Bower SFD35C Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Camera - Super Fire Power TTL Digital Flash | 
 enlarge | Brand: Bower
Category: Photography
Buy New: $64.95
New (5) Used (1) from $60.00
Rating:  5 reviews
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
MPN: SFD35C
Model: SFD35C
UPC: 636980504056
EAN: 0636980504056
ASIN: B000F9NXR8
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Automatic TTL Range - 0.9 - 17m(F2.0) | | • | AF Illumination Range - 0.9 - 8m | | • | Zoom Range - 28 - 85mm | | • | Flash Duration - 1/700 sec (Full output) | | • | Recycling Time - 4 - 6 sec. |
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| Accessories:
| • | Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce for the Achiever 260AF/T, Contax TLA280, 360, Metz 40MZ-2, 54MZ-3, Minolta 5200I, 5400HS, 5400XI, Nikon SB-24, 25 & 26, Olympus FL40, G40, Pentax AF500FTZ and Sunpak 2000DZ, 266D & MZ440AF Flashes. | | • | LumiQuest ProMax Pocket Bouncer | | • | Stroboframe Quick Flip 350 Flash Bracket for 35mm Cameras | | • | Gary Fong Lightsphere Universal System Cloud | | • | POWER 2000 XP-333 NiMH Rapid AA and AAA Battery Charger |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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| Customer Reviews:
 Cheap and forget warranty coverage July 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I ordered this flash from Ace Photo Digital in December and received it in January, noticing right off the bat that it fit the hotshoe rather loosely, the flash screen was not straight and also experienced some exposure problems. Still, it was better than the built-in flash so I hung on to it. After several months (and ONE battery change) one of the clips that hold the battery door closed snapped off. Note - I am VERY gentle with my equipment. I contacted Ace and didn't receive a reply for some time - when it came it was "contact Bower". I called, went on endless hold and when I finally reached a "customer service" rep he would not even provide the slightest information with me describing the flash using Ace's description (which pertains to exactly ONE of their products) - he would only talk to me if I had the part number printed on the unit (which was home at the time). On my second call, I didn't even get the part number out before the non-listening second rep tried to sell me a new battery door - WITHOUT a part number. I explained the door was fine, it was the body that was broken - to which he replied they only cover the electronic flash (which is not what the warranty says) and then accused me of breaking it by mishandling. I contacted Ace, and they refused to intervene, saying it's Bower's problem. I can only say I would never suggest buying a product from the seller based on the poor support I received, nor would I ever buy a Bower product, since in my opinion they just dodge warranties assuming buyers have no recourse. I apparently can't get mine fixed, but I hope no one else gets sucked into buying one of these things.
Poorly made flash April 15, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This flash may be comparable to its Canon Equivalent in specifications, but it is made very flimsily. The lens fell of the front of the flash and had to be reattached with crazy glue. It flops around on the hot shoe attachment and does not attach firmly.
 For the price I paid, it is great. August 24, 2007
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
I am not a serious photographer, and take flash photos once in a while. I do not have professional knowledge to compare this one with more sophisticated and expensive ones, but it works great for me.
Well, it's cheap... August 8, 2006
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
The first unit I recieved was defective and unable to function in ETTL mode at all. I was emailed a pre-paid return UPS label and immediately shipped another unit. The replacement unit arrived a few days later. This one seems fine and does function in ETTL mode.
The Bower SFD35C ETTL zoom flash for Canon EOS cameras is a basic ETTL flash made in Singapore and is available from a few different outfits under different names. The Bower flash can tilt, swivel and has a manually adjusted focus for matching the angle of view of the zoom lens you're using. The rear of the unit has a flash test trigger button, ON/OFF switch and lights indicating power, charge and ETTL mode and a special OK indicator that lights when the flash calculates that it was able to fully illuminate the subject during the last shot. There are no manual controls. The rear of the flash also has a "slide rule" chart for calculating the flash's approximate range for different combinations of ISO and aperture. The flash is somewhat heavy with 4 batteries installed and makes the Rebel XT quite top-heavy.
First off, I should note that the flash does not support advanced ETTL features, namely, the flash does NOT offer an FP Mode for high-speed sync as listed in the product description. The maximum shutter speed on a Rebel XT is 1/200 second for this flash. Period. Additionally, the SFD35C does not support second curtain sync or a modeling lamp features. It does seem to support FEL though.
So, how does it perform? I tossed in 4 freshly charged NiMh batteries and took some test shots. Directly aiming the flash at the subject, the flash operated pretty much as expected. Some shots were a bit overexposed but the Rebel XT's flash exposure compensation can be used to adjust for this. The flash also performed fairly well in illuminating a backlit subject. But when I tilted the flash for ceiling bounce in order to achieve a more even and natural looking illumination, shots consistantly came out extremely underexposed. In the end, I had to increase the ISO from 100 to 400 in order to use ceiling bounce at all. At ISO 400, ceiling bounce shots looked quite nice although, at faster shutter speeds, there were still a few underexposures.
The Bower SFD35C ETTL zoom flash is an inexpensive way to improve your flash photography, turning out much better shots than the built-in flash. You may find the Bower flash's minimal features and power output lacking in the long run, however, and might want to seriously consider something else a bit more powerful and feature-rich such as the Sigma EF-500 ST-DG or Super flashes.
To summarize
PROS: inexpensive; swivels/tilts; better than the built-in flash
CONS: weak, especially for ceiling bounce; no advanced features or manual controls
 Great valaue June 22, 2006
32 out of 32 found this review helpful
It wouldn't be fair to compare this unit to Canon flashes that cost several times what you'll pay for this one. I needed a flash for my Canon Digital Rebel, but because I don't use flash much, I didn't want to invest in a Canon or a Sigma flash. I did want E-TTL and I needed bounce and swivel capabilities. This Bower was the least expensive flash I could find with all those features. It lacks the manual controls of the more expensive flashes.
I am surprised at how well this unit performs. For the price, I expected less. I've used it for shots at close range, as well as photos of moderately-sized rooms. This flash has not disappointed me yet. With a ceiling bounce, it will light up a room evenly and sufficiently.
If you're ready to go beyond the limitations of your on-camera flash, but don't want to pay for a top-of-the line unit, I highly recommend this Bower flash.
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