features of the more expensive units, but most people don't need those features anyway. It is motorized and automatically zooms between 24 and 105 mm when you do. Exposure seems to be right on.

I use it for daytime fill flash with a 1D and it has yet to overexpose anything.

Get this if you don't have a real need for the "advanced features" of the more expensive Canon flashes.Read full review...

Good flash for average user.

The newer Canon flash units are more hi-tech with more features. This flash has everything I need. I use with a Canon G5 and G11. Fits the G5 better it's a little big for the G11. Recycles quickly/

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: got2-be-in

380EX Works great on my Rebel XT and my S5.

This flash works excellent on my Digital Rebel XT and my Canon S5. I have a Metz flash also, and the Canon produces better more consistent results. This one tilts but does not swivel. It allows you to tilt it up to bounce off the ceiling, but if you hold your camera in portrait (sideways) it does not swivel. With 8mp on my camera, I just use landscape format and crop them to portrait. (Note if you hold your camera sideways with a flash head on you usually get a shadow on the side of your subject.) It is not as strong as the 580ex or 430ex, but it has worked perfectly in normal size rooms in homes where I have taken most if not all of my pictures. I have not been in a situation requiring more flash. Definitely recommended to anyone using their camera mounted flash. This does away with the deer in the headlight, red-eye and shadows behind the subject problems. The reason I bought a Canon S5 is because it has the flash mount, and this solved the point and shoot noise issues indoors for me. Very happy with it.Read full review...

380EX Works great on my Rebel XT and my S5.

This flash works excellent on my Digital Rebel XT and my Canon S5. I have a Metz flash also, and the Canon produces better more consistent results. This one tilts but does not swivel. It allows you to tilt it up to bounce off the ceiling, but if you hold your camera in portrait (sideways) it does not swivel. With 8mp on my camera, I just use landscape format and crop them to portrait. (Note if you hold your camera sideways with a flash head on you usually get a shadow on the side of your subject.) It is not as strong as the 580ex or 430ex, but it has worked perfectly in normal size rooms in homes where I have taken most if not all of my pictures. I have not been in a situation requiring more flash. Definitely recommended to anyone using their camera mounted flash. This does away with the deer in the headlight, red-eye and shadows behind the subject problems. The reason I bought a Canon S5 is because it has the flash mount, and this solved the point and shoot noise issues indoors for me. Very happy with it.Read full review...

Canon Speedlight 380EX

A simple basic canon flash that works on all EOS cameras

I love the simplicity of the flash. There is no programming manual needed to be read to use this flash. It may lack some features of the more expensive units, but most people don't need those features anyway. It is motorized and automatically zooms between 24 and 105 mm when you do. Exposure seems to be right on.

I use it for daytime fill flash with a 1D and it has yet to overexpose anything.

Get this if you don't have a real need for the "advanced features" of the more expensive Canon flashes.Read full review...