Canon officially announced their new flagship Speedlite, the EL-1 back in October, and it's still scheduled to begin shipping in February.
For the folks that can't deal with the eye-watering $1099USD price tag, fret not, a more affordable version is coming in 2021.
I have been told that Canon will likely announce a Speedlite EL-10 in the 2nd half of 2021.
No specifications were given, but I think it would pretty easy to figure out what the EL-10 will be. One interesting note from the source is that the EL-10 will also use an optional rechargeable battery.
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Who wants to put an EL-1 on a small mirrorless camera body for all day shooting? Not me.
I mean, I am a professional photographer, I get it: durable build quality, high output with stable colors, good service, native software communication, a well thought out design (even with a red ring! :-D), internal adjustment light... but still - 1100 USD??? Thats crazy for a flash. You can get a Hensel integra 1000 for that amount of money... thats crazy.
I mean, I have 4 Godox flashes for mobile jobs. They are sturdy, bright, stable, super reliable, great interface, reliable wifi, handy transmitter unit, offer HSS and ETTL.... and cost less than 100 USD each...... 1100 USD....
Anyway, nice to hear canon is busy on the light front =)
Unfortunately, the pricing looks crazy expensive. I don't cheap out on lighting... but I have a hard time swallowing $1k+ for a bounce flash.
There are Yongnuo flashes & lenses for ~$100. A $250 smartphone easily covers the functionality of a phone + compact camera + music player + GPS navigation + ..., which not so many years ago you'd have to buy multiple devices at a higher cost.
Direct comparison isn't trivial either. The EOS 6DmkII is more expensive than the Minolta I bought 20 year ago, even with inflation taken into account. Then again, the 6DmkII wider AF points coverage, can print larger than most 35mm film, ...
My Yongnuo flashes where not that great so far - 2 broke over the years. And the yongnuo 600EX knockoff got some problems: they drain the battery, even while turned off. This is pretty annoying. The Godox are working perfectly so far :)
With 12 white lenses and half a dozen other L lenses I am a pretty dedicated Canon user, but this new Speedlite doesn't make my mouth water. The 600 was introduced 8 1/2 years ago and updated slightly 4 1/2 years ago. The radio control system was revolutionary and much better than the 550/580 optical system. I think an update with one or two EP-L6 batteries would have been a slam dunk.
Merry Christmas and an exciting Canon New Year (R5s, anyone!)