Canon Speedlite Compatibility
For SL3 And Food Photography

by Kayla
(Wisconsin)

Canon SL3 Camera

"Hi there,

I am a food photographer looking to dive into artificial lighting. I have a canon rebel sl3 which I found out is incompatible for any 3rd party flashes. I wanted to purchase the Godox AD200Pro to use as my speed lite, but it comes with a wireless trigger that I am unsure if it will work with my camera. I believe I can connect it with a cord, but I don't know which cord. Can you please point me in the right direction? Thank you!"

Hi Kayla,

Thanks for your question about shooting food photography with Speedlites and your Canon SL3!

Here's a few comments from my perspective that may not be what you were hoping for, but I'll give you my thoughts with the hopes that they will still help you.

1. Unless you're shooting on location and have no other options, I would not recommend using speedlites for food photography. Precise lighting is critical when photographing food and the hot shoe type of speedlites/speedlights (Canon or Godox) don't have modeling lights. This make it a trial and error situation if you can't adjust the lights and see the changes on how it makes your subject appear. Studio lights with softboxes, umbrellas, snoots, and other modifiers give you much better control of your lighting and you can see the changes as you adjust.

2. The only way to be sure to check for 100% compatibility of using a Godox on your Canon SL3 is to buy it and try it. I have no experience with Godox flashes. Third party flashes are a great way to save a to of money compared to the pricey Canon brand Speedlites, but there is always a risk, sometimes big and sometimes small, of having issues.

Good Luck,
Bruce