One investigative YouTuber has discovered something about the new entry-level Canon DSLRs that is shattering hearts everywhere and that is that the cameras are not compatible with third-party flashes.
That’s a bummer, and YouTuber Mike the Maven explains that it all has to do with the removal of a “central pin on the hot shoes” of the Canon SL3 and T7/2000D/KissX90/1500D.
So, if you thought you were going to be able to save some money by using a third-party accessory, you’re out of luck it seems.
Michael Zhang at PetaPixel explains, “The center metal contact point in hot shoes is a standard pin used for brand-independent flash synchronization. When the camera completes the circuit between the hot shoe metal and the central pin, the flash mounted to the hot shoe fires. (The other metal contacts within hot shoes are proprietary and are used for communicating specific details between the mounted accessory and the camera.)”
Translation: Cameras that have the pin can use third-party flashes that make use of that standard, but those without it can’t.
Pretty simple stuff.
The real question is why Canon decided on making this move all of the sudden.
As many on the Internet are pointing out, flashes and other accessories can be really expensive and third-party options give people price flexibility.
In other words, eliminating compatibility with third-party gear limits consumer options.
Of course, it probably has something to do with money, like all things.
Mike the Maven concludes, “I feel like Canon is playing games with their customers,” Andrew says of Canon’s actions that, “[The company] is engineering future frustrations into their cameras ….Buyer beware. …Locking customers out from using hundreds of accessories. …I think that’s pretty messed up.”
You can view Mike the Maven's video here on YouTube.
Do you use third-party accessories? What’s your opinion of Canon’s move? As always, we’d love to have your thoughts in the comments section below.
10 Comments
Wow, that’s a pretty terrible move from Canon. Entry level consumers often don’t care which brand they get into – and here’s a reason not to go with Canon. (As long as other brands don’t follow suit)
I think that’s what a lot of the consensus is – it hurts entry-level photographers. Thank you for your comment Shimona :)!
Dirty…
Haha, thank you for your comment David! 🙂
Was on my way to buy the Canon 250D. Thanks for this info, will pass and go for a Nikon product rather. Canon can not take away my right to buy equipment of my choice or my budget because of their own greediness. At least Canon should make available their own accessories at a better price.
Thank you for your comment Leon Coetzee! 🙂
i agree with everyone on this. have had Canon a number of years and loved that i could try different things like flashes and ring lights because they were affordable via 3rd party brands. when the time comes for me to upgrade i will seriously consider Nikon or Sony, for this reason. Word of mouth is fantastic advertising for something good but can be devastating if it is all negative. if i were Canon i would reconsider this approach, especially as it is a one pin fix.
Thank you for your comment Dorothy :)!
I have bought an EOS 2000d before reading all these complaint and think it is disgusting what Canon have done, I am seriously thinking of getting rid of this camera and going to Nikon
Thank you for your comment Ian – let us know what you decide to do! 🙂