Photography News Issue 39

Photography News | Issue 39 | absolutephoto.com

62 First tests

Kenro Standard Speedflash £95

Specs

Kenro, one of the UK’s leading photographic distributors, has launched its own flashgun, the Kenro Speedflash KFL101. Aimed at keen amateurs and enthusiasts, the flash has plenty going for it, but most surprising is that the same unit is compatible with both Canon and Nikon systems. This is good news for stockists, and for camera clubs where gear might be passed around; but also for anyone who owns both systems; say with a Nikon DSLR and a Canon creative compact. That’s where I started the test, and found the flash does indeed work perfectly on both systems; once fitted, the unit detects the system and the main TTL mode switches to E-TTL for Canon or i-TTL for Nikon. What’s more, it’s fully compatible with both camera systems’ wireless modes, which work optically using a pre-flash for power settings and triggering. Of course, you need either a body with a pop-up flash (like the D800 used here), or if there is no a built-in flash, you’ll need two units – one to use a master. I tested the wireless functions on a shoot at a local animal shelter where, due to overcast conditions, I used the flash for back-lighting, placing it behind the subject on a lighting stand (like most speedlights, the KFL101 comes with a plastic stand (or micro base) with a thread built in. Setting the flash up to fire wirelessly is easy; like all systems, you just need to set the same channel and group as on the camera. To do this on the KFL101 you press the Zoom button twice for channel and three times for group, but because it’s not marked with anything other than Zoom, it’s not clear until you delve into the manual. With the flash in

i-TTL mode, power was judged well in the shots I took, and it’s possible to increase or decrease this by +/-3EV (as opposed to the +/-1EV allowed via the D800). This can be done on the unit itself, or if you’re using two KFL101 flashes, by setting the flash exposure compensation on the master. To give more of a kick, I set it to +1. The range is quoted at ten to 15m outdoors (whichwas borne out), rising to 20m indoors. But like all optical triggering it’s less efficient in sunshine and has problems when the signal is blocked. To line up the sensor with the master flash a useful LED target is displayed, and if used correctly, it works well. I shot at ten metres from the flash with no problems. If you want to push it further you’ll need to use radio triggers. I tried it with a pair of Aputure Trigmaster Plus II triggers and it worked perfectly, although you do lose the TTL metering. The KFL101 also supports high- speed sync (HSS) flash, which works pretty much faultlessly, letting you shoot at speeds higher than the camera’s normal flash sync speed (usually up to 1/250sec). The mode needed to be activated on the camera, before it’s detected by the flash, showing up as a tell-tale on the LCD. It’s a useful feature, and the only problemencountered here (apart from the diminishing illumination as you reachhigher speeds, which is common to the technology on any unit) was that, in manual flash mode, the frame wasn’t entirely covered at the lowest power settings; it showed a curtain mark from about 1/2000sec onwards, increasing towards the maximum 1/8000sec. Upping the power fixed this, and it wasn’t a problem when working in TTL mode, so not a huge issue. HSS also works off camera, but

Price

£95 Compatible cameras Canon, Nikon Guide number 58 (ISO 100, 180mm) Recycle time 2.3secs (stated) Colour temperature 5500K TTL function Yes (Nikon i-TTL/ Canon E-TTL) Power levels (manual) 1/128-1/1 step Power increments 0.3EV Zoom (Manual/automatic) 18-180mm Flash exposure lock Yes Flashduration 1/200-1/20,000sec Stroboscopicmode Yes Wireless flash functions TTL (E-TTL, i-TTL), manual (M), stroboscopic mode (multi), Slave (S1, S2), FEB Wireless groups/channels 4 channels, 3 groups Maxwireless range Indoor 20-30m, outdoor 10-15m Modelling flash No AF assist beam: Yes Triggeringoptions: Optical, slave, PC sync lead Flash ready indicator: Yes Autopower dump: Yes Vertical rotation: -7° to +9° Horizontal rotation: +/-180° Power supply: 4 AA batteries, external DC power supply Power Saving: Yes Dimensions: 70x65x200mm Weight (without batteries): 460g Contact kenro.co.uk

Setting the flash up to fire wirelessly is easy... you just need to set the same channel and group as on the camera

again due to the restrictions of the system itself, you can’t expect masses of power at very fast shutter speeds. There’s also a Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB) mode, which is controllable from the flash and can be set up to +/-3EV in 0.3EV increments. This is a handy featurewhichworks in manual or TTL mode, as it lets you to vary the output across three shots to pick the best. However, with Nikons you have set FEB on the camera and as with the wireless control it’s not marked up on the body, so you need to investigate the manual to find the order of button pushes. The flash power, rated at GN58 (ISO 100, 180mm) was plenty for the shots I took, but recycle times were a little sluggish: rated at 2.3secs, I only managed to get it as fast as 4secs when shooting at full power (1/1), with four fresh Duracell Ultra Power alkaline batteries. After 30-40 flashes this dropped to around 7secs, but reduce the power to half and it was back up to a very usable 1.5secs. Performance could be improved using Ni-HH or Lithium batteries, and certainly with a 6-8V external power pack. Build quality seemed solid, and the articulated flash head was stiff enough to mount the speedlight modifiers without much drooping or

wobbling, but it lacks a lock, and the integral bounce card had a tendency to get stuck in its housing. The rubberised buttons on the rear have a positive feel, but as mentioned it would be nice if they were marked more clearly; and while the screen is clear and lights up very well, illumination of the buttons would’ve been nice, too. The KFL101 also comes with a decent case that includes a useful ‘softbox’ attachment and loops to carry four spare AA batteries. KS

Verdict

Dual Canon and Nikon functionality is good on one hand, but I felt it made setting up a bit more complicated until I was fluent in the menus. Take care to read the manual or you may be left in the dark by the buttons. That said, in terms of basic functions it’s pretty much plug and play and for under £100, there’s plenty to admire.

Wireless TTL flash It’s worth reminding yourself that triggering a flash wirelessly while it uses through the lens (TTL) metering to set correct power is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s very useful and highly adaptable thanks to flash exposure compensation, and the Kenro Standard Speedflash handles the feature well. I used it to backlight the subject, shooting from around ten metres away.

Pros Price, features Cons Not the most intuitive handling, recycle times