I wanted to write an early review because this flash impressed me right out of the box. Its been five years since the last time I purchased a flash, and I felt that it was time for me to up my game and get one of better quality. Although Ive only used it for testing so far, the big deal will be in about a week when Im at an event and will need to be able to depend on the flash because Ill be inside of a large hall. Ill update the review if there are any cautions people need to be aware of. First, it came quite well packaged. Inside the box, the flash is in a case which has two compartments. The bottom zipped compartment holds four extra batteries (not included) and the diffuser cover (included) for the flash. The top compartment holds the flash itself and the slave stand. On the outside, the case has both a loop for carrying and a belt loop as well. The instructions are almost the best part of the package! They are very detailed with illustrations and the directions themselves are well-written, apparently by someone whose first language is English or who has truly mastered the language. The only con (nit-picky) is that the diffuser cover is a little fiddly to put on the flash, but once on, it doesnt move. Its easy to take off, though. I will be spending quite some time becoming acquainted with the more advanced features that I didnt have in my other flash. Im not a beginning photographer - more like an intermediate hobbyist - and I can see that theres some learning to do!
dk3000
5
Comment
A little background information about me. I am a hobby photographer shooting with a Canon 6D. I love this Flash. Its very easy to use. I shoot on Auto Most times and I wanted a flash that would also shoot automatically. This flash does that. The only thing that was super annoying was the beeping sound that happened as soon as I turned on the flash. To disable this sound, press the Fn button, go to Fn 14 and change the setting to 1. Its that simple. It still makes a sound before flashing, but its not as distracting. Also, since I shoot mostly with a zoom lens, I have to set the distance of my zoom. So if I am shooting at 70mm I set the flash to 70. If Im shooting at 28mm, I change the setting to 28mm. I did not read the manual. This is stuff I figured out because I think its user friendly. I recommend this flash.
Richard Klaus
2
Comment
Probably going to be an acceptable unit once I find a manual that will take me through the menu driven system. Have figured out some limited modes. Just be aware that if you dont already know how to use this unit, the manual will be of limited to no value. These really need to be tested with a cross-section of professional to rank amateur customers before, in this case, a poor joke of a user manual is unleashed on the general public. Nice try Opteka. Ill update the review on the unit itself when I get it figured out. OK. I promised to follow up. Finally took the unit to a second-hand electronics dealer near me. By the way a tip of the hat to Stuff in Clackamas Oregon. The guys took the time to sort out the flash unit and showed me the procedure for resetting the menu. Now I can run basic functions and it seems to be a good unit. That being said. I could not recommend this unit with the instructions included, they are useless. It has been several months now and 42nd St. photo and Opteka have been no help. The best 42nd could do was "Send the unit back." Optecka, well several inquiries have gone unanswered. I can only assume that their responsibility ends at the loading dock.
Anatoliy Kosterev
4
Comment
This is a very good flash for the money. I tested it mostly on my Canon 77D. The menu system is a little confusing, but I figured it out in a few minutes by trial-and-error (I do not normally read manuals). Almost all the features work, including back curtain synchro. It also works in live view mode, both on-camera and remotely, although Canon manual says that non-Canon flashes do not work in live view. The reason I take one star off is that the auto-focus assist system of the flash turns on when the flash is in REMOTE mode, instead of being active on-camera. Must be some glitch in its software. Addition: I did more testing with my Canon T3i. It appeared that the flash does produce an autofocus-assist beam pattern with T3i (but not with 77D) when mounted on camera, and it works good. I did not see those beams anymore in REMOTE mode. Possibly, that was a temporal glitch that disappeared after reinserting the batteries.
