If you have not used the camera for some time or are planning to take shots you will not want to lose (overseas vacation, etc.), have the camera checked by your Canon dealer beforehand, or check for yourself that the camera components are working properly.

LCD Displays

By their nature, LCD displays react more slowly at low temperatures, and may appear dark at high temperatures. The display will return to normal at room temperature.

Batteries

Before installing the batteries, wipe the battery contacts to remove any fingerprints and smudges. This is to prevent faulty connections and corrosion. Never disassemble or recharge the batteries. Also, never store a battery in high-temperature places or short circuit the battery contacts or toss a battery into a fire. Although the batteries work well even at low temperatures, battery performance may decline slightly at freezing temperatures. In such a case, keep spare batteries warm in a pocket, etc., and use and warm the batteries alternately.
How Low Battery Levels Affect Camera Operation
On the LCD panel, if the <> icon blinks or it is not displayed, a proper exposure can still be obtained as long as the shutter releases. However, when the battery level is low, film advance and auto rewind might stop midway or not work at all and <> icon may blink on the LCD panel. After the batteries are replaced with new ones, film advance will be possible and film rewind can resume by pressing the <> button.

Lens Electrical Contacts

After detaching the lens from the camera, put on the lens caps or put down the lens with the rear end up to avoid scratching the lens surface and electrical contacts.

Contacts

Nomenclature
Reference page numbers are indicated by (p.).
Built-in flash / AF-assist beam (p.43/19) Mode Dial (p.10) <l> Main Dial Shutter button (p.14) *Remote control sensor / Self-timer/ *Remote control lamp (p.24/23/24) Red-eye reduction lamp (p.22) Hot shoe Flash-sync contact <M> Flash button (p.43) <> Film plane mark Strap mount (p.7)
Grip / Battery compartment (p.11)
Lens release button (p.13) Focus mode switch (p.13) Zooming ring Focusing ring (p.30)

Body cap (p.13)

* DATE Model only **With an EX-series Speedlite.
Viewfinder eyepiece Eyecup (p.24) Film check window Back cover release lever (p.15)
<> Aperture value setting / Exposure compensation / *SET button (p.36/38/26) <j> AE lock (p.40) / **FE lock button <3> AF point selection button (p.28) Back cover

LCD panel (p.8)

<\> Function button (p.22, 25, 26, 39, 41, 42) Guide hole

Tripod socket <> Midroll rewind button (p.16)
Battery compartment cover (p.11) Battery compartment cover release lever (p.11) <^> Film advance mode / Self-timer/*Remote control button (p.31/23/24)

Attaching the Strap

Pass the end of the strap through the cameras strap mount from the bottom. Then pass it through the straps buckle as shown in the illustration. Pull the strap to make sure it does not slip out of the buckle. The eyepiece cover is also attached to the strap. (p.24) 4 Eyepiece cover

LCD Panel

Shutter speed ISO film speed Date **FE lock DATE Model <?> Manual focus Aperture value Red-eye reduction setting AEB amount Date
<;> Date AF point mark Film advance mode <J> Single frame <H> Continuous shooting <> Self-timer/ Remote control Battery level mark <D> ISO film speed <F> Red-eye reduction <<> Multiple exposures <L> AEB <>> Function pointer Frame counter Multiple-exposure setting Self-timer operation Remote control operation Exposure level indicator Exposure compensation amount AEB level Red-eye reduction lamp-on indicator Film transport indicator
<=> Film mark Non-DATE Model
**With an EX-series Speedlite. The actual display will show only the applicable items.

Viewfinder Information

AF points (7) Focusing screen
<j> AE lock / **FE lock AEB in progress <M> Flash-ready **Improper FE lock warning <|> **High-speed sync (FP flash) Shutter speed **FE lock
<n> Focus confirmation light Exposure level indicator Exposure compensation amount AEB level Red-eye reduction lamp-on indicator AF point mark Aperture value

Mode Dial

The dial is divided into two zones.

Full Auto

Im a g e Zon

B a sic Zone

1 Basic Zone
Fully automatic mode where the camera takes care of everything. Y : Full Auto (p.18) Basically, all you do is point and shoot. Image Zone (p.20) Fully automatic modes for a particular subject. U : Portrait I : Landscape O : Close-up P : Sports A : Night Portrait S : Flash off

2 Creative Zone

Semi-automatic and manual modes enable you to take control of the camera to obtain the desired result. T : Program AE (p.32) R : Shutter-priority AE (p.34) E : Aperture-priority AE (p.35) W : Manual exposure (p.36) Q : Automatic Depth-offield AE (p.37)

3 : : OFF

1 Before You Start

Installing the Batteries

Batteries are not included in camera body only (not kit) sold in North America. Obtain batteries separately.
The camera uses two CR2 lithium batteries. 2
1 Open the battery compartment cover.
Slide the release lever in the
direction shown by the arrow in the diagram, and open the cover. 1
2 Install the batteries. contacts (+ Make sure the battery
and ) are properly oriented as shown. Do not mix old and new batteries.
3 Close the battery compartment cover.
page 26. (DATE Model only)
Press the cover until it snaps shut. The date and time must be set. See
For places where CR2 batteries may not be easily available, take spare batteries with you. Also carry spare batteries for extended shooting sessions.
Checking the Battery Level
Check the battery level after replacing the batteries and before using the camera.
Turn the Mode Dial to a shooting mode.
LCD panel will display one of the following battery level mark: : Battery level OK.
The camera will then turn on and the
: The battery level is low. Keep spare batteries handy. : The batteries will soon be completely exhausted. : Replace the batteries.

