Which flash units work best with the Canon Rebel T7?

Question

I gotta get a flash for my brothers wedding this Friday and I'm totally panicking because I just found out my Rebel T7 has that weird hot shoe where it doesnt have the center pin. I was looking at the Godox V860III since people say its the gold standard but then I saw a post saying some 3rd party flashes dont even fire on this camera. Then I looked at the Canon 430EX but its way over my $150 budget and I dont even know if it solves the pin issue. I'm in Chicago so I can run to a store tomorrow but I need to know what actually works. Which flash units are actually compatible with the T7 without that middle pin?

Hayley Quokka · Accepted Answer

Regarding what #2 said about the T7 needing E-TTL, do you actually need high-speed sync?Godox TT685II-C Flash for Canon is decent.Rechargeable batteries save tons.

Naomi Elizabeth Harvey · Answer

I been using the Godox TT685II-C Flash for Canon on a T7 and its been great. The "II" versions specifically fixed the missing center pin logic through firmware updates.

Godox TT685II-C Flash for Canon: Fits your budget perfectly, 0.1-2.6s recycle time, uses 4 AAs.

Godox V860III-C Flash for Canon: A bit over budget but that 2600mAh lithium battery is nice for long weddings. Both fire perfectly via the side pins. Youll be very satisfied with the TTL accuracy... just make sure to get the II version!

Joshua Aaron White · Answer

In my experience, the T7 requires specific E-TTL handshake protocols since it lacks that center pin. IIRC, firmware updates fixed it for certain units, tho I'm not 100% sure about the specific pinout logic.