Canon HF-DC1 Flash for Powershot A510

If you own a Canon PowerShot camera, you yearn for some extra range on that built-in flash... well, Canon has released the HF-DC1 which for the most part works well. However, the HF-DC1 is not without its share of problems.

The obvious benefit from this unit is the extended flash range it grants to just about the entire PowerShot digital camera line. It worked fine when I tried it with a S110, S200, S410, S50, and S70. There was a notable difference in flash range and brightness with the HF-DC1 unit. The HF-DC1 unit can also sync with the camera's flash from some distance away (I've tried up to 5 feet away from the camera with no problems) which allows for some flexibility. However, there are some nagging problems and a few glaring deficiencies of the HF-DC1 flash unit.

Prices

They unit cost a bit under $98.50 when purchased from Amazon.com with an active A9.com account. At the time of this writing, the price is currently $89.99. Amazon was willing to refund $10 back to me since I had bought the flash recently (I'm still waiting for the credit to my credit card). You can read my article The Art of Buying... Getting your money's worth! for some online tips on getting a better deal.

Design and Features

The HF-DC1 is a dull gunmetal grey color with a plastic feel but it doesn't feel flimsy... but it doesn't feel solid either. It is powered by a single CR123A battery that should last up to 250 flashes at the maximum setting. Otherwise, the unit seems to match against the S40/45/50/60/70 series cameras the best as far as the size of the flash unit is concerned. On the back is two switches. The lower switch is the power switch... center is off, right is auto, and left is manual fire. There is a large RED LED button to show if the flash is ready to fire and to activate the flash in manual mode. The top switch sets the flash power... minimum, moderate, and maximum. If you do not set the flash power correctly for your desired shot, you can easily under- and over-expose shots with your camera. The battery cover is on the right side of the unit. The front of the unit has the flash bulb and two sensors (a metering sensor and a slave sensor) below it. There is tripod hole on the bottom of the flash unit closer to the right side of the camera. Canon includes a bracket to attach the HF-DC1 to the left side of your PowerShot camera.

The unit has dimensions of 1.81x2.60x1.17 inches and weighs 2.3 oz. This does not include the weight of the bracket. The bracket has dimensions of 4.13x0.87x0.67 inches and weighs 1.1 oz. So overall, you're adding 3.4 oz. to the weigh of your camera and a little bit of width.

Performance

The HF-DC1 flash at its maximum settings allowed my smaller cameras (S410, S110, S200... I didn't have access to my brother's SD500 as of yet) to reach distances just under 30 feet with decent to good results. Similar results on the S50 and S70 cameras as well (I have no plans to get the S80... I can buy only so many cameras). However, you adjust the power of the flash so you should take sample shots to see the appropriate settings for the particular shot you're taking. What I've found usually is that the minimum setting is best for most people and objects with light colors and somewhat close shots. The middle setting is good for medium range shots with dark colors and 20-30 with light colors (although at times the minimum setting works better). The maximum setting I would only use for distance with dark colors... and often times it was overkill for people photography in general. Remember that the HF-DC1 will compensate somewhat for the zoom your camera is taking the shot but never makes any adjustment for the flash output to get good pictures.

Now to the power switch... now why is this important? Well the Auto and Manual settings sound like a no brainer... right? Well... no. Auto mode will fire the flash at the flash setting you selected anytime a Powershot camera goes off. The Auto mode allows the HF-DC1 to be used as a slave unit reliable within a 20 feet radius although it can potentially work as far as 30 feet away. Manual mode requires that you press the pilot button to fire the flash... and you can only fire the flash after taking a flash shot on a Powershot camera. So it sounds easy enough... right? Well, no... there is a major problem here. The HF-DC1 doesn't sync to any one Powershot camera... so in Auto mode, the flash will fire when any Powershot camera taking a flash photograph goes off within a 20 foot radius. There is still a chance for any Powershot camera taking a flash photograph to set off the HF-DC1. So in reality, the Auto setting has limited use especially in crowded settings... like vacation spots. The manual mode is far more useful and less aggravating to the picture subject.

As far as flash recycling goes, on a fresh CR123 battery the flash took up to 10 seconds to power up... but after the initial charge, the flash generally was ready in less than a second after going off. I've taken about 100 flash shots with the unit so far and the MIN and MID flash settings. I don't use the MAX settings very often.

In the Box

Like most Canon accessories, the HF-DC1 comes in box that about as sturdy as those for inkjet cartridges. When you buy this, check the unit immediately for damages. Otherwise, you get the flash unit, the bracket, a faux leather pouch for the flash unit and bracket, a CR123 battery, and a huge manual which has about 7 pages of english in it (the manual covers 7 languages to explain its thickness). The manual is really basic by the way.

Conclusions

At the end, if you need an extended flash range, the HF-DC1 does it's job with a bit of help from you. Although the settings for the Auto mode can be a bit quirky especially if you can't isolate yourself... if you understand the weaknesses/limitations of the HF-DC1, you can easily make adjustments for them.