Hands-on: the Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI automatically adjusts itself for bounce flash

Using an external flash is one of the fastest ways to improve your photography, but it takes time and effort to learn. The new Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI aims to help with that. It’s the first external flash that can automatically adjust itself for ‘optimum’ directional flash, a feature that Canon is calling ‘AI (Auto Intelligent) Bounce.’

In Auto-Intelligent Bounce mode, pressing the AI.B button makes the 470EX-AI read the room. It’ll get an idea of the distance to the subject and how high the ceiling is. When you double-tap the shutter button, the 470EX-AI will pivot the flash gun to where it thinks you’ll get the best-looking flash.

It works even when you change the orientation of the camera. Switch from landscape to portrait, double-tap, and the flash will pivot to face the ceiling again. It can be hard to imagine, so take a look at the video to see how that works.

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The 470EX-AI can do this because it has two electric motors inside to change the bounce angle. These motors are controlled by two CPU boards for AI Bounce. This is the first time CPU boards have been built into a Canon flash unit.

In my short time with the 470EX-AI, it worked as advertised, but with some caveats. In AI.B mode, for example, the flash always bounces up, it won’t choose to bounce from the side for more directional light. And if you move to a different area, say from a low ceiling to a high ceiling, you’ll need to do the set-up all over again.

There is a ‘Semi-Auto’ mode for more seasoned users. Using this mode, you can lock the angle of bounce using an ‘Angle Set’ button. Every time you double-tap the shutter button, the flash will go back to that angle. So if you want to always bounce to the top but slightly left, you can do that and still have the 470EX-AI pivot automatically when you switch orientation.

And of course, the 470EX-AI can be used like a ‘dumb’ external flash. The 470EX-AI likely won’t appeal to someone who already owns an external flash and knows their way around one, but it can help a beginner ease into the world of bounce flash.

The 470EX-AI also includes infrared AF assist mode, optical receiver transmission (but no radio transmitter), and flash coverage from 14mm and 24mm to 105mm. It has a guide number of 47. The 470EX-AI runs on four AA batteries. At the moment, there’s no word on battery life and if the use of the motor will decrease the number of flashes you get.

Local price and availability is yet to be announced, but it will be available in the US come April, at an estimate retail price of US$399.99.

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