Faulty flash

Thank you everyone, it's just I am used to the prolonged one on the Nikons as I have just switched

mongoos665 wrote in post #14669376
Thank you everyone, it's just I am used to the prolonged one on the Nikons as I have just switched

Yeah, I'm not quite sure what the reasoning is for the strobe. I'm sure it's something about pupil dilation or Canon's drive to battle Epilepsy one seizure at a time. :P

Thank you everyone, I assumed it would have a prolonged flash as the Nikons I used to own did, so I guess it's just something that Canon does differently. Thanks for all your help, now how do I put this thread as solved..

Do yourself a big favor and get an accessory flash or an ST-E2 or ST-E3 module to use for focus assist. They emit a much less intrusive IR pattern that does the same thing, works well without all the noise or the series of obnoxious white light flashes.

I haven't compared, but wouldn't be surprised if the built in flash has less range, too.

Also, use it a lot and the flash will shut down to prevent overheating. The accessory flashes and ST-Ex modules can be pretty much used all day long without any problem. They don't put heavy drain on the camera's battery(ies) either.

All in all, the built in flash is pretty wimpy and underpowered, plus in about the worst place possible for redeye and ugly shadows.

amfoto1 wrote in post #14669469
Do yourself a big favor and get an accessory flash ...

Excellent advice if financially feasible. Most Canon or Canon compatible accessory flashes emit a steady, patterned red beam for focus assist. And, when you're ready to experiment, many can be controlled off-camera by your popup flash, similar to Nikon's CLS system.

Each time the flash "flickers" it is reading the distance to determine the flash power, if you are shooting a moving object the "flicker" is normal.

Try turning off the Red eye reductions, it could be it.

mongoos665 wrote in post #14669393
Thank you everyone, I assumed it would have a prolonged flash as the Nikons I used to own did, so I guess it's just something that Canon does differently. Thanks for all your help, now how do I put this thread as solved..

The AF assist light on my Nikon DSLR is not from the pop-up flash, it's from a small continuous light located on the front of the camera between the viewfinder and the shutter release. If the flash came on continuously it would be quickly damaged, which is why, for example, the modelling flash on a Nikon is no different that what you are seeing for the focus assist (and modelling flash) on your 60D .... quick pulses of flash making a rapid popping noise.

Bob_A wrote in post #14672141
The AF assist light on my Nikon DSLR is not from the pop-up flash, it's from a small continuous light located on the front of the camera between the viewfinder and the shutter release. If the flash came on continuously it would be quickly damaged, which is why, for example, the modelling flash on a Nikon is no different that what you are seeing for the focus assist (and modelling flash) on your 60D .... quick pulses of flash making a rapid popping noise.

+1^

mrbubbles wrote in post #14669372
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.

MrBubbles is confused. The strobe effect is your camera using the flash to aid in finding focus. You can turn this off in the menu system under FLASH CONTROL. The flash used to make a photograph IS one single burst of light. Best solution: buy a Canon 430EX II flash unit and a good book on flash photography. Allow me to suggest: Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography. There is nothing wrong with your camera. It is doing what it was designed to do. Perhaps now would be a good time to read the manual.

sambarino wrote in post #14674463
MrBubbles is confused. The strobe effect is your camera using the flash to aid in finding focus. You can turn this off in the menu system under FLASH CONTROL. The flash used to make a photograph IS one single burst of light. Best solution: buy a Canon 430EX II flash unit and a good book on flash photography. Allow me to suggest: Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography. There is nothing wrong with your camera. It is doing what it was designed to do. Perhaps now would be a good time to read the manual.

No I was not confused. The OP was wondering why his flash strobed rather than stayed on. The reason is that the flash bulb is not meant to stay on for long periods of time. I understand that you can disable this feature but the point I was making is the bulb would burn out if it was ever left 'on' for a period of time. On cheaper cameras the AF assist beam is usually a bright LED which can stay on as long as you want it to stay on.

mrbubbles wrote in post #14669372
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.

On re-reading your original post, I see that you did not differentiate between the 'focus-assist' strobing, and the one-time 'exposure' flash. My apologies for reading meaning into your post which you did not intend. Of course, your are correct that the focus-assist has to strobe, or it will burn out.