Patent: Pop-Up Flash With Bounce Capabilities

[Canon Rumors Guy]

A patent showing a pop-up flash with bounce capabilities has appeared. This is definitely a feature a lot of people would take advantage of in a pinch. I hope we see this in the next round of flash equipped DSLRs from Canon.</p>
<p>Patent Publication No. 2015-166789 (Google Translated)</p>
<ul>
<li>Published 2015.9.24</li>
<li>Filing date 2014.3.4</li>
<li>Canon patents</li>
<li>Rotatable light-emitting part</li>
</ul>
<p>Is this something you’d want on an EOS 6D Mark II?</p>

 

[Pitbullo]

My wifes nex-6 has a pop up flash that can bounce. Great feature!! Excellent if we get it on Canon DSLRs!

 

[veng]

Would love to see this

 

[danski0224]

I kept reading that Canon couldn't innovative.

What gives with this?

;D

 

[midluk]

I kept reading that Canon couldn't innovative.

What gives with this?

This doesn't count as innovation unless Sony does it.

 

[andrewflo]

The bounceable flash on the EOS M3 is such a handy feature. It would be welcomed on any camera. Of course it's not as good as a Speedlite, but for something compact, it's a nice feature to have.

 

[TeT]

I would tear it off.

is that from contempt or clumsiness...?

 

[TeT]

Would welcome this on the 6D II; or any DSLR for that matter...

 

[Maximilian]

Interesting!

Would like to see how well this performsmechanically.

 

[Bennymiata]

I'd like it on my 5D3 too, but as pop-up flashes are so weak, would it be powerfull enough to be of much use, especially if the ceiling was on the high side?

 

[Sporgon]

I would tear it off.

+ 1

 

[Pitbullo]

I'd like it on my 5D3 too, but as pop-up flashes are so weak, would it be powerfull enough to be of much use, especially if the ceiling was on the high side?

Like I said on my previous post, my wifes nex-6 has a bouncable pop up flash. It is tiny, but powerfull. I have used it with great success against celings about 3m high. I havent tried higher. It really really makes a difference! Would be great if Canon implemented this feature.

 

[Pitbullo]

I would tear it off.

Why break an expensive camera?

 

[Sporgon]

I'd like it on my 5D3 too, but as pop-up flashes are so weak, would it be powerfull enough to be of much use, especially if the ceiling was on the high side?

Exactly. Putting a bouncable pop up on a FF camera is even more absurd than a fixed one; you can't play the trigger card and the limitation is so horrendous what on earth are you using a FF camera for anyway if you want this feature ? On a camera such as the 100D personally I would want one for the type of casual photography that I would do with that camera, but on a FF it's an undesirable joke.

When I changed from the four series speedlites to the five I found a big difference in bounce performance, and I think that the four series is considerably more powerful than a pop up.

 

[Pitbullo]

I'd like it on my 5D3 too, but as pop-up flashes are so weak, would it be powerfull enough to be of much use, especially if the ceiling was on the high side?

Exactly. Putting a bouncable pop up on a FF camera is even more absurd than a fixed one; you can't play the trigger card and the limitation is so horrendous what on earth are you using a FF camera for anyway if you want this feature ? On a camera such as the 100D personally I would want one for the type of casual photography that I would do with that camera, but on a FF it's an undesirable joke.

When I changed from the four series speedlites to the five I found a big difference in bounce performance, and I think that the four series is considerably more powerful than a pop up.

FF cameras are not magical. They are used for the exact same things as aps-c. So why is a pop up flash such a nightmare on a FF camera? It can do just as good on a FF as on a crop camera.

 

[Bengt Nyman]

but on a FF it's an undesirable joke.

When I bought my first Nikon D800 I thought "pop-up flash, no thanks." But I have learned better.
A pop-up flash is very useful in many situations and that has nothing to do with the size of the sensor.
Being able to avoid lighting near subjects when using pop-up flash would make it even more useful. I agree that in some situations a pop-up flash is clearly insufficient, but in others it offers convenience and excellent control.

 

[Sporgon]

but on a FF it's an undesirable joke.

