Not too long ago, Canon announced the new EOS Rebel SL3 DSLR, otherwise known as the EOS 200D Mark II and Kiss X10 in other parts of the world. It’s a basic entry-level DSLR aimed at beginners and people who just want a basic DSLR for shooting family snaps. Maybe one day buy a little hotshoe flash to blast at their subjects.
But in a very odd move, Canon has removed the universal pin from the hotshoe that would allow the camera to work with any 3rd party hotshoe flash. Like, the Godox and Yongnuo manual speedlights. You know, those most commonly bought by beginners? It was spotted by Michael the Maven who posted the above video.
This means you’re essentially limited to Canon’s own proprietary speedlights, for the most part. The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 costs $549. Canon’s 600EX II-RT speedlight costs $479. The Amazon Basics dumb speedlight costs $29. Can you see the issue? Nobody’s going to spend almost as much as the camera cost to buy a flash when there are cheaper alternatives available.
It seems that Canon has also done the same with the EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) released last year, another entry-level model aimed at complete beginners who aren’t going to spend more than the camera $500 on a speedlight.
Anybody with more than 2 brain cells will soon figure out they can buy a Canon EOS 7D Mark II and an Amazon Basics speedlight for about the same price as the SL3 and the expensive Canon speedlight. Arguably a much better deal unless you really need 4K video.
In theory, eTTL compatible speedlights like the Godox V860II and the upcoming Godox V1 should work (as well as the TTL/HSS triggers), but until we hear from somebody who’s tested one of those lights on either the SL2 or T7, nobody can say for sure whether or not it will.
So, as the video title says, buyer beware. If you already have a need for flash, or you think you might eventually pick up a flash, you might want to consider a different camera. This one might as well not even bother having a hotshoe at all.
Update May 6th: Good news for Godox fans. New firmware is here to support the new universal-pinless Canon hotshoe.
[via Fstoppers]
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