I'm not a camera specialist but I was looking for something better than the built in flash on my Canon XTi. In particular, I was looking for something that would work better with my EF-S fisheye lens. The stroke length is too short for the built-in flash, which creates a shadow when shooting close-ups. The EF-500 fixed this problem in all but the closest shots. The only thing that bothers me is that I don't really like the mount. My latest Canon flash fits snugly in the bracket and has a lock button. The lens has a friction wheel that you turn to tighten. It's just not as easy to remove, although it probably holds it tighter.