Override - Forcing the Flash

[amanda_parker]

I have a Canon Rebel XS with built-in flash. At the beach I want to

use it for fill-in but can't seem to get it to go off on demand. I

read the manual, but no success there. Also, any recommendations for a

compatible good, no, great, portable flash to attach that will be

useful for long shots & better lighting? - budget is a consideration.

Thanks!!!

[shaun westlake]

From the top of my head put the camera in Tv, Av, or M mode and pop the flash up manually. Your shutter speed must below 1/90s or it will not fire.

 

For a flash Would recommend a canon 420ex. Works like a charm with my XS. And if you decide to upgrade your body down the road (like I did) it will allow you take advantage of E-ttl and High Speed sync.

[jim_strutz]

If you are planning to upgrade your camera in the next couple of years the 420EX is a good flash to consider. But if you are not planning to upgrade any time soon, I would stick with an EZ series Speedlite. They are less money and you get more features for the same dollar. Plus, your Rebel XS is not capable of using the best features of the EX series (E-TTL, FP, FEL). A used 430EZ has much more power and controls than the 420EX and costs considerably less. A new 540EZ costs a bit more, but has even more power & features.

 

However, since budget is a consideration, you could save even more money by getting a flash from a third party manufacturer. You get what you pay for, so build quality will often be less, but exposures and features will be comparable. Check out the Sigma EF430 & Sunpak 5000.

[hal_bissinger]

<i>At the beach I want to use it for fill-in but can't seem to get it to go off...</i><p>

You need to understand why it's not going off and this is going to apply to most cameras regardless of what flash you use, even studio strobes. So a new camera or flash isn't necessarily going to help you here.<p>

The reason your flash won't fire is because the shutter speed has to be below a certain speed. This is called the maximum sync speed and it will vary from camera to camera. With your camera it is apparently 1/90 sec. With a shutter speed of 1/90 and below the flash will fire. Above 1/90 the camera turns off the flash.<p>

The reason for this is that if you used a flash above the maximum sync speed (and this is possible with many cameras and external flashes) part of the frame will not be exposed by the flash illumination because the shutter will not be completely open while the flash fires.<p>

Now, if you think about it a little you will realize that because you were on a brightly lit beach your shutter speed must have been well above 1/90. There are some things you can do under these conditions to try and get the shutter speed lower. First, use as small an aperture as possible. Next, use as slow a film as possible. If you are shooting on the beach at <i>f</i>5.6 with ISO 400 film your shutter speed is going to be up there! <p>

Unfortunately this may not do it for you. As a last resort you could try a ND filter in front of your lens (kind of like sun glasses). Last resort would be to get another camera with a higher max sync speed but I still wouldn't get my hopes up. Some 35mm SLR's go up to 1/250 but even with that I can tell you that fill flash can be a problem at the beach.