What’s going on with Canon Speedlites in 2024? The situation with Canon speedlights is a bit confusing. Currently, Canon Speedlite EL-1 is not scheduled to be reshipped until May 2024. Canon EL-1 is compatible with all the EOS R series, but it is too expensive for many people. Canon Speedlight EL-5 is not compatible with Canon EOS R5, but will work with Canon R3, R6 II, R7, and R10.
We don’t know what problems Canon is currently having with speedlights, but Canon EL-5 is over 6 months late and EL-1 stock is unstable. We think Canon EL-5 would have been more popular if it was compatible with Canon EOS R5.
We’re currently hearing that Canon EL-1 may never be available again, and that Canon will revamp its entire Speedlight lineup next year. Although we are not 100% sure what this means, it would be reasonable to assume that it is in response to the expected release of the EOS R1 and EOS R5 II.
We previously reported that Canon Speedlite EL-10 was being developed, but it appears that this is still going on. The EL-10 was rumored to arrive later this year, but that never happened.
It seems that the supply situation for Canon speedlights is not very good, but we wonder if they are holding back on production of current products in order to renew the entire lineup of speedlights. We don’t know when the entire lineup will be updated, but Canon Rumors seems to expect it to be compatible with Canon EOS R1 and EOS R5 II. If rumors like this spread, it will become difficult to purchase current speedlights.