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Image banner for the March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month Winner Alex Vincent, with a featured image of his winning photo titled "Kitchen."

Congratulations Alex Vincent, March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen". Alex Vincent - #906 Yvonne Raaijmakers - #909 Peter Wingfield - #902 Here's what Alex has to say: Thank you for the award of Photographer of th ...

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Best Flash for Canon 6D [2024 Review]

In: 
Published: 09/04/2021

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The Canon 6D camera has been out for a while now and comes with a lot of great features. Pairing this camera with the right flash can significantly improve your real estate photography game. This guide is all about the best flash for Canon 6D camera that you can get this year.

My Top Flashes for Canon 6D Reviews

The Canon 6D is a fantastic DSLR that is capable of handling low light and create amazing photographs, and I recommend pairing it with the Canon Speedlite 470EX. The only real downside of this camera is the built-in flash which leaves much to be desired. The good news is you can easily attach an external flash to this camera, and enhance the quality of your photos.

Canon Speedlite 470EX

The Canon Speedlite 470EX is a unique on-camera flash that will compliment your Canon 6D perfectly. Featuring Auto Intelligent Bounce technology, this function analyzes the room you are working in along with the set focus distance in order to automatically tilt and rotate the flash head.

The Auto Intelligence Bounce on the Canon Speedlite 470EX can be used in full-auto mode, where the flash automatically determines all settings on your Canon 6D, or in semi-auto mode, where you can set the angle of the flash and it will automatically rotate. Depending on the specific camera position or orientation in use, you can easily tweak your flash to get the best output.

Yongnuo YN560-IV Speedlite

The Yongnuo YN560-IV Speedlite is an excellent lighting system with features worth mentioning. It comes with both a 2.4 GHz wireless radio transmitter and receiver, with a long-range manual flash unit, capable of triggering other flashes from up to 100m.

The YN560-IV is powerful enough to handle a myriad of tasks with a guide number of 190' at ISO 100 and 105mm. The unit is also quite versatile with a zoom range of 24-105mm, which is able to be expanded to 18mm with the built-in wide-angle diffuser. 

With the locking flash head, you get full bounce and swivel lighting due to -7 to 90° tilt and 270° of rotation. The flash can also be triggered optically with either instant sync or skip pre-flash options for simpler off-camera firing. The flash runs on four AA batteries or an optional battery pack via the HV connection and has a recycle time of about three seconds.

If you want more information, check out my detailed guide on picking a Yongnuo flash for your Canon camera.  

Canon Speedlite 600EX II

With built-in wireless radio transmission, the Canon Speedlite 600EX II is one of Canon's top on-camera E-TTL with a powerful guide number of 197. A guide number this high improves the continuous flash performance of your Canon 6D by up to 2.0x. 

Just like the Canon Speedlite 470EX, the two-way 2.4 GHz radio system on this flash provides added wireless transmission reliability and a range of up to 30m. The flash can work with up to 5 groups with a total of 15 individual Speedlites. It does not need a direct line-of-site like traditional optical-based transmission and will work through obstacles.

For added coverage and functionality, the zoom can go from 20-200mm. And on the back of the 600EX II, you’ll find an LCD panel that allows users to change settings easily and display the status of the camera. 

Yongnuo Speedlite YN600EX-RT II Flash

Fully compatible with Canon's 2.4 GHz radio flash trigger system and E-TTL, the Yongnuo Speedlite YN600EX-RT II Flash is an excellent addition to your Canon 6D. It features a powerful guide number of 197' as well as an impressive zoom range of 20-200mm. Moreover, bounce lighting is also possible with the wide angle panel that can tilt from -7 to 90°. 

Along with radio transmission and reception for wireless triggering, the flash can work with master and slave functionality. It has a recycle time of about three seconds and runs on four AA batteries.

Bolt VS-260SMI

The Bolt VS-260SMI Mini On-Camera Flash comes with a great interface and powerful features. This dedicated TTL flash features a guide number of 72' at ISO 100 with an adjustable tilt head for those stunning real estate snaps.

Small yet powerful, this flash covers a 35mm range and also offers rear curtain synchronization for shooting at slower shutter speeds. It has an autofocus assist for low-light photography and an automatic power-saving function that turns the flash off when it's inactive for three minutes. 

The VS-260 is powered by 2 AA batteries, and this model is directly compatible with the Canon 6D.

Features to Consider in a Flash for Canon 6D

One piece of equipment that remains affordable and very useful for both amateur and professional photographers alike is a flash. These are small, lightweight, and simple devices that integrate with your camera to provide illumination in low-light situations. 

Three different camera flashes

Here are some things to consider to help you select the perfect flash unit for your Canon 6D.

GN Value

The GN or guide number is a measure of the power of your external flash. You should always take a close look at the GN value of your flash to get an idea of the power levels you can expect.

A GN value of 28 and up should be sufficient enough to work with your Canon 6D. If you decide to go with a flash that has a higher GN number, you can expect brighter light hitting your object. This can be helpful if you’re shooting in really dark areas.

Recycle Time

When deciding which flash to go with your Canon 6D, it’s important to consider the recycle time of the flash. Recycle time is the lag period between taking each photo with your camera. While using an external flash, you need to go for low recycle times to take pictures in quick succession.

The importance of this feature depends entirely on your mode of use. If you cover live objects that need fast shutter speeds, getting a flash with a quick recycle time can be very useful. When it comes to real estate photography, generally, there isn’t much of a need to have a really fast recycle time, since your subject (the house) is static. 

Close up of a camera flash

Adjustable Temperature

External flashes can be bulky devices that use quite a bit of power. This causes them to heat up fairly quickly, which is why it's essential to look into the temperature control specs of the flashlight.

You can quickly check for the adjustable temperature on the official website of the manufacturer. Just remember, the hotter the flash, the harder it becomes for you to hold when using it with your Canon 6D. This can be an issue for those who need to take pictures for long periods of time.

Conclusion

One of the most important accessories for your Canon 6D is a camera flash. It assists in providing better pictures especially photos taken in low light. Of course, every Canon digital camera comes with a built-in flash but it has limited use. If you want to get good shots all the time, you need to purchase a separate flash to accommodate these needs.

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