Can I use an external flash with a Canon EOS M10 that has no hot shoe?
Asked 1/15/2017
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I’m new to photography and use a Canon EOS M10 mainly for blog photos. I’d like to add more light to brighten the background, similar to the Speedlite setup a photographer friend used. My camera has the EF-M 15-45mm and EF-M 22mm lenses. Since the EOS M10 does not have a hot shoe, I’m not sure what flash accessory options I have. Would an LED ring light be a practical alternative, or is there a better way to use off-camera or external lighting with this camera?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
1
Whenever I'm asked about what features to look for in a camera, I tend to state three things: M mode, RAW capability, and a flash hotshoe. The flash hotshoe is because I've tried to do what you want to do without one. It's possible, but it's also a serious PITA, and not the best way forward. I'd highly recommend that you consider returning the M10, and [if you want to keep your lenses and use an EOS M camera] swapping it out for an M3 or M5; or a used M(1), M2--as they all have flash hotshoes. You picked the single model in the EOS M lineup that doesn't have one.
Nearly all flash equipment uses either a sync connector or a hotshoe connection to pass the correct timing signal from the camera to the flash for when to fire for the exposure, and it's tough to get around this restriction.
The only way I know of to do it is to use an optical slave with a sync output hooked up to some device (radio trigger, or a sync cable) that can pop the flash. You then put this optical slave in front of the built-in pop-up flash on the camera, make sure that pop-up flash does NOT emit a pre-flash (because most optical slaves will fire on a preflash; basically your camera needs some way to put the pop-up flash in M mode). And you can fire an off-camera flash, like a speedlite on a radio receiver or with a sync port.
This is very Rube Goldberg-like, inefficient, fiddling, and a PITA, which is why I no longer do Strobist work with my Canon Powershot S90 (I used this setup, along with flashes on RF-602 receivers, but the Yongnuo RF-602-TX triggers I used no longer come with a PC sync port input--you need a transmitter unit that takes a sync input).
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The key limitation is the EOS M10 itself: it’s the one EOS M model that does not have a flash hot shoe, which makes using most external flashes or Speedlites difficult. Standard flash gear normally needs either a hot shoe or a sync connection so the camera can tell the flash exactly when to fire.
Because of that, there isn’t a simple, ideal external flash accessory path for the M10. A ring light or LED light can add continuous light, but it is not the same as using a Speedlite and may be less flexible depending on your setup.
If external flash is important for your blog photography, the most practical solution is to use a camera body with a hot shoe. In the EOS M line, models such as the M3, M5, or even used M, M2 bodies were suggested because they let you keep using your EF-M lenses while adding normal flash support.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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