20D pop-up flash problem, pls help

David_S85

The on-board flash was able to pop up for use for the past week. Until today.

What should I be looking to do to get that to function? I've looked at all the settings I know of, and tried different shooting modes. And yes, I searched many forums for answers. :dunno

Help!

Thanks.

gus

Maybe reset the camera back to default in the prog screen ?

Hope that helps...gus

David_S85

Humungus wrote:

Maybe reset the camera back to default in the prog screen ?

Hope that helps...gus

Hmmmmmm. I'm recharging the battery now. If that isn't it, I'll try the reset. Will resetting alter my image number counter back to zero?

gus

David_S85 wrote:

Will resetting alter my image number counter back to zero?

Im no boffin on the subject at all david but i very much doubt it would.

Gus

pathfinder

David_S85 wrote:

The on-board flash was able to pop up for use for the past week. Until today.

What should I be looking to do to get that to function? I've looked at all the settings I know of, and tried different shooting modes. And yes, I searched many forums for answers.

Help!

Thanks.

What mode is the camera set to - Basic or Creative zones? Will the flash pop up when you press the flash release button on the pentaprism?

David_S85

Old School Solution leads to embarrassing noobie confusion
Yes, I was in creative zones. And I was pressing the flashy button. Nothing. No whirring noise - no purple smoke, nothing happening.

...then, later this evening after searching everywhere, I came across this:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=12683124

OK, I feel sooooo stupid. I just fell down to a 1.5 on the learning curve of 10 being the highest level of 20D understanding.

Here's what it was. The "old school" in me was used to using a hot-shoe protector to guard against accidental shorting of the contacts in an [d]SLR.

So I found that 28-yr. old black plastic protector today and shoved it in there like the smart-a** guy I am. Problem is that there's an oh-so-teensy-tiny little silver switch on the left side underneath the hot shoe plate that detects the presence of a flash unit (or anything else shoved in there).



Thanks guys! Now the other noobs can search the forum for this problem and find this with my name attached to it forever.

Khaos

buy an external flash.

You don't have to go all out with a 580ex, but a sigma or sunpack will be way better than that crappy pop up.

gluwater

David_S85 wrote:

Yes, I was in creative zones. And I was pressing the flashy button. Nothing. No whirring noise - no purple smoke, nothing happening.

...then, later this evening after searching everywhere, I came across this:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=12683124

OK, I feel sooooo stupid. I just fell down to a 1.5 on the learning curve of 10 being the highest level of 20D understanding.

Here's what it was. The "old school" in me was used to using a hot-shoe protector to guard against accidental shorting of the contacts in an [d]SLR.

So I found that 28-yr. old black plastic protector today and shoved it in there like the smart-a** guy I am. Problem is that there's an oh-so-teensy-tiny little silver switch on the left side underneath the hot shoe plate that detects the presence of a flash unit (or anything else shoved in there).



Thanks guys! Now the other noobs can search the forum for this problem and find this with my name attached to it forever.

We n00bs appreciate your R&D on the 20D, especially us in Chicago.

pathfinder

David_S85 wrote:

Yes, I was in creative zones. And I was pressing the flashy button. Nothing. No whirring noise - no purple smoke, nothing happening.

...then, later this evening after searching everywhere, I came across this:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=12683124

OK, I feel sooooo stupid. I just fell down to a 1.5 on the learning curve of 10 being the highest level of 20D understanding.

Here's what it was. The "old school" in me was used to using a hot-shoe protector to guard against accidental shorting of the contacts in an [d]SLR.

So I found that 28-yr. old black plastic protector today and shoved it in there like the smart-a** guy I am. Problem is that there's an oh-so-teensy-tiny little silver switch on the left side underneath the hot shoe plate that detects the presence of a flash unit (or anything else shoved in there).



Thanks guys! Now the other noobs can search the forum for this problem and find this with my name attached to it forever.

Ahah!! Very interesting,Professor!!

ian408

Khaos wrote:

buy an external flash.

You don't have to go all out with a 580ex, but a sigma or sunpack will be way better than that crappy pop up.

That "crappy pop-up" is not too bad a flash for a built in. It's better than
no flash and it's much better than the 10d.

Ian

David_S85

Ahhhhh. Just wait until that poor little pop-up gets the custom ping pong ball diffuser treatment! This 20D will wish it was never sold to me.

Not to mention all the other experiments I have waiting in the wings. Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha ©Ulysses

ian408 wrote:

That "crappy pop-up" is not too bad a flash for a built in. It's better than
no flash and it's much better than the 10d.

Ian

hollynla

I know of someone else who had problems with the on-board flash. After he purchased an external flash and mounted it, removed it, his pop up wouldn't "pop up" any longer. Appearantly, it was due to dust on his hot shoe sensors that made the camera believe that there was a flash mounted on it, therefor, the pop up flash wasn't coming on.

ginger_55

Khaos wrote:

buy an external flash.

You don't have to go all out with a 580ex, but a sigma or sunpack will be way better than that crappy pop up.

Don't buy a Sunpak, I have one. Talked to Sunpak, their flashes are not dedicated to the 20D, in fact, they are not dedicated to digital.

I used it with my Rebel. Then I tried using it with the 20D, it wouldn't work, I lost the manual, the pop up wouldn't pop up, like your problem. Except there was nothing on my "shoe" thingy.

I called Canon, finally, while talking to the man, the pop up, popped up. I am convinced that the problem had something to do with the Sunpak, so I won't put it back on. Meanwhile, the woman from Sunpak kept calling back to say that that flash would only work with the 20D in Manual or Auto. If I dared put the darn thing back on, I would replace the manual. However, I do know that they plan on coming out with a flash for a digital camera, in the future.

That is my story, I would not buy a Sunpak. My pop up has been working fine since calling Canon.

ginger

colourbox

David_S85 wrote:

So I found that 28-yr. old black plastic protector today and shoved it in there like the smart-a** guy I am. Problem is that there's an oh-so-teensy-tiny little silver switch on the left side underneath the hot shoe plate that detects the presence of a flash unit (or anything else shoved in there).

Does anyone know why did they decided an interlock was necessary after all these years? Is it because they don't want the pop-up flash (a fairly recent innovation) slamming up into a hot shoe flash by accident?

David_S85

Reasons

colourbox wrote:

Does anyone know why did they decided an interlock was necessary after all these years? Is it because they don't want the pop-up flash (a fairly recent innovation) slamming up into a hot shoe flash by accident?

I doubt the wimpy pop-up casing would do any damage to a well made outboard flash unit. Perhaps the pop-up would be damaged, though.

The camera needs to detect the presence of a top mounted flash unit when the shoe is covered and the microswitch is tripped. The 20D can communicate with the 580, for example, telling the flash how to react for the proximity to the focused subject, and balance that for which lens you are using (newer Canon lenses only).

The 20D also uses a flash pre-strobe, to assist in low light level focusing. The switch "hands-off" the duty of this feature to the newer Canon flash units.