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The only reason i give this a 4 instead of a 5 star is that it could use some updates. ie. metal foot, weather sealing, to bring it up to current standards. This transmitter works great and does all that Canon says it will.
I'll just say that this product does exactly what it claims to do. It's limitation (needing to have a direct line of sight to the flash) takes some getting used to but if you can make that happen, it works. I'm glad I bought it because there are times that E-TTL is just easier but it's not a perfect solution. That being said, I'm not sure that a perfect solution exists yet.
Besides the battery nightmare, i found the unit works well as most of my shoots are in remote locations without power. I was mortified to find no battery.
Amazon is very good at letting you if the product requires any other gadgets as you shop. So i bought this product and assumed the battery was included.
When this unit arrived i had a off location wedding shoot in a cave the next day. Some would say thats not a big deal, just buy one from your local electronics store.
For me, i live in antigua, our electronic stores are poorly stocked. thank god my assistant has the same unit and the day proceed.
the signal is an issue as reported in other reviews.
I have been reading the Strobist (www.strobist.blogspot.com) for inspiration to take my flash off camera. So I would say that for a modest price you can get the flash off the camera, and have some fun with better light setups. So far, in experiments around the house, it works great - there are limitations as to range and visibility, but it is not as if there needs to be direct line of sight between the STE2 and the flash.
But for more formal portraits, I'd like to be able to do some side lighting, and yet keep it simple and mobile. What's neat is that you can adjust flash compensation through this unit, via your camera, if it is capable. I have been using one of the Gary Fong Lightspheres with great results in casual portraits at gatherings or events.
As mentioned in another review, the battery CR25 is a little unusual, but I found it at BestBuy - just be aware that you can't get them at the hardware store. Goal 1 was to get the flash off the camera, and onto a stand. I debated whether to go the more expensive route of radio control, but decided that for the first round, this would be fine.
So if you shoot manual or in assist modes, you can easily dial the flash up or down by two F-stops by changing the setting on your camera (check whether your camera is capable of this - I know the 40D and 5DMkII are). Next for me will be a second flash, and then you can also adjust ratios between the two flashes on the STE2 without touching the flashes.
I really like this Transmitter don't get me wrong. But frankly I mostly do Automotive shoots and it can get quite limiting, namely because the IR sensors have to be facing each other, which means that you have to move the flash positions to face the camera and transmitter each time you change your lighting set up.it also means you can be creative and put a flash behind a car or wall as the signal won't reach behind obstacles of any kind. I would invest in a Pocket Wizard system which is much better which is what I'm saving up for now. But this is nevertheless a decent item to have if you have some Canon flashes and want to experiment with wireless flash set ups.
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