Faulty flash

I have recently purchased a Canon 60D and all seemed to be working well except for the flash. When the flash comes on to illuminate the subject beforehand to focus, instead of one long prolonged light to illuminate the object, it's a series of very fast flickers of light, with about 20 flashes of light per second as opposed to one prolonged light.
I sent it back to the company and they sent me a completely new one, which also has the same problem. Canon said it was not a setting inside the camera, could anyone help or has anyone had the same problem?

What type of flash is it?

That's not a problem. That's how the focus assist works.

Are you talking about the pop-up flash?

What mode (P,M, Av, Tv) are you using?

Is the wireless off?

oldvultureface wrote in post #14669239
That's not a problem. That's how the focus assist works.

+1..This is normal.

It is the built in flash I got with the camera with all the default settings (have even restored it to factory settings a few times), flash mode- E-TTL II, Shutter sync- 1st Curtain, exp comp at 0, E-TTL II meter- evaluative, Wireless Func- Disable.

I am new to cameras of this sort

Also makes a fast clicking sound, a click for all the individual little flashes it does

It's fine. Enjoy using.

Every camera I've ever used or seen has had just one long prolonged light to bring the subject into focus, not just a series of flashes with a strange clicking sound...

And it does this in every mode

As the rest have said, that's how it works.

Have a read of this discussion to help it sink in some more

http://forums.steves-digicams.com …-beam-canon-models.html#b

In particular, look at post #8

So it's meant to fire hundreds of small flashes, as a opposed to one prolonged one?

It's your focus assist. It does this in lighting situations where the autofocus has a hard time detecting anything. The flash will strobe like that, illuminating your intended subject enough for the focus system to lock on. As stated, it's normal. For whatever reason (whether too cheap or out of fear of 10,000 IR beams messing with pros at events) they have decided that this ghetto functionality is sufficient.

BTW: It's not taking your picture then, so it's not 1000 flashes. It's essentially using your flash as a flashlight, getting focus, saying "okay, I'm focused now", turning the light back off and waiting for you to take the shot. And "yes" to your last question.

It's an EOS thing. Both my 10D and 7D do it..

Rather than installing a stand-alone AF Assist light, they pulse the popop flash to illuminate the subject so that the AF can lock in low light. The flash has to be 'sizzled' because it's a pulse type device and can't be turned on to create a steady beam.

This action is described on page 55 of the EOS 60D owner's manual.

mongoose the flash on your new 60d is only meant to be on for short bursts. If it were to 'stay' on it would probably burnout. That is the reason it pulses a lot. There is nothing wrong with it.