With the announcement of Canon’s EOS R mirrorless camera system came a raft of accessories, including a new flash called the Speedlite EL-100.
There is nothing particularly exciting about this flash; off-camera flash users may be disappointed to hear that it has no radio capabilities and no direct manual power control. There is a manual mode with adjustment from full power to 1/128 but only if you control it through your camera menus or a commander unit, as there are no manual controls on the device itself.
The Speedlite EL-100 takes two AA batteries and weighs 190 grams. The metric guide number is 26, measured at Iso-100 and the 50mm zoom setting. The zoom head is manual with just two settings: 24mm and 50mm. There is no flip-down wide-angle diffuser panel. It does work as a receiver in the Canon optical wireless E-TTL system, with mechanical switches to change modes and channels.
Marketed as an entry-level flash, Canon seem to be pitching this unit at beginners, or at people who are invested in the Canon optical wireless system and for whatever reason don’t want to get a cheaper, more powerful and more versatile third-party unit, such as the Metz M400.
Recommended retail prices are $199 in the USA or £199 in the UK, available from October 2018. Pre-order now at Adorama. For more information, visit the manufacturer’s product page.