Samsung’s entry to the mid-level flashgun market is a well-made and reasonably small unit offering full TTL operation with the company.s DSLRs.....

Product Overview

Overall rating:

86%
Overall score:86%

Pros:

  • Advanced features, build, power usage

Cons:

  • Slight corner fall-off

Product:

Samsung SEF-36PZF

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:

£155.00

Samsung’s entry to the mid-level flashgun market is a well-made and reasonably small unit offering full TTL operation with the company’s DSLRs. It has bounce facilities up to 90° but no swivel options, unlike the higher specified 54PZF. It also offers automatic zoom from 20mm to 85mm and a built-in wideangle diffuser for the wide settings. A pull-out white reflector is also built-in to provide catchlights in the subject’s eyes.



With a guide number of 30m @ISO 100 and 50mm, the unit offers plenty of power for most day-to-day applications (GN 36 is at 85mm) and the quality of light is good and even, with only a slight amount of fall-off at wider angles.



There’s a choice of modes from P-TTL, to auto TTL and manual mode and it works perfectly with the Samsung GX-10 DSLR, with best results coming from the Auto White Balance mode, rather than the camera’s flash setting. A secure hotshoe lock ensures that the flash remains tightly fixed to the camera and optical pulse transmission allows wireless flash. It also allows sync modes including High speed sync and rear or front-curtain sync.



Using rechargeable AA batteries I got about 300 shots at average shooting distance of around 2m, indicating excellent power usage.

Verdict

A good, solid unit with a reasonable light quality, at a price that’s more than acceptable.