The Canon Speedlite EL-5 is finally in stock

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Canon announced the Speedlite EL-5 back in November of 2022, and after a couple of delays it is finally in stock at most retailers. Canon Speedlite EL-5 Key Features Canon Speedlite EL-5 $399: B&H Photo // Adorama // Amazon

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[Chaitanya]

Anyone got it? looking for reviews.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Anyone got it? looking for reviews.

I received mine yesterday. My review begins by noting that Canon does not include the LC-E6 charger needed for the included LP-EL battery, and since I don’t have any cameras that use those batteries, my review pauses there until the LC-E6 I ordered yesterday arrives later today.

Well, I did notice that the EL-5 is slightly larger than the 600EX, and also that the head on the EL-5 does not lock. The head on the 600EX-RT locks for swivel and bounce at forward-facing 0 and 90 degrees, with a push-button release on the hinge. The EL-5 head moves freely (with detents, of course).

 

[Chaitanya]

I received mine yesterday. My review begins by noting that Canon does not include the LC-E6 charger needed for the included LP-EL battery, and since I don’t have any cameras that use those batteries, my review pauses there until the LC-E6 I ordered yesterday arrives later today.

Well, I did notice that the EL-5 is slightly larger than the 600EX, and also that the head on the EL-5 does not lock. The head on the 600EX-RT locks for swivel and bounce at forward-facing 0 and 90 degrees, with a push-button release on the hinge. The EL-5 head moves freely (with detents, of course).

So Canon has taken cue from cellphone makers when it comes to removing chargers from package. That missing head locking mechanism is a deal breaker, Godox lights we use dont have locks and overtime head just becomes too loose and it wont hold its position(in portrait orientation and head needs support else it will rotate) with on flash diffuser(similar to AK diffuser). Benifits of Li-Ion battery(insanely fast recycle times and consistent output) dont seem to overcome the issues with missing locks on head for my use case.

 

[neuroanatomist]

That missing head locking mechanism is a deal breaker, Godox lights we use dont have locks and overtime head just becomes too loose and it wont hold its position(in portrait orientation and head needs support else it will rotate) with on flash diffuser(similar to AK diffuser).

The detents are pretty stiff. Time will tell if they loosen up.

 

[danfaz]

I like the idea of firm detents vs. locking. You'd probably have to reposition the head a million times before it gets sloppy.
I don't like the omission of a charger, though. The EL-1 comes with one, but I guess because it's premium. However, if the purchaser doesn't already have a LC-E6, that's another $60.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Overall an excellent flash. Blazing fast recycling compared to my eneloop-powered 600EX units. Onboard controls are ok, better than the 600EX but the camera menu controls are still easier. The one-button access to the camera’s flash menu is great (ST-E10 has it, too).

I first tried the EL-5 on the R8 with the 24/1.8, the flash felt quite ungainly. Better balanced with the 28-70/2, but then it’s almost like the camera itself is not there. The EL-5 balances perfectly on the R3 with any lens.

I like the LED assist/modeling, though as warned it’s not variable on the R3. On the R3, the flash LED is full brightness for a dim or dark scene, and the intermittent main flash tube firing happens when there’s almost no light (or with the lens cap).

On the R8, the flash’s LED assist is the go-to. I can’t get the intermittent main tube assist to fire even with the lens cap on. The brightness of the flash LED assist does vary, even within the same acquisition – with a very dim scene it starts dimmer then goes to full brightness.

In practice, there’s typically enough light to focus with either camera, I find assist beam activation to be rare. It’s much less frequent than with a DSLR (which makes sense with the improved AF sensitivity).

My initial feeling is confirmed – I’ll use the EL-5 as a go-to on-camera flash and use the 600’s off-camera. The only advantage of the 600 is that I always have fully-charged eneloops available, whereas I may not have the LP-EL fully charged if I don’t anticipate needing a flash. Not a big deal, as the 600’s would get the job done in that case.

 

[NKD]

Local Melbourne - Australia store just got stock as of today! 5th July.
Pickin it up tomorrow to pair with the R7 (hopefully as well for 1 of the soon-to-be rumored body releases)

 

[neuroanatomist]

Interesting that the last post mentions Australia. I’ve had the boxes for my two most recent Canon purchases, the RF 28/2.8 and the 10x42L binoculars, sitting with my gear and today I decided to put them up in the attic with all the other gear boxes.

On a whim, I also thought maybe I’d register them online so I snapped pics of the warranty cards. Up in the attic, I decided to take pics of the warranty cards from a few other recent purchases – R8, RF 24/1.8, RF 100-300/2.8 and EL-5.

