external flash and the g6?

whenever i put an external flash on my g6 via hotshoe, it acts as if i have turned the flash off and uses extremely slow shutterspeeds unless i manually set it... which then makes all my pictures have a thick layer of blue on them (though i can get rid of that in photoshop). i'm using a real old flash, and thinking that they might be incompatible, and if i purchased a new flash it may work better. im using a minolta auto280px. if this is the case, are there any cheap flashes that are compatible with the g6?

also, on a side note, is there any way to get rid of the thick layer of blue that the Tv mode adds to the pictures? a setting i may have missed perhaps? i left my users manual at home, and i'm at college now, so i apologize if either of these questions are covered in the manual.

I don't have any experience with non Canon flashes, but the blue cast is more than likely a white balance problem.

Non-dedicated (non E-TTL) flashes can be used only in M mode, but beware as some of them are high-voltage and can damage your camera. Blue tint is probably WB problem and you can try to remove it using custom white balance. IMHO it's best to go for some of Canon EX flashes. Sigma and Sunpak also manufacture flashes compatible with G6 but check for possible issues before buying.

The 420/430 EX Speedlites seem to be ideal companions for the G6. BTW, you need to set the slow-sync to the OFF position unless you are after that effect of balancing background and ambient light, meaning a slow shutter speed is needed in poor lighting.

My guess is old Minolta flash on new Canon camera. If it is just a blue cast to your pictures then it's probably a white balance issue. I would be careful with using an older flash that may or may not even be compatible with your G6, you could conceivably damage the circuitry in your camera! Look for a 420ex or 430ex flash. If money is an issue you can even try to find a used 380ex. No swivel, but does bounce, and full ettl with your G6.

I'm using a Jessops E-TTL compatible flash which I can only use in manual mode. I've tried using non-dedicated flashes but they don't fire at all. But with the flash that does work I similar symptoms as you, the flash button becomes inoperable but the camera does not automatically set the WB to 'Flash'.


After trying a 420EX in the shop I can heartily recommend getting a E-TTL II flash as the automation saves so much hassle.


Otherwise, as tiha has said, you must use the M mode. I use shutter speed of 1/125 and set the aperature depending on how far away the subject is using the guide on the back of the flash. And remember to set the right WB. And then save all that in C1 or C2 - easy peasy.

When you put an external flash on the G6 (and on any of Canon's SLRs and DSLRs), the camera does 2 things, in an effort to balance both background and subject:

1/ It uses the flash to expose for the subject (via ETTL)
2/ It uses the aperture/shutter to try to expose for the background

That is why, when you add the flash, you get the same shutter speed as you would with no flash.

I dont use an external flash on my G6, but on my DSLRs, what I do is either use the program shift mode (P) instead of Av or Tv [not my preferred solution] or simply crank the exposure compensation until I get the shutter speed that I want.

Hope that helps.

Vandit

The Sigma EF-500 DG ST works really well with my G6. Only has two manual settings but when you go to M mode you can set the flash power with the set button and it turns off the preflash so you could use it with a optical slave flash also down the road. Rotates, swivels, had wide angle diffuser built it. I use the Lumiquest 80-20 indoors with it and it takes nice looking flash pictures. Every now and then it seems like it doesn't quite communicate properly with the camera and will zoom in and out a couple of times. Just shut to camera off and back on will clear it up. Not often but can happen. Still a good flash for the G6.

When I attach my external electronic flash (Vivitar 283) to my G5, the daylight setting gives me a better white balance than the flash setting or the auto setting. I also use a Wein hot shoe voltage regulator to prevent my high-voltage flash from damaging my camera’s electronics.

Just FYI from the strobe trigger voltage table:

http://www.botzilla.co​m/photo/strobeVolts.ht​ml

The voltage on your Minolta is a measly 1.8 volts -- perfectly safe to use on your camera.