SLR digital camera

festering_plates

I purchased a Canon EOS 350D SLR digital camera from jessops on Saterday and being a novice don't really know that much about them. My problem is the flash. It works well in the day and takes good photos but when it gets dark it just flickers and seems not to focus. Should this happen. Thanks

albertross_2

Are you talking about a flashgun, in the shoe?

What flickers?

festering_plates

The ''pop-up" flash thingy just flickers when I try and take a phonto

albertross_2

you aren't talking about an anti red eye feature, (a quick flash/series of flashes before the main flash(or maybe where the main flash should be in your case.)

festering_plates

I don't think its a anti red eye feature, I go and take a photo and its like loads of large flickers of light from the flash, with a buzzing noise. Its alright in the day and the flash works great. Its just when it gets darker.

festering_plates

Oh it might be somthing called a strobe flash. Dose this sound right? Thanks

shopbot

My camera creates lots of flashes before the main flash but they are fairly powerful. Is there no power behind the flash?

What has sparked your concern:
Is it the finished photo?
The way the flash appears to operate?
Or something else?

The reason I ask is that in certain low light situations i.e landscapes a flash can make a photo much worse and it can be better to have no flash.

festering_plates

My last camera never made flashers before taking photos and was really surprised this one was. I thought there was somthing wrong with it but after reading things on the web it seems pretty normal. I read it does a strobe flash for a focusing aid.

rharper83

The reason for this is the fact that the lens that comes with the 350D isn't brilliant in low light conditions, and the focusing on it will often 'hunt' in low-light. The flash will strobe to assist the focusing, but again, it's only as good as the lens. It's a perfectly normal situation. Try focusing on an edge, like the side of someone's head, or whereever there is a lot of contrast. Failing that, try using manual focus when there is low light

Hope that helps!

deecy

Yes, I think this is the focus light, it throws light onto the subject to allow the camera to focus. Either that or the red eye reduction flash, but if only doing it in low light it would point to focus light.

Print_Screen

rharper83 wrote:

The reason for this is the fact that the lens that comes with the 350D isn't brilliant in low light conditions, and the focusing on it will often 'hunt' in low-light. The flash will strobe to assist the focusing, but again, it's only as good as the lens. It's a perfectly normal situation. Try focusing on an edge, like the side of someone's head, or whereever there is a lot of contrast. Failing that, try using manual focus when there is low light

Hope that helps!

I think that this is correct as my former camera, Minolta Dimage A200 used to do this too.