When I bought my first Nikon D800 I thought "pop-up flash, no thanks." But I have learned better.
A pop-up flash is very useful in many situations and that has nothing to do with the size of the sensor.
Being able to avoid lighting near subjects when using pop-up flash would make it even more useful. I agree that in some situations a pop-up flash is clearly insufficient, but in others it offers convenience and excellent control.

In that case Nikon clearly make the camera for you.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

So lets see, A pop up flash that bounces would add oooohhh let guess $35 to the manufacturing cost of the camera? Price the cameras in the class that typically have pop ups and their stable mates that don't.

So for perhaps $50/70 retail I would get a camera that has increased functionality for casual shooting. So small birthday parties for my grandkids, etc. and yet when I need the giant strobes, it doesn't get in the way and it tucks neatly away.

As power, no I don't need cavern filling power, as a previous poster mentioned this is for casual shooting.... a FF camera is not so much for a person who exclusively casually shoots. there is a difference. And of course this model can be upped a bit compared to the 3 meter models on most "casual shooting" cameras.

Combine it with the idea that it can be used as an optical trigger (not all of us have replaced our 2 dozen speedlights w/ radio controlled models) and in anything but a location shoot greater than about 75 meters, it works fine (actually did this w/ mT3i so pucker up buttercup).

It sounds like a damn fine bit of functionality to me.

 

[trstromme]

I'd like it on my 5D3 too, but as pop-up flashes are so weak, would it be powerfull enough to be of much use, especially if the ceiling was on the high side?

Exactly. Putting a bouncable pop up on a FF camera is even more absurd than a fixed one; you can't play the trigger card and the limitation is so horrendous what on earth are you using a FF camera for anyway if you want this feature ? On a camera such as the 100D personally I would want one for the type of casual photography that I would do with that camera, but on a FF it's an undesirable joke.

When I changed from the four series speedlites to the five I found a big difference in bounce performance, and I think that the four series is considerably more powerful than a pop up.

erm.. I have an issue seeing why a bounce-able flash on any camera would ruin the ability to trigger a secondary flash using the optical protocol they employ. When the master (in this case the built in flash) fires it does not do it once, there is a pre-flash which goes into metering, as well as a series of very rapid flashes that encode the metering information for the secondary flash's optical sensor to read and act upon.
All in all, any built in flash enhances the utility of the camera, don't use it if you don't want to. It might affect the durability if not done right, but with my 7D I have no such complaints. A built in flash has helped me countless times with adding the necessary fill light to balance exposures in strongly backlit environments such as on the beach or similar. Great for when you're in a pinch.

 

[privatebydesign]

I'd like it on my 5D3 too, but as pop-up flashes are so weak, would it be powerfull enough to be of much use, especially if the ceiling was on the high side?

Exactly. Putting a bouncable pop up on a FF camera is even more absurd than a fixed one; you can't play the trigger card and the limitation is so horrendous what on earth are you using a FF camera for anyway if you want this feature ? On a camera such as the 100D personally I would want one for the type of casual photography that I would do with that camera, but on a FF it's an undesirable joke.

When I changed from the four series speedlites to the five I found a big difference in bounce performance, and I think that the four series is considerably more powerful than a pop up.

FF cameras are not magical. They are used for the exact same things as aps-c. So why is a pop up flash such a nightmare on a FF camera? It can do just as good on a FF as on a crop camera.

Snobbishness on the part of posters is why most people don't want to see a pop-up flash on a FF camera, never mind that many SLRs (that were all FF) had pop-up flashes. It is snobbishness in the sense that Canon's pro cameras (1-series) don't have them so not having it makes the camera "more like" the 1-series.

Not true. Why would I want a 'feature' I would never use, would weigh more and make the camera bigger?

The excuse given for the video features on stills cameras is that it doesn't add size or weight and the software is written anyway, then economy of scale means it is cheaper to have it and appeal to a bigger market even if you don't want it, but that is not true of hardware, there is a cost in actual dollars, there is a cost in size and weight and reliability; that is why I don't want a feature I will never use, not because I am a snob.