A smelly pop-up flash

SubtleDiva · September 9, 2008

Hi, I'm new - name is Subtle Diva and I have a question/concern.

I've had my DSLR for a couple of years now and within the past two months or so I noticed an odd smell coming from my pop-up flash right after the flash goes off. I can describe the smell as almost a mechanical burn, almost like the type of smell that comes with brand new appliances after they've been plugged in and used for the first time...sorry if my example doesn't clear it up, the smell is just so odd. Also, if it turns out to be a horrible problem then will it be expensive to fix?

Thanks for taking the time to address my question. Oh, and thanks for having this site, it's pretty great!

ziggy53 · September 10, 2008

SubtleDiva, welcome to the Digital Grin.

I moved this to the Camera forum because this is definitely a camera related issue.

If you use the on-camera flash for a series of shots then the smell may be relatively normal but indicates an over-usage of the flash. If the smell occurs after a single flash then it is probably not normal and a repair may become obvious after time. (The flash will fail.)

I do recommend an external flash in most cases over the on-board flash partly because external flashes do tend to be more robust, especially during a series of uses.

If the on-board flash should fail you may still be able to use the camera with an external flash instead, but I recommend purchase of the external flash now to conserve whatever life is left in the on-board flash and avoid repairs.

SubtleDiva · September 10, 2008

Thanks Ziggy53 for the warm welcome and excellent advice. I do notice the smell after a few consecutive shots so I'll try what you suggested. I have an Olympus Evolt, do you have any recommendations for flash mounts or could you link a good resource for me?

P.S. Thanks also for moving me to the right area, I was confused where to ask this...

ziggy53 · September 10, 2008

SubtleDiva wrote:

... I have an Olympus Evolt, do you have any recommendations for flash mounts or could you link a good resource for me? ...

The Olympus FL-50R is the primary recommendation, especially if you have an Olympus camera that can make use of the wireless capability of the unit. While you wouldn't necessarily use the wireless capability all of the time, it is a very nice capability for those times when you need it.

Then there are the Olympus FL-36R and Olympus FL-36 flashes. Again, the "R" suffix implies wireless capability. The FL-36 might be all you currently need and would certainly be an improvement over the on-board flash.

Any of these flashes and a couple of homemade modifiers could lift your flash photography to a new level.

ivar · September 10, 2008

Could the smell come from heated/burnt dust?

swintonphoto · September 10, 2008

ziggy53 wrote:

The Olympus FL-50R is the primary recommendation, especially if you have an Olympus camera that can make use of the wireless capability of the unit. While you wouldn't necessarily use the wireless capability all of the time, it is a very nice capability for those times when you need it.

Then there are the Olympus FL-36R and Olympus FL-36 flashes. Again, the "R" suffix implies wireless capability. The FL-36 might be all you currently need and would certainly be an improvement over the on-board flash.

Any of these flashes and a couple of homemade modifiers could lift your flash photography to a new level.

I agree with Ziggy. The FL-36 & FL50 flashes are great. If you have one of the newer model EVOLT cameras you can use the R versions. I have the FL-36 and am very pleased with its size, recharge rate, and power.

A smelly pop-up flash

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