Executive summary: Flash performance is impressive and consistent. Importantly, the flash does not include E-TTL technology. Consequently, this flash should be used primarily as a manual flash in a fixed setting, where the distance between the camera and subject is static (e.g., studio setting) and there is no need to vary the flash power level between shots. The flash may either be used in manual mode (i.e., on-camera hot-shoe) or as a wireless slave. It is a bit heavy so I prefer to use the flash in slave mode. Continue reading for my more detailed review.Verbal-unboxing: The speedlite flash arrived very well packaged, inside a plastic sleeve and a padded case, all inside a retail box. Also included were a plastic stand (black), a hard plastic diffuser (translucent), the aforementioned soft, padded case (black exterior, orange interior), and an 18-page set of comprehensive, though poorly-edited instructions. The speedlite arrived in excellent condition, apart from a few minor imperfections/marks in the red plastic cover of the flash sensor. The flash requires 4 x AA batteries (not included). The flash has a port for an external power adapter (not included), which is useful for a more permanent installation (e.g., in a studio setting), and a PC sync port for physical flash synchronization. The pictures in the item description are accurate.Pros:+ Ease of use. The flash may be operated atop the camera (using the hot-shoe) or remotely (in slave mode). When affixing the flash to the hot-shoe, there is a locking plate on the flash to prevent it from falling off from movement of the camera. When operating the flash remotely, there is a nifty and stable stand into which the flash slides. Incidentally, the bottom of the stand has threads that seem to indicate that it can be mounted onto a tripod mount, however I have not tested this. The flash is turned on/off by holding down the "on/off" button for two seconds. The same button, if pressed briefly, toggles the display backlight. Once turned on, the flash will charge almost instantly. Once the capacitor is fully charged, the flash/pilot light will turn on. If it does not, this likely means that the batteries do not hold sufficient charge and should be changed.+ Modes. The flash may be set to the following modes:Manual: For hot-shoe operation.Slave (S1): For slave operation. Master should be set to manual, without any TTL pre-flash.Slave (S2): For slave operation. Master may be set to TTL mode, as TTL pre-flash will be ignored.Multi: Burst flashes (e.g., strobe effect), to capture multiple images of a moving object in the same photo. The number of flashes, frequency of flashes, power level, and zoom level (i.e., coverage) may all be set. Repeated use of this mode should be avoided to prevent the flash from overheating.+ Power levels. Light power (i.e., exposure) may be adjusted, between 1/128, 1/64, 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 1/1, in stepped increments of 0.3 EV.+ Flash coverage. Light coverage may be adjusted by varying the flash's head zoom level, which ranges from 18mm to 180mm angular coverage. For instance, 18mm will result in a broader/wider angle of coverage, while 180mm will result in a narrower/telescopic angle of coverage.+ Case. The padded case includes a thin compartment to fit the stand. The case also features a button-down cover, and a D-ring on the right hand side that may be used to attach the case to a strap/hook. The back of the case has two flaps that can be opened/closed together using velcro (e.g., to affix around a strap).+ Soft bounce. The flash includes a soft bounce diffuser, to help create a more natural-looking light and fewer shadows.+ Auto-standby / Auto-off. When the flash does not fire for 60 seconds, the flash will automatically enter standby mode to save power. Similarly, when there is no activity for 30 minutes, the flash will automatically turn off altogether. It is also recommended that one physically remove the batteries when placing the flash in storage for an extended period of time.Cons:- No E-TTL. E-TTL flash technology is used by Canon systems to pre-meter exposure immediately before the photo is taken based on a pre-flash, and automatically adjust flash settings to compensate. Unfortunately, this flash is not compatible with E-TTL technology. Consequently, the flash is restricted to manual mode or TTL technology, meaning that flash exposure is set either manually or metered at the time of the actual photo (as opposed to beforehand), respectively.- No remote custom flash settings. There is no ability to remotely adjust custom flash settings from the camera itself. My camera cannot find the flash wirelessly, likely because it is incompatible. This means that settings must be adjusted on the flash device itself. This is fine if one is using constant flash settings (e.g., where there is a fixed distance between camera and subject), but if one constantly needs to alter the settings (e.g., where there is variable distance between camera and subject), it can be tedious. The latter would be solved by an E-TTL compatible flash.Neutral:o Instructions. The instructions describe the basic operation of the flash, but could really do a better job of explaining the functions. One likely needs prior knowledge of how to use an external flash to make sense of the instructions. For someone just starting out, you should have your camera instruction manual handy because one needs to configure the camera flash settings to properly operate the external flash in slave mode.o Specifications:Weight (with stand and batteries): 490g (This is quite heavy when added to a DSLR in hot-shoe mode. The flash alone weighs a third of my entire mobile DSLR setup. Hence, I prefer to use the flash in slave mode.)Friendly request: PLEASE click “YES" in the feedback below if this review was in any way helpful to you. I write these reviews to help other consumers — my way of giving back. My reward is you benefiting from my review.