T5i EOS rebel - spark/buzzing sound when flash goes off!

[Hina]

Hi everyone, I just got my T5i and it makes a really strange spark sound when the built in flash goes off. Is this a faulty camera?

[amfoto1]

No, that's not a problem or fault with the camera.

That's normal. It's a very short duration, partial power flash that the camera fires before the full power flash, to measure the distance to subject and amount of light needed by the flash when it fires. A "pre-flash", if you will.

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Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM

[Hina]

Thanks for the reply 🙂

[TCampbell]

If you press the depth of field preview button then the flash will flicker brightly for about a second.  It is essentially pulsing the light very rapidly and it makes a buzzing sound.  This can also happen when using the flash as a focus-assist light.   This is normal and not a defect.

You can buy an external shoe-mounted flash such as the Canon Speedlite 430EX II.  This speedlight fires a red pattern/beam (focus assist beam) which allows the camera to lock focus on your subject without needing a white light to focus.

[pcdarcan]

But why does it "buzz" (it's like an electrical short buzzing sound and is most annoying)?  So, although I understand that the flash goes off rapidly to assist with focus, I don't understand "why" it needs to make that audible noise - which is both distracting to the photographer and the subject(s), often invoking a look - or comment - such as, "What's wrong with your camera?"

[RobertTheFat]

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@pcdarcan wrote:

But why does it "buzz" (it's like an electrical short buzzing sound and is most annoying)?  So, although I understand that the flash goes off rapidly to assist with focus, I don't understand "why" it needs to make that audible noise - which is both distracting to the photographer and the subject(s), often invoking a look - or comment - such as, "What's wrong with your camera?"

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The buzzing happens because firing the flash at the required intensity calls for the application of a very high voltage. Inevitably, some of the necessary energy is released into the atmosphere and perceived as sound. Believe me when I tell you that Canon (or Nikon or Sony or any of the others) would prefer to use that energy to make the flash brighter or conserve it for later use. But unfortunately, the laws of physics are what they are, and none of those august institutions currently possess a way to override them.

[Waddizzle]

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@pcdarcan wrote:

But why does it "buzz" (it's like an electrical short buzzing sound and is most annoying)?  So, although I understand that the flash goes off rapidly to assist with focus, I don't understand "why" it needs to make that audible noise - which is both distracting to the photographer and the subject(s), often invoking a look - or comment - such as, "What's wrong with your camera?"

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The flash of light is concentrated burst of energy.  Much of the energy is in the from of light, but not all of it.  A perfect conversions of electrical charge into photons doesn’t take place.  Some of the charged particles are striking the inside of the flash tube, which creates the sound that you here.