Flash issues

[Ashleylynn]

I'm new to photography, been at it for about a year now. I have a canon t5i. Recently my flash hasn't been working like it used to, I feel like the flash will fire before the photo and it will leave my photos super dark. I've tried resetting the camera to factory settings and nothing is fixing this. Could my bulb be broken? Please help me!

[kvbarkley]

If you use ETTL, the flash *does* fire before the photo to set the flash exposure, but there should still be plenty of power available for the flash during the exposure.

Have you tried it in "green square" mode?

It does sound like a problem with the camera. I would call Canon.

[Ashleylynn]

It works sometimes and sometimes not. I shoot on continuous shooting and maybe 1 out of 5 photos will have the flash working correctly. I'm out of warranty, is there a chance they could still help me?

[kvbarkley]

If you need a lot of flash power during continuous shooting, you could very well not be allowing enough time for the flash to recharge between shots.

If you call Canon, they will walk you through some stuff and determine whether it is broken or not, then you can decide whether it is worth the cost of repair.

[ScottyP]

Two correct answers above.

The flash will do focus assist flashing if it is a little dim where you are shooting. That might seem like it is flashing early. 

The. On continuous shooting the flash will fall behind pretty quickly and then will only flash when it's had time to recharge. That will result in some photos with the flash firing mixed in with a lot where it did not. 

Watch the continuous shooting but also be aware that in HSS high speed sync mode the flash takes more power than in normal flash mode. If you keep your shutter speed below the camera's flash sync speed (1/200th of a second I think) the flash will use less juice. When you shoot at really high shutter speeds on HSS mode it really draws the power. 

[Waddizzle]

---

@Ashleylynn wrote:
It works sometimes and sometimes not. I shoot on continuous shooting and maybe 1 out of 5 photos will have the flash working correctly. I'm out of warranty, is there a chance they could still help me?

---

That almost sounds like you're not allowing enough time for the flash to recharge.  Continuous mode may be too fast.

[Ashleylynn]

But I've always used continuous shooting and never had an issue! Erggg I wish I knew more about my camera 😞

[ScottyP]

---

@Ashleylynn wrote:
But I've always used continuous shooting and never had an issue! Erggg I wish I knew more about my camera 😞

---

Look and see if something about the problem shots is a little different than the times it worked better.

If it is darker the flash is having to fire a stronger power flash.

If your shutter speed is faster it is also having to work harder in HSS, the farther above 1/200th of a second the more juice. 

[RobertTheFat]

---

@Ashleylynn wrote:
But I've always used continuous shooting and never had an issue! Erggg I wish I knew more about my camera 😞

---

Actually, that's a good attitude to have. There are too many wannabe photographers who don't understand. or can't be bothered to accept, that it's a long and sometimes frustrating learning process. But those who do make the effort rarely regret it.

In addition to the usual manuals, Canon has a number of technical articles and videos available on their Web site. And often there are local institutions, like community colleges and camera clubs, that can also help an avid amateur get a firmer grip on the subject. Keep at it!

[Ashleylynn]

Thank you! Yes I definitely have a lot to learn! I've done a few very successful photo shoots. But I need to learn a whole lot more about my camera before moving forward