To my surprise, the usual USA/Canada warranty card for the EL-5 was not in the box. Instead, there were these:



The Aus/NZ card has the model and serial numbers printed on it, the European pamphlet just has empty boxes where I presume that should go.

I preordered it from B&H on launch day, and got it from the first batch they received. Seems Canon may have screwed up the packaging and distribution a bit? No real consequence, I suppose, since there’s nothing geographically specific about the flash (no, I’m not still bitter that they didn’t include a charger, not at all ).

Somehow, I doubt this means I get 5 years of warranty. I do wonder if there will be an issue when I try to register it online. That happened to me once before, with the EF 70-200/2.8 II – it wouldn’t accept the date, indicating the lens wasn’t available yet on that date even though I tried both the date B&H shipped it to me and the day I received it (so it clearly was available, obviously).

 

[shadowsports]

@neuroanatomist,
I purchased a BG-R10 from B&H in June. It came with a AUS/NZ Warranty card, same as your EL-5. I attempted to register it in MyCanon, but the listing for the item was not present. (Not in the product database). I called support and brought it to their attention. They agreed it was missing and said they'ed get in added. Somehow I was the only person who ever tried to register their grip in North America. (ok).

In the meantime, I requested an RMA with B&H. I claimed grey market. I'm in CA, so 11 days later I got my replacement. The exact same item (product) I had returned. It looked like they opened the box, put it in another box and sent it right back to me. I was pretty upset. Getting ready to leave for Alaska, took the time to exchange it and then this. This was the first time I hadn't had a stellar experience with B&H.

I actually got an email from Canon telling me I could register my product now. I logged back in and the BG-R10 could now be registered. It accepted the serial number too. I added my receipt. I'm not worried I didn't get a legit product or one that is physically or operationally different than US. All of my other Canon gear, lenses / body's have a US Warranty Card. As long as you can register the flash you should be good to go.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I was able to register the EL-5 on my Canon account. Interestingly and unlike every other product, there was no field to input the serial number – only the purchase date was needed.

 

[shadowsports]

I was able to register the EL-5 on my Canon account. Interestingly and unlike every other product, there was no field to input the serial number – only the purchase date was needed.

That I have not seen before. Usually if a product is in the database, it wants everything. That is interesting. In any event, I'm sure you have your year of warranty.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

@neuroanatomist,
I purchased a BG-R10 from B&H in June. It came with a AUS/NZ Warranty card, same as your EL-5. I attempted to register it in MyCanon, but the listing for the item was not present. (Not in the product database). I called support and brought it to their attention. They agreed it was missing and said they'ed get in added. Somehow I was the only person who ever tried to register their grip in North America. (ok).

In the meantime, I requested an RMA with B&H. I claimed grey market. I'm in CA, so 11 days later I got my replacement. The exact same item (product) I had returned. It looked like they opened the box, put it in another box and sent it right back to me. I was pretty upset. Getting ready to leave for Alaska, took the time to exchange it and then this. This was the first time I hadn't had a stellar experience with B&H.

I actually got an email from Canon telling me I could register my product now. I logged back in and the BG-R10 could now be registered. It accepted the serial number too. I added my receipt. I'm not worried I didn't get a legit product or one that is physically or operationally different than US. All of my other Canon gear, lenses / body's have a US Warranty Card. As long as you can register the flash you should be good to go.

B & H does sell some gray market items.
They are not always clearly distinguishable.

 

[shadowsports]

Good morning @EOS 4 Life,
Since they are an authorized dealer, and reputable, I was a little surprised is all. This was the first item from them I ever questioned. I' don't think this is in their terms and conditions. Some sites say flat out, we sell GM goods at a discount. You can select GM for this price and US for that price. It wasn't a big deal in the end, but there wasn't any transparency and that's what bothered me. I've been buying from them for about 20 yrs.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Since they are an authorized dealer, and reputable, I was a little surprised is all. This was the first item from them I ever questioned.

Twice for me, actually. I realized there were several items bought in the past few years that I didn’t have on the list I maintain mainly for insurance purposes (though I don’t actually have all my gear on the policy, just the expensive stuff).

Turns out the ST-E10 that I bought from B&H also came with the Aus/NZ warranty card instead of USA/CAN. Like the EL-5, that was preordered on announcement day (I ordered the ST-E10 together with the R3), and mine shipped from the first batch that got to B&H.

I doubt these are gray market items. Rather, I think Canon’s distribution logistics need some work.