M. Haley
5
Comment
I use the Opteka IF-980 mainly for portrait photography but it preforms well in every situation Ive used it in so far. I use it mainly to soften and fill in areas as opposed to the built in flash that came on my Cannon T5i. The IF-980 flash is good for bouncing light off the ceiling or other objects because the flash head turns in all directions. I also like the wireless mode for setting my flash away from the camera. Im very happy with my purchase of this flash. Also includes a nice carrying case and diffuser.
bradams115
5
Comment
I am actually pleasantly surprised by this considering its only 40 bucks. I wanted a flash with a light defuser on it for cheap. I am no photographer by any means, just learning how to use my Canon DSLR, but I was told for portraits or indoor shots a flash with a defuser will make your photos turn out better. With that said, I do think the photos come out looking better with the more natural looking light. The light swivels and turns so you can direct the flash as you desire. Only down side i have found is that the flash takes a second to charge so it wont work on rapid shots, but if you wait 1 or 2 seconds between shots it works just fine. It takes 4 AAs, I havent had to replace them yet and took about 300 photos with it on Easter 2019. But yeah, for the price this is a good beginner flash
Bruce A Bouley
4
Comment
I have been looking for an external flash that was dedicated to my Canon EOS DSLR T7i other then the Canon Speedlite since this camera was released by Canon in Feb. 2017 and finally found one. The flash works great with the electronics of the T7i. Quick delivery and a very good price. A lot more reasonable then the Speedlite. Im not saying it is good for everyone but for the type of shooting I do it is perfect.
DavidN
5
Comment
Worked right out of box. It does "talk" to my Canon Rebel T6. I wanted a TTL flash and the price was great. It will be really tested on my trip to Spain to take photos. Ill update if necessary.
Maddy
1
Comment
I received this and it doesn’t work. It reads my f stop but won’t flash. The manual is not helpful at all so I can’t tell if it’s something I am doing or something I am missing. It seems like I have followed all the protocol for the flash having experience with other flashes and yet it still will not work. Amazon tried to help and could not contact the distributor and couldn’t help me with the product. I ended up returning this product. EDIT: I ordered a new one to see if this time it would work. It does work and I works well. Yet, I would be weary of ordering this product because it seems as though they do not check the equipment before shipping out and you may receive a defective product. Also, the instructions are very vague and unhelpful. While I like the product now I would be weary to buy this.
Bill T
5
Comment
Nice inexpensive flash for my Canon T6i. Not as confusing to use as some others Ive tried. I havent given it a hard work out yet but it did very nice job with some outdoor shots at night.
Make sure this fitsby entering your model number. MULTI POSITION - The Opteka IF-980 has an adjustable tilt head with six positions: -7 to 90°. The -7° downward tilt allows you to fully illuminate your subject when shooting close-up. You can also twist it to the left up to 90° and to the right up to 180°. MULTI ZOOM - The Opteka IF-980 covers a 24-180mm range (in 35mm full frame format) and extends to 18-180mm with the diffuser panel in place. In auto mode the zoom range is stepless, it does not set at 24mm, 35mm, etc, but matches the exact focal length of the zoom lens for optimal lighting. LOW LIGHT AUTO FOCUS - The Opteka IF-980 has an autofocus assist for low-light photography. Additionally the flash provides an independent AF assist. When a flash is mounted to the camera, the AF Assist option is enabled. The normal AF Assist light will not be used, instead the flashes autofocus assist system will take effect. E-TTL - The flash and ambient light are reflected by the subject through the camera lens and then metered by the camera's TTL metering system. The flash power is adjusted accordingly. A digital camera TTL flash system, often known as E-TTL, involves firing a pre-flash before the actual exposure SPECIFICATIONS - Guide 85m / 278'@ ISO 100, Red Eye Reduction, Auto Focus Target Assist Illumination, On-Camera E-TTL, Wireless Capability, Slave Mode S1 and S2, Multi-Stroboscopic Flash Mode, Manual Flash Mode, Built-In Wide Angle Diffuser and Bounce, Up to 1500 Flash Cycles Per Charge (must use rechargeable batteries), Recycle Time 2.9s, 2.1" Backlit LCD, 7 to 90 Degree Tilt, 180 Degree Rotation, PC Sync Port, 1 Year Opteka Warranty
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