The Canon 540EZ Flash. A Pro grade flash for next to nothing???

What fancy high spec flash did i use when undertaking Female Celebrity Photography and Red Carpet Event Photography in London. I used an old film flash called the Canon 540EZ. A brute of a thing and to this day holds it's own!

This is an endorsement of the Canon 540EZ flash that was made in the Film era of cameras, weighs a ton, is built to withstand a nuclear attack, can illuminate somebody 30-50 metres away on full power (did that with Tom Cruise at a Film Premier) and wait for it………. cost me a mere £15……yes you read that right £15. That was back in 2012, now I have seen them on Ebay for about £30-£35 but still they are incredibly cheap compared to the Chinese Yongnuo branded flash which back then were about £50 but not really up to heavy professional use on a daily basis especially in extreme weather conditions such as heavy rain.

I've seen these Yongnuo branded flashes pack in quite spectacularly in such conditions and just destined for the bin...... and yes another £50 solves the problem but if you are out in the field and your flash packs in you've got problems. Carrying 2 or 3 spares is also not the answer. The equivalent Canon digital version the Canon 580EX at the time was well over £200. Now you can pick them up for £40-60 which says a lot for the film flash era Canon 540EZ flash, it's kept it's value till this day for a reason. It's a damn good flash

The Canon 540EZ is a film flash that worked in auto mode or manual mode with film cameras but you can only use it in MANUAL mode on digital cameras but it still works and works handsomely….with the caveat that you have to know what you are doing and are mega fast in making fine adjustments on the fly in fast moving situations. It predates the Canon 580EX but was a professional grade flash that was serious enough for studio use in its day and probably even today.

INDUSTRIAL?

I've shot this thing in heavy rain even though it's just billed as water resistant, freezing conditions, dropped it on the floor a number of times from at least a metre or so , been in some violent rugby scrums with some of the top london paparazzi and also shot in hysterical crowd pens with manic fans at premieres, used daily taking hundreds of shots per day for a couple of years…… and it still works to this day.

This flash can get very warm or even hot with constant use but you can still use it as there is no thermal cut out as with the modern versions. Those you have to wait for up to 15 minutes for the thermal cut out to switch off which means carrying a spare flash. No such hassle with the 540EZ. Never used it with a battery pack but I think it could handle it and not end up as a melted flash head as in some newer flashes. It really is a tank!

UNIQUE LOOK

It creates a distinct look as well with slightly smokey backgrounds and the subject popping out in spectacular fashion in darker conditions. On the very low power settings you can just blip some light in on a sunny day or just fill flash lightly to get rid of shadows underneath hats. It's a nightmare to shoot manually in the first few days of use but when you get used to it, you will never look back ......who needs TTL metering on flash. You become the master of light not your flash and therefore you can pre-determine the results. With this flash you get rid of that program mode look from your photos, the evenly exposed bland washed out look that everybody has and get something , a bit more moody and dynamic and popping that can give your photos that signature style that makes you stand out from the crowd.

SPEC:

Canon 540EZ Specification:

Guide Number: -

f-number	20mm	24mm	28mm	35mm	50mm	70mm	85mm	105mm
Guide Number	18	28	30	36	42	46	50	54

Various G.No during MANUAL burst (Lab)	20mm	24mm	28mm	35mm	50mm	70mm	85mm	105mm
1/1 (Full)	18	28	30	36	42	46	50	54
1/2	12.7	19.8	21.2	25.5	29.7	32.5	35.4	38.2
1/4	9	14	15	18	21	23	25	27
1/8	6.4	9.9	10.6	12.7	14.8	16.3	17.7	19.1
1/16	4.5	7	7.5	9	10.5	11.5	12.5	13.5
1/32	3.2	4.9	5.3	6.4	7.4	8.1	8.8	9.5
1/64	2.3	3.5	3.8	4.5	5.3	5.8	6.3	6.8
1/128	1.6	2.5	2.7	3.2	3.7	4.1	4.4	4.8

Exposure control modes:- (1) A-TTL auto flash control; (2) TTL auto flash control (when the camera is in manual mode); (3) Manual
Flash exposure control system:- TTL auto flash control by EOS body control and off-the-film reflection metering
Flash exposure check:- OK: After shooting, the flash exposure check lamp (green) turns on for about 2 seconds. NG: The above lamp does not turn on.
Flash exposure compensation (a) Auto Daylight fill-in flash and auto reduction control for high brightness controlled by each EOS body. (b) Manual compensation by operating the 540EZ Manual compensation in the range of ±3 stops in 1/3-stop increments (When the shooting mode of the camera is not in the full auto mode, the auto flash exposure level is compensated.) (c) Manual compensation by operating the EOS-1N or EOS5 Electronic dial operation on the body. Note:- When items (b) and (c) are simultaneously set, item (b) has priority over the (C).
Flash output coupling range (50mm/1.4 ISO 100):- (a) A-TTL normal firing: 0.5 to 30m; (b) A-TTL low-voltage firing: 0.5 to 7.5m (min) to 21m (max)
Coupling range display Display in the LCD panel.

Information courtesy mir.com

Summary

Can't recommend this flash highly enough. If you can pick them up at the £15-£20 mark get 5 or 6 of them and they make a superb studio flash which I think they were originally intended for. The guide No was a powerful 54 on full power at 105mm. Probably now 10 years later there are probably better options but for sheer longevity and reliability this is one tough pro grade flash that is built to last unlike most things these days.

More information at the Mir.com website

This article originally appeared on Frank John London