Flash and closed eyes

[Chop_Top]

This may have been covered but I need to ask anyway.
Is there any way to take a flash picture with my G2 that does not have the double flash? All my flash pictures have peoples eyes closed or at half mast.
Do the external flashes like the 220 /420 etc do the double flash?

This pict is typical of what I mean. My sons eyes are half closed and the wife, completely closed.

[img]http://www.geocities.com/west1m/picts/1033.jpg/img]

[Chop_Top]

This may have been covered but I need to ask anyway.
Is there any way to take a flash picture with my G2 that does not have the double flash? All my flash pictures have peoples eyes closed or at half mast.
Do the external flashes like the 220 /420 etc do the double flash?

This pict is typical of what I mean. My sons eyes are half closed and the wife, completely closed.

[img]http://www.geocities.com/west1m/picts/1033.jpg[\img]>

[Chop_Top]

I am sorry for the three tries, please forgive me as it would not let me edit or delete...


This may have been covered but I need to ask anyway.
Is there any way to take a flash picture with my G2 that does not have the double flash? All my flash pictures have peoples eyes closed or at half mast.
Do the external flashes like the 220 /420 etc do the double flash?

This pict is typical of what I mean. My sons eyes are half closed and the wife, completely closed.

http://www.geocities.com/west1m/picts/1033.jpg>

[dicky109]

Sounds like you have the "red eye" reduction feature turned on. What this does is send out a less intense flash to try and get the pupils in subject's eyes to contract, thus avoiding the diabolical looking "red eye". It then sends out a second flash for the appropriate exposure. In my experience, it usually doesn't work, and causes the effect in your shot.

Good news is that it should be easy to turn off. I have a G-1 so the control may be a little different on your camera, however, all you should need to do is press the flash mode button (has a crooked arrow on it) until it toggles in the display to only showing the crooked arrow.

External flashes do not usually have the red eye feature, and in fact, if mounted on an accessory bracket (not the hot shoe) won't cause "red eye"

Good luck

[msvadi]

The flash fires twice because of E-TTL Evaluative-Through-The-Lens). A pre-flash is fired to measure the light and determine the main flash output. This function is disabled in the Manual mode, so the flash will fire only once. In the M mode you will have to adjust the flash output manually. Otherwise, the flash will fire at full power all the time and, most likely, you pictures will be severely overexposed.

However, you don't really want to lose ETTL, it's very useful. If you take a lot of indoors pictures then, I think, you should consider 420EX external flash. It supports ETTL and will fire twice unless the camera is in M mode, but it has a bounce position, so the flash won't fire directly into people faces. My flash photos improved significantly after I purchased 420EX.

[scottbergerphoto]

msvadi wrote:
The flash fires twice because of E-TTL Evaluative-Through-The-Lens). A pre-flash is fired to measure the light and determine the main flash output. This function is disabled in the Manual mode, so the flash will fire only once. In the M mode you will have to adjust the flash output manually. Otherwise, the flash will fire at full power all the time and, most likely, you pictures will be severely overexposed.

However, you don't really want to lose ETTL, it's very useful. If you take a lot of indoors pictures then, I think, you should consider 420EX external flash. It supports ETTL and will fire twice unless the camera is in M mode, but it has a bounce position, so the flash won't fire directly into people faces. My flash photos improved significantly after I purchased 420EX.

I don't believe the G2 on board flash can be operated in manual flash mode. The M mode refers to manual mode for the aperture and shutter speed. The on board flash can only operate in E-TTL mode. The preflash occurs so soon before the actual flash that you don't see it. I believe that as stated above that the red eye reduction feature is the culprit and can easily be turned off.
Scott

[msvadi]

right my mistake. the built-in flash will fire only at full intensity in the M mode (so, no ETTL and no pre-flash). Only the external flash output can be adjusted manually in the M mode. I have not been using the built in flash since I bought 420EX.

But I'm sure that the pre-flash comes from ETTL. I can see it with or without red-eye reduction turned on. :) I don't think that G2 uses pre-flash to reduce red-eye. It has a red-eye reduction lamp for that purpose.


420EX fires a pre-flash (unless in the M mode) and I can see it too. ;)

And, finally, don't bother yourself with 220EX. It has no bounce position and not very powerful. It's not really different from the buil-in flash.

[Chop_Top]

Thanks for all the input, I am fairly sure I have not been using the red eye function because I know this would agrivate the problem. (is this info available in the EXIF?)
I will have to learn to use the M mode for flash pictures of people as my flash pictures of people look horible.
As I was writing this my wif stepped into the room. Four pictures later I see a difference. In program mode flash only (no red eye) One droopy one closed eyes. In manual, one slightly under exposed one good both have eyes open!