Easy flash question

[JamesD]

I'm not usually much of a flash user, but last night, Christmas night, I was taking family photos and because it was so dim, I stuck that little flash that came with the X-t1 on to the camera. What I found was that i would get a preliminary flash and then like a second and a half later, the image was taken with flash again. Needless to day, with children in the mix, pretty much nothing came out like I saw it. I'm guessing I have some setting wrong, but not sure what. Suggestions?

[Guest welshkc]

Check for the Red Eye setting.  Red Eye setting will pre-flash to close the pupils which reduces the chance of reflected red eye.  

 

Could be focus assist too, but my money is on Red eye.

[JamesD]

Yeah, thought of that. It was off.

[frankinfuji]

 

Perhaps it's just the TTL metering pre-flash you are seeing?

 

I'm not sure about your flashgun, but my Nissin uses a pre-flash when used in auto mode to set the aperture. This needs to be switched off when using a slave flash to prevent it setting off the slave unit too soon (or some slave units can be set to fire on the second flash).

 

I may have got this wrong as I rarely use TTL flash, but try manual or Commander mode?

 

I can't see the first flash in practice with mine but perhaps you have faster eyesight?

[JamesD]

There definitely is a pre flash, I suspect for metering because the delay before actually taking the image is to long to be red eye reduction. (at least from my previous experience which I admit is minimal). As near as I can tell, there are no TTL or manual options for this little flash, As a matter of fact the only options I can find are red eye reduction and commander mode.

[MirrorMirror]

Turn off face detection. With face detection you will get red eye reduction (not TTL preflash) whether or not you have activated it. Do you take just RAW, switch to taking RAW+JPG, as well as switching off face detection, if using flash.

[JRphoto]

There definitely is a pre flash, I suspect for metering because the delay before actually taking the image is to long to be red eye reduction. (at least from my previous experience which I admit is minimal). As near as I can tell, there are no TTL or manual options for this little flash, As a matter of fact the only options I can find are red eye reduction and commander mode.

I just tested the little EF-X8 flash on the X-T1 and it only behaves as you describe when RED EYE REMOVAL is ON (note that red-eye removal only works if FACE DETECTION under AUTOFOCUS SETTING is also ON).

Anyway, at page 37 of the X-T1 manual, on reads: "Except in commander mode, the flash may fire several times with each shot. Do not move the camera until shooting is complete."

 

What really intrigued me is that you're saying you can only find the flash modes red eye reducion and commander. In first place, if you're seeing RED EYE REDUCTION in FLASH MODE menu, it means that RED EYE REMOVAL is ON,

and FACE DETECTION is also ON!

 

In second place, in any shooting mode I see in FLASH MODE menu the options FORCED FLASH, 2ND CURTAIN SYNC, COMMANDER and SUPRESSED FLASH; under aperture-priority shooting mode, there is also SLOW SYNC (or

RED EYE & SLOW) option available; when the shutter-speed and aperture are in "A" (P mode), AUTO (or RED EYE REDUCTION) option is also available, exactly as you can read in the manual at page 133. I hope this helps!

[MirrorMirror]

Turn off face detection. With face detection you will get red eye reduction (not TTL preflash) whether or not you have activated it.

[JRphoto]

With face detection you will get red eye reduction (not TTL preflash) whether or not you have activated it.

 

Sorry, but this is not true, at least for X-T1 and EF-X8. I just tested using the XF 16mm f/1.4.

[MirrorMirror]

I apologise. Can you confirm a few things to try and troubleshoot your issue? When you experienced the preflash at your family party did you have face detection on or off. If it was on, when you turn it off do you experience the same delayed preflash?

Thanks

 

Edit. Sorry I see that I am not talking to the original poster. Original poster, can you give the detail please?

Edited December 27, 2016 by MirrorMirror