EOS R7 locks up, chooses wrong exposure with Godox TT350c

[ajm133]

I seem to be struggling with using my r7 with Godox TT350c

     Using the camera In full auto mode (TTL on the flash, A+ on the camera)

     In very dim light- as in almost dark – there will be a brief pre-flash and then the camera locks up with an error E-70.  Need to turn off camera and sometimes take out battery to get it back to normal.  I know this is not a typical way to shoot but I tried it because I know my t3i would just focus as best it could then take a shot

     In low light, the camera will choose a very slow shutter speed and take a shot. I don’t see a pre-flash. My former t3i with Yongnuo flash would handle it with no issue and typically take a nice shot.

     The flash firmware is 1.7 which appears to be the latest version, and camera just pgarded to 1.4 (1.3.1 acted the same way)

     When shooting in Av and M mode it seems to act the same – essentially if there is not a lot of light the camera locks up.

[deebatman316 · Accepted solution]

Godox speedlites are incompatible with Canon's R series mirrorless cameras. Godox will have to resolve the problem with your speedlite. Canon can only grantee compatibility with their products NOT 3rd Party items. "In very dim light- as in almost dark – there will be a brief pre-flash and then the camera locks up with an error E-70." It appears that the camera is trying to use the speedlite for AF Assist. The "brief pre-flash" sounds like an AF Assist Beam. The red/ IR grid pattern projected by speedlites IS NOT COMPATIBLE with mirrorless cameras. When a Canon EX or EL speedlite is used on the EOS R series. A Canon speedlite will switch to Intermittent Flash Firing (IFF). Even if the speedlite has a choice between IR & Intermittent Flash Firing the setting is automatically overrided to Intermittent Flash Firing. 3rd Party speedlites DO NOT to understand the modified AF Assist Beam signal from the camera. Thus causing the camera to lock up or the IR grid pattern to be emitted when its not supposed to. Note depending on the AMBIENT LIGHTING an LED AF Assist Beam may be projected by the camera body instead of the speedlite switching to Intermittent Flash Firing (IFF). 

[deebatman316 · Accepted solution]

Godox speedlites are incompatible with Canon's R series mirrorless cameras. Godox will have to resolve the problem with your speedlite. Canon can only grantee compatibility with their products NOT 3rd Party items. "In very dim light- as in almost dark – there will be a brief pre-flash and then the camera locks up with an error E-70." It appears that the camera is trying to use the speedlite for AF Assist. The "brief pre-flash" sounds like an AF Assist Beam. The red/ IR grid pattern projected by speedlites IS NOT COMPATIBLE with mirrorless cameras. When a Canon EX or EL speedlite is used on the EOS R series. A Canon speedlite will switch to Intermittent Flash Firing (IFF). Even if the speedlite has a choice between IR & Intermittent Flash Firing the setting is automatically overrided to Intermittent Flash Firing. 3rd Party speedlites DO NOT to understand the modified AF Assist Beam signal from the camera. Thus causing the camera to lock up or the IR grid pattern to be emitted when its not supposed to. Note depending on the AMBIENT LIGHTING an LED AF Assist Beam may be projected by the camera body instead of the speedlite switching to Intermittent Flash Firing (IFF). 

[deebatman316]

" In low light, the camera will choose a very slow shutter speed and take a shot. I don’t see a pre-flash." When this happen does the camera try using its own LED AF Assist Beam. What focus mode is the camera set to One Shot, Servo AF or AI Focus. When in One Shot & AI Focus if the camera can't attain focus the camera body or speedlite will emit an AF Assist Beam. To aid the camera's AF system or the camera won't take a picture. One Shot is focus priority. So if the camera doesn't lock focus the camera won't take a picture. Servo AF is release priority it will take a picture regardless if its in focus or not. AI Focus is a hybrid mode of both One Shot and Servo AF. It should be avoided. Camera shake in low light can cause the camera to switch to Servo AF. So stick with Servo AF or One Shot depending on your shooting conditions. The AF Assist Beam WILL NOT be emitted in Servo AF. 

[ajm133]

Thank You for the information! 

     I turned off the AF assist beam and it doesn't seem to lock up and appears to work OK (except for the fact that in A+ its choosing ISO 6400 when using flash - odd).  When in very very dim light, it cant catch focus at all

     So, in short, it seems like turning the AF assist beam off will allow the flash to work, but now i'm wondering, perhaps I should just get the EL-100 and ensure I have no issues whatsoever, as this seems to be a bot of a workaround, and of course i hate to find when I start mtking a lot of shots that perhaps it doesn't work as well as I think.

AJM

[deebatman316 · Accepted solution]

The AF Assist Beam CAN NOT be turned off in A+ mode. It's normal for the R series to increase the ISO level high with flash. Older DSLRs defaulted to ISO 400. The camera is using the speedlite for AF Assist for a reason. The LED AF Assist Beam on the camera body. Is more than likely not adequate for the brightness. Thus utilizing Intermittent Flash Firing to brighten up the scene for the camera. To lock focus on something with contrast. Turning off the AF Assist Beam will make it very difficult for you to take pictures in low light. The camera will refuse to fire if the subject is not in focus. So look into a Canon speedlite and the problems will go away.

[ajm133]

Thanks so much.  One last question if you don't mind - I assume the EL-100 will be OK, am I correct?  I really cant justify the next step up of 430 EX II for the amount of photos I take

[deebatman316]

ALL EX & EL speedlites are compatible with your camera including the new EL-5 speedlite which has the new multi function hot shoe. How are you using this speedlite also what are you primarily shooting and what is your budget. Since the EL-100 doesn't have an LCD screen. All settings for the speedlite will have to be changed in the Speedlite Control Menu in the camera. I find that lower end speedlites can't recharge fast enough. When the speedlite is providing AF Assist a lot. You can easily miss a shot because the speedlite is recharging. Compared to a midrange speedlite such as the 430EX II. I'm not a professional just a hobbyist so I would also not need a high power speedlite such as the 600EX series & the EL-1 speedlites.

[ajm133]

    I'm basically the family photographer, so its birthdays, holidays, etc, so i don't use it a whole lot.  Quite honestly my Samsung phone would do fine but I really enjoy shooting with a camera body and ability to change lenses  If the EL-100 recycles as fast as the TT350c it should do the trick. I will still have the Godox of course, so maybe at some point compatibility will get better.  I may even try an AD-E1 adapter and see if it allows me to use my Yongnuo YN565 which looks absolutely silly on the r7 but it sure is a powerful flash that has served me well for many years.

Thanks!

[deebatman316]

Using an adapter will NOT fix compatibility issues with the Yongnuo speedlite. There's a whole lot of incompatibilities on EOS R series cameras. The EL-100 covers your needs flash wise. Do you only use flash in low light? Or are you also using High Speed Sync (HSS) outdoors on a bright day for fill flash.

[ajm133]

Low light only.  I always thought about learning how to use flash outdoors but never really got around to learning how to do it or how it would help.