Movo FC20C Canon TTL Cord REVIEW

Don’t be caught without an off-camera flash

As someone who does everything in his power to live a wireless life, from hiding all the cables under my desk to using wireless chargers to power my iPhone, I also found myself trying to do the same with wireless shutter remotes and flash triggers. The problem is when you are a wedding photographer having everything wireless as nice as it can be can also come with its share of issues. This is why having a nice off-camera flash TTL cable is always a must. I’ve started relying on the MOVO brand for a lot of my camera accessories and when I found myself needing an off-camera TTL cable, I turned to the Movo FC20C Canon TTL Cord.

DETAILS

The Movo FC20C Canon TTL Cord is a heavy-duty off-camera flash shoe cord that is designed to work with the Canon EOS Speedlights with E-TTL hot shoe. It maintains a full E-TTL connection. The cable supports the full automatic function of the EOS series and is compatible with all Canon EOS cameras except the D2000/EOS600/630 or EOS RT cameras. The cable is a 20-inch coiled cord that expands to 50 inches when stretched out. The cable mounts to a flash shoe and 1/4″-20 threaded studs. Movo includes a bonus ‘neat strap’ for tucking the cable away so it’s out of the way. The cable only weighs 6.4 ounces.

USER IMPRESSIONS

The packaging of the cord was pretty simple and basic. The Movo box is a teal green color with white printing on it. An illustration of the product is on the front of the box and some general details of the product are located on the back. Operation of the cable is self-explanatory. The end of the cable that has the “Movo” logo stamped on it attaches to the flash connector on the camera while the other end has the 1/4″-20 screw mount and a connector for the flash to be attached to. Once the cable is attached, you should be able to operate the flash just like you would as if it were attached to the camera.

Last week, I shot a wedding in the mountains of Tennessee. It was a beautiful location but what wouldn’t have been beautiful would have been me if I would not have had this cable with me. For most of the day, I was able to use my Godox V1-C Flash, which is an absolute beast of a flash but because this was an all-day event and I only had one battery for it, towards the end, my flash’s recycle rate started to slow down. Thanks to the MOVO FC20 cord, I was able to ditch that flash and move over to my Canon flash. For some incredibly weird reason, the Canon Speedlite (430EXIII-RT) refused to work with my wireless triggers that day.

Up until this wedding, they all worked flawlessly together but on-site, they just wouldn’t communicate. I normally use my Canon flash for the first part of an event and switch over to my Godox midway through but when I went to take a few photos of the ring and dress I started having issues with my Canon flash playing nice with the Godox triggers.

When I got my hands on the FC20C it was just a few days before the wedding. I had only quickly tested it out to see if it worked. I found out over my weekend gig that not only did it work and work well but that without it I would have been in a pretty big jam. The point of this rather long story is to illustrate why you should always go into a job with a backup plan. Even if your wireless flash game is strong, I would still invest in a TTL Cord that can be kept in your bag just in case.

CONCLUSION

Having an off-camera flash is very important when it comes to wedding and event photography. Even if you have good wireless communication between your flash, wireless triggers, and camera, investing in a cable that you know will work when you dig it out of your camera bag is invaluable. The Movo FC20C is a great option because it’s not only affordable, but it’s also a well-made cord you can rely on.

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