Battery Life

(With 24-ex. rolls)
Temperature 0% Flash Use 50% Flash Use 100% Flash Use At 20C 67 rolls 30 rolls 22 rolls At 10C 44 rolls 20 rolls 15 rolls The battery life shown above is based on Canons testing conditions with new batteries.
If nothing is displayed on the LCD panel, the batteries may have been installed incorrectly. Take out the batteries and install correctly. If you often press the shutter button halfway for a prolonged period or just autofocus without taking a picture, the battery life will be affected. When not using the camera, set the Mode Dial to <:>.
Mounting and Detaching a Lens

Mounting a Lens

1 Remove the caps. cap and the Remove the rear lens

camera body cap.

the lens. 2 Mount the red dots on the lens and Align

Red dots

camera and turn the lens as shown by the arrow until it snaps in place.
lens, set 3 On the to <AF>. the focus mode switch

S Flash off

You can disable the flash when you do not want it to fire.
The built-in flash or any external Speedlite will not fire.
In the <A> mode, use a tripod to prevent camera shake.
FUsing Red-eye Reduction (with the built-in flash)
When flash is used in a low-light environment, the subjects eyes may come out red in the photograph. To reduce this Red eye the red-eye reduction lamp shines a light into the subjects eyes before the flash is fired. Red-eye reduction works in all shooting modes except <I> <P> <S>.
arrow to the 1 Move the <>>the LCD panel. <F> icon on
Look at the LCD panel and press
the <\> button to move the arrow. ()
Turn the <l> dial 2 on the LCD panel. to set
Press the shutter button halfway to return to normal camera operation. To cancel red-eye reduction, set

on the LCD panel.

When you press the shutter button halfway, the red-eye reduction lamp-on indicator will appear in viewfinder and on the LCD panel. Red-eye reduction will not work unless Red-eye reduction the subject looks at the red-eye reduction lamp-on indicator lamp. Tell the subject to look at the lamp. For maximum effectiveness, press the shutter button fully after the red-eye reduction lamp turns off (after 1.5 sec.). You can take a picture even while the red-eye reduction lamp is lit. The effectiveness of red-eye reduction varies depending on the subject. To further increase the effectiveness of red-eye reduction, go to a brighter environment or move closer to the subject.

qSelf-timer Operation

You can use self-timer in any Basic mode or Creative mode. We recommend using a tripod when you use the self-timer.
button. 1 Press the <^> LCD panel, While looking at the
press the <^> button to select <>.
2 Take the picture. procedure is the The picture-taking
same as with the <Y> Full Auto mode on page 18. Look through the viewfinder and press the shutter button fully to start the self-timer. s The picture will be taken about 10 sec. later. First 8 sec.: Self-timer lamp blinks slowly. Final 2 sec.: Self-timer lamp blinks quickly. s During the self-timer operation, the LCD panel counts down the seconds until the picture is taken.
Do not stand in front of the camera when you press the shutter button to start the self-timer. Doing so prevents the camera from focusing on the subject. To cancel the self-timer after it starts, press the <^> button. When using the self-timer to take a picture of only yourself, first lock the focus (p.29) on an object at the same distance where you will be in the picture.
KWireless Remote Control (DATE Model only)
With Remote Controller RC-5 (optional), wireless operation is possible up to 5 m/16.4 ft away from the front of the camera.
2 Take the picture. toward the Point the controller

Remote control sensor

cameras remote control sensor and press the transmit button. s Taken about 2 sec. later. The indicator will be the same as during the last 2 sec. of the self-timer.
Certain types of fluorescent lights might cause the remote control operation to work improperly. Place the camera away from any fluorescent lights as far as possible. If you set <> and do nothing for four minutes, the remote control mode will be canceled automatically to save battery power.

Using the Eyepiece Cover

During self-timer or remote control operation when your eye does not cover the viewfinder eyepiece, stray light may enter the eyepiece and affect the exposure when the picture is taken. To prevent this, use the eyepiece cover to cover the eyepiece. (p.7)
1 Remove the eyecup from the eyepiece. the eyepiece cover. 2 Attachthe eyepiece cover down into Slide
the eyepiece groove to attach it.
When you reattach the eyecup, press it with your fingers so that it is attached tightly to the camera.
;Imprinting the Date or Time (DATE Model only)
The camera has a date feature with an automatic calendar to 2099. It can imprint the date or time on the photograph as shown in the left photo. The date or time can be imprinted in any shooting mode. Date position
<>> 1 Move thethe LCDarrow to <;>. panel and press Look at

the <\> button. ()

If the date and time has not been
the date 2 Selectthe <l> format. dial. Turn
set, will blink on the LCD panel. See page 26 to set the date and time.
date format will change in the following loop:

Year, month, day

Month, day, year

Day, month, year

Day, hour, minute
;Imprinting the Date or Time
Setting the Date and Time

(DATE Model only)

1 Move the <>> arrow to <;>. digit 2 Select the <[>to be set. button. Press the
The digit selection will change in

Press the <^> button.

the <^> button.

