Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

Great Flash for the money

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

This is a great flash: equal or better than the Canon 580, but half the price. I would recommend this over the Canon anytime. And B&H's service is second to none. Thanks.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I am sending this product back because of it lack of functioning with off camera TTL cables. The flash also doesn't recognize Sigma's own 70-200 lens correctly. I received two different responses from Sigma which stated that they do not support off camera TTL cables. [...]

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

Doesn't have all the flexibility of the Canon 580 EX II, but has the power at a fraction of the price.

My CTR 301P triggers will only trigger this flash when it is set to slave mode. The triggers will work on Canon flashes when they are set to manual.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

The flash is easy to instal and no problem to use. Angle adjusts to allow for off target use.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I haven't used the flash a lot but I am pleased with its performance so far.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

It does everything that my 430ex II does, and then some.
It's about 1 to 1.3 stops brighter than my 430ex II
It works perfectly with the 7D in cam TX.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

Thought I could use this flash instead of 580exII for my Event work but I was wrong. The shorter range blows out highlights. A financial mistake as I already have purchased a Canon that I can count on.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

portraits landscapes weddings
there is a lot of flash for the money

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

This flash is everything I was looking for. It works like a champ and I have no problems with compatibility with my 50d. It's slightly slower on cycle time on the Canon speed light. Great value with all the bells and whistles.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I use it with my Canon 50D for professional location work, ranging from PR to news events. ETTL, auto adjust zoom, channel adjustable slave capabilities, variable manual adjustment, tilt and swivel bounce, and a 61 GN at ISO 100 at half the price of a Canon equivalent are the things I like about this flash. I wish Sigma hadn't changed the letter coloring from white to red as it is difficult to view the name in low light situations. Needs to be on a metal base.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

This is my first on Camera Flash, I have a Canon 50D, and use mostly shot in a studio with mono lights. I bought the Flash for night and outdoor use. The first time I used the flash was an indoor event for my kid. I was about 45yards away and it light 5 people up nicely. The next time I used it was at night. Once I figured out the zoom it worked nicely. I really like it. The auto works great. Has a lot of power for a small device, if you take 7 quick pictures you will need to give it time to recharge or you will be waiting 6 second in between each picture.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I just purchased the Sigma EF-610 DG Super flash for my Nikon D300s DSLR.
So far it is working great and I'm very satisfied.
Here are a couple of my initial experiences with this flash.

(1) Before purchasing the Sigma EF-610 DG Super, I also looked into the following flashes before making my final decision: SB700, SB800, SB900 & Metz 58. The Sigma is competing with SB800/900 but with a lower price point.

(2) I intend using this flash for family photos, occasional weddings, interior/architecture and caving where there is complete darkness and using color filters.

(3) The Sigma feels solid, not flimsy at all and so far I have tried the following features:
- Supports Nikon's CLS! (Creative Lighting System)
- iTTL with flash mounted on camera: works as advertized
- Ceiling Bounce, no problems from 10-20mm with an ultra wide angle lens. Not tested yet with my 70-200mm lens yet but not too concerned about that range either.
- Wireless with D300s build in flash as commander: works great and allows creative shots! I tried this flash combined with a 10-20mm Sigma lens set at 10mm. When you pull out the build in flash diffuser, the flash automatically shows '17mm' mode in the lcd display but I didn't see dark edges or significant light falloff in the image. Pretty good!
- Multiple flashes in one shot worked as advertized
- Over/under expose settings are easy to set up
- Full manual control works great
- The LCD screen is very well readable and has a dedicated 'light' button which will give a nice green illumination for 8 seconds.
- Dedicated 'mode' button to select iTTL, manual mode, wireless mode, multiple flash mode etc
- Wireless mode easy to set up.
- I was looking for accessories which seem hard to find initially but I was informed that the OM-C omni bounce should fit.
- Also ordered a set of generic color photogels that can be attached to the flashhead. These are the only two accessoiries that I will need.

(4) I'm using it together with 4 eneloop NiMh batteries and recycle time between shots is generally within 1-4 seconds, depending on whether you used a full 100% flash or just a fraction of the output (depending on light needed in iTTL mode).

(5) I compared shots with my camera pop-up flash and the Sigma outclasses the pop-up flash - as expected. Light is more consistent, allows the use of an ultra wide angle lens and lights up interior spaces much farther so you don't have the 'dark' background.
So even as a direct replacement for your occasional family shots, I believe it is worth while the investment.

So far I have not found any issues. The flash also comes with a stand for wireless mode and a nice pouch. If you are on a budget but would like SB800/900 similar features and performance, this looks like a good alternative at a lower price point. Note: the flash does not come with any other accessories besides the pouch and stand.

Cheers,

Peter

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

First time use was at a wedding. It really helped me to eliminate the shadow from every day flash use.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I bought this as an alternative to the Canon 580 EXII and have been pleasantly surprised. I sent an email to the Sigma website to ask about a flash shoe cable to use it away from the camera body and I was informed that it would not work, but when I got the flash and cable (I had already ordered them together), I tried and they work flawlessly!

The metering works great and I have been using it manually at different ratios and it works great as well. Next up, buy another to use them together as a master and slave unit. :)

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

A great flash, although I wish it was even stronger (wide-angle in a big hall), it is also inexpensive!

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

My main interest was the power of the new 610, which is rated slightly above the 580exII. My tests show the 610 is actually slightly less powerful than the 580exII, though very close.

This new model is nearly identical (physically) to the older versions (500/530) with the exception of a rubberized paint, which feels nice. Some of the buttons are labeled with red print, which is lost against the black and hard to see. Not sure why Sigma did this, it was better in white like the older models.

In ETTL mode, the Sigma slightly underexposes compared to the 580exII in ETTL, easily fixed with flash compensation if you didn't like it. The menu is no good, just like every other flash. These manufacturer need to take a lesson from Nissin, you don't even need a manual for the Di866.

It includes the same pouch, which I never really cared for, it doesn't seem like it protects the foot (plastic) very well. The stand is fancy red with metal insert now.

I was a little disappointed with the Sigma, but it costs 40% less than the 580exII, and is 90% as good. If you just can't handle forking out for the 580exII, the 610 is next best in my opinion.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

Very powerful,versatile. Overall good purchase.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I use this flash as a slave to a Canon ST-E2 for portrait photography and as an on-camera flash by itself on my Canon 50D. Simply, this does everything I want for half the price of the Canon equivalent. I must set high-speed sync and/or second curtain flash on the flash, rather than on my Canon 50D, but other than that it works as well as my 580EX II which is now relegated to use as a second slave. I read that the Sigma manual was hard to read, and I will not comment, as I did not bother reading the manual. It was intuitive enough to set up.

Flash power is consistent and functions flawlessly with my camera in ETTL mode. I have not tried using flash ratios yet, so cannot comment on that.

Comments about Sigma EF610 DG Super Flash for Canon DSLR Cameras:

I really like this flash its amazing. I have a few buddies with canon 580ex flash an i cant tell the difference in the image quality. So for half the price this flash is a great buy.