Canon 600EX RT Speedlite Unboxing and Overview

Unboxing video and overview of Canon's latest 600EX-RT dedicated speedlite. Prices for the Canon 600EX-RT flash have recently (after Christmas) experienced a dramatic price drop from the original $600.00 price tag to just over $400 AFTER taxes. Currently Canon Canada has an instant cash discount rebate of $60.00 CAD. With discounts and price drops this makes the Canon 600EX-RT a serious contender for both studio, professional and hobbyist photographers. The bang for buck on this flash is just oozing with great value - for E-TTL flashes that is.

The video covers what is typically packed in with the Canon 600EX-RT flash but also compares some of the key feature differences between the older but still very capable 580 EX-II and even the quite old (cir. 2007) Canon Speedlite 580 EX-I. Canon latest flash takes the very best of E-TTL II technology and feature sets from the 580 EX-II and fixes all the things we hated about the 580 EX flashguns plus:

1. 2.4 GHz wireless slave trigger - greatest add on for the Canon flashes as this feature now can help partially eliminate the need for Pocketwizards! E-TTL capable pocket wizards are anything but cheap so this is a great freebie for the 600 EX-RT.

2. 200mm telephoto zoom - accomplished by the longer flash zoom head to get your light to the furthest reaches of your telephoto lenses.

3. Better overheat protection - Even MORE rugged than the 580 EX series flashes. This is Canon's best flash to date.

4. Built in gel holder and even comes with full CTO and partial orange gels to warm your flash lights up. Great if you shoot with your white balance in tungsten mode or if you want to match your speedlite colour temperature to that of a sunset. More useful than people would initially realize. Expensive but consider this a freebie pack in as well.

5. Self cleaning hot shoe terminal pins - comes with a metal hot shoe but also has communication pins that shift slightly when locking the shoe down to "scrape" the hot shoe terminals of any dirt that could potentially cause a communication/flash misfire problem.

6. Drastically improved LCD flash interface screen - DOT matrix, selectable backlighting colour + function buttons do as they're labeled specific to each mode. No more cryptic buttons that serve multiple functions. Labels change as MODE changes.

7. Backwards compatibility - Optical slaves and older bodies (built on EF EOS system from 1987 - present day) can make use of the 600EX-RT flash. NOTE: You cannot use BOTH RF trigger and optical slave triggers at the same time. It's one or the other.

[beeferish]

Thinking of getting the 600 after this demonstration...thanks

[moviewatcher]

For the 600ez-rt online for $370 shipped. I must say it is a great value. I do not think I will use the gel. I also think the self cleaning contacts is totally unnecessary - I have never had any issues with any of my Canon flashes before. The RT function certain is worth the admission by itself.