Canon Speedlite 220EX TTL Flash

[patt6250]

Can someone tell me if the Canon Speedlite 220EX TTL Flash will fit a PowerShot SX20IS? My user guide says one of the accessories for my PowerShot is a Speedlite 220EX but I don't know enough about ithe camera or the flash to know what the 'TTL' stands for or if it will work.

Thanks................Patt

[inkista]

If it's listed as a compatible accessory, it should work. The 220EX doesn't come in multiple flavors. TTL is just a feature that flashes have. It means that it can be used by a Canon camera that knows how to set the power of the flash automatically based on (through-the-lens, ttl) metering information. From playing around with my speedlights on a G9, I don't think the Powershots are actually doing any eTTL preflashing/metering. But you also don't have that much manual control over the flash. Kind of the worst of both worlds.

The 220EX has been replaced by the newer 270EX in the Canon lineup, btw, and I'd actually recommend getting it over the 220EX, since it has a tilt feature that's useful for bouncing the light off the ceiling to get a more natural look. However, both the 220EX and 270EX are both very low-end flash units in terms of the power they give and your ability to control the light.

The hotshoe on the SX20IS means you can do the full-on off-camera Strobist thing with triggers and everything. So, I'd recommend taking a look at that blog for a little bit before deciding on an external flash unit for your SX20IS. You may want to spend that money on something like a LumoPro LP120 and Cactus V4 triggers instead.