Built-in flash not in sync? (Canon 600D/T3i)

[lighturfire]

I bought a second hand Canon with less than 800 shots and there is something wrong with the flash. When I take a photo in a dark environment the flash fires but the photo has the same light whether I enable the flash or not.

It's not a problem of distance in relation to the object in the photograph because I've experimented in a close distance.

I've also tried firmware update, factory clean and reviewing flash menus.

I've also experimented taking a lot of consecutive shots and sometimes the photo is fine and gets the light from the flash! I'd say in a ratio of 1/10 success.

I'm grateful for any help.

[diverhank]

You might want to provide additional info like what mode you are using (P, Av, Tv, etc)...depending on which mode, your built-in flash will behave differently.

[lighturfire]

I've been using M (Manual mode).

Thanks!

[Waddizzle]

Right.  The mode makes a difference.  What happens when you use Green [A] mode?

[lighturfire]

I've tried to use A mode in a dark environment, the flash fires but the photo has no light. Total darkness.

EDIT: I think I figured out the problem. I disabled Peripheral illumination correction in the menu and, so far, all shots receive the flash!

[Waddizzle]

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@lighturfire wrote:

I've tried to use A mode in a dark environment, the flash fires but the photo has no light. Total darkness.

EDIT: I think I figured out the problem. I disabled Peripheral illumination correction in the menu and, so far, all shots receive the flash!

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The fact that Peripheral Illumination Correction, PIC, was disabled should not have made a difference. Look for another reason.  That's not the cause.

The camera can apply PIC for some Canon lenses by default.  For other Canon lenses you must download the lens profile and send it to the camera, through the EOS Utility. 

However, the flash unit should still work with any Canon EF/EF-S lens, irregardless of whether or not the camera contains a profile for the given lens.  The same is true for 3rd party lenses, for which you cannot download a lens profile and transfer it to the camera. 

The flash works with 3rd party lenses, and PIC is not being applied.  This is most especially true, if you're using the Green [A] mode, which sets all flash settings automaticlly for you.

[lighturfire]

I'm a newbie when it comes to DSLRs. I've done everything to my ability and to what people instructed me to do, even the most obvious stuff, and it was the only solution. I don't know how to move from here or if I should settle with the "solution" I came up with.

Thank you for your input.

[Waddizzle]

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@lighturfire wrote:

I'm a newbie when it comes to DSLRs. I've done everything to my ability and to what people instructed me to do, even the most obvious stuff, and it was the only solution. I don't know how to move from here or if I should settle with the "solution" I came up with.

Thank you for your input.

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Maybe there was a piece of debris causing bad connection to the hot shoe.  Who knows?  It works now.  Don't look back.

[diverhank]

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@lighturfire wrote:

I've tried to use A mode in a dark environment, the flash fires but the photo has no light. Total darkness.

EDIT: I think I figured out the problem. I disabled Peripheral illumination correction in the menu and, so far, all shots receive the flash!

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It is interesting about the PIC interfering with flash...it seems crazy but who knows how that logic works for the T3i.  I never use any of in-camera corrections that they don't tell you how these are implemented and you're leaving too much to chance to use them.  For that matter, I almost never use the built-in flash...in situations requiring flash, you are better off with an external flash -more power and you don't have the big lens interfering with the built-in flash (bottom of picture darker because it got blocked by the lens).

By the way, in Av and Tv and a couple of other creative modes (like Night Portrait), the Canon logic is to use ambient light as the main source of light and the flash only to fill in the shadows.

[ysrcflyer]

Check your built in flash settings-I recently had the same (simular) issue where the pop up flash would flash but the pictures were dark. I found the built in flash setting set for wireless-it was just flashing the optical signal for an off camera flash. Reset the wireless function to disable and the on board flash exposed correctly. BTW this was on a 70D.