: Single frame : Continuous shooting : Self-timer/ Remote control

Metering Modes

The camera has three metering modes: Evaluative, partial, and center-weighted average metering.

Evaluative metering

This is the cameras standard metering mode suited for most shooting including backlit conditions. Based on the subjects position in the viewfinder, brightness, background, front or back lighting conditions, etc., the camera always calculates the proper exposure for the subject.

Partial metering

This mode is set automatically when AE lock is used in a Creative Zone mode. It is effective for backlit subjects when there is a strong light behind the subject. The viewfinder center covering about 9.5% of the viewfinder area is used for metering. The partial metering area is shown on the left.
Center-weighted average metering
This is set automatically in the <W> mode. The metering is weighted at the center and then averaged for the entire scene.

T Program AE

Like the <Y> (Full Auto) mode, this is a general-purpose mode to make picture-taking easy. It sets the shutter speed and aperture value automatically to suit the subjects brightness.
<T> stands for Program. AE stands for auto exposure.
1 Turn the Mode Dial to <T>.
AF point subject. 2 Focus the AF point over the subject Move the
and press the shutter button halfway.
the 3 Checkshutterdisplay.and aperture The speed
value are set automatically and displayed in the viewfinder and on the LCD panel. If the shutter speed and aperture value do not blink, a correct exposure will be obtained.
4 Take the picture. and press the Compose the shot
If and the maximum aperture value blink, it indicates underexposure. Use flash. If and the minimum aperture value blink, it indicates overexposure. Use an ND filter to reduce the light entering the lens.
The Difference Between <T> and <Y>
The shutter speed and aperture value are set in the same way in both modes. The following features can be used in the <T> mode, but not in the <Y> mode. Manual AF point selection Film advance mode selection Program shift Exposure compensation AEB AE lock with the <j> button Multiple exposures Built-in flash manual firing and flash OFF FE lock, high-speed sync (with EX-series Speedlites)

About Program Shift

In the Program AE mode, you can freely change the shutter speed and aperture value combination (program) set by the camera while retaining the same exposure. This is called program shift. To shift the program, press the shutter button halfway and turn the <l> dial until the desired shutter speed or aperture value is displayed. Program shift is canceled automatically after the picture is taken. Program shift cannot be set when the built-in flash is used.

R Shutter-Priority AE

In this mode, you set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture value automatically to suit the subject brightness. A fast shutter speed can freeze the motion of a fast-moving subject and a slow shutter speed can blur the subject to give the impression of motion.
<R> stands for Time value which is the shutter speed.
1 Turn the Mode Dial to <R>. 2 Select the desired shutter speed.

half-stop increments.

Turn the <l> dial. The shutter speed can be set in

Focus the subject.

aperture value is set automatically.
viewfinder 4 Check thethe picture. display and take
If the aperture value display is not
blinking, a correct exposure will be obtained.
If the maximum aperture value blinks, it indicates underexposure. Turn the <l> dial to set a slower shutter speed until the blinking stops. If the minimum aperture value blinks, it indicates overexposure. Turn the <l> dial to set a faster shutter speed until the blinking stops. Shutter Speed Display The shutter speeds from to indicate the denominator of the fractional shutter speed. For example, indicates 1/125 sec. Also, indicates 0.7 sec, and indicates 15 sec.

E Aperture-Priority AE

In this mode, you set the desired aperture value and the camera sets the shutter speed automatically to suit the subject brightness. The larger or brighter the aperture value (lower f/number) the more blurred the background will become. This effect is ideal for portraits. The smaller or darker the aperture value (higher f/number), the clearer the focus will be for both near and far objects (wider depth of field).
<E> stands for aperture value.
1 Turn the Mode Dial to <E>. 2 Select the desired aperture value.
Turn the <l> dial. The aperture value can be set in

shutter speed is set automatically.
If the shutter speed display does
not blink, a correct exposure will be obtained.
If the slowest shutter speed blinks, it indicates underexposure. In such a case, turn the <l> dial to set a larger aperture value (smaller f/number) until the shutter speed display stops blinking. If the fastest shutter speed blinks, it indicates overexposure. In such a case, turn the <l> dial to set a smaller aperture value (larger f/number) until the shutter speed display stops blinking. Aperture Value Display The larger the f/number, the smaller the diaphragm will be. The aperture value display will differ depending on the lens. When no lens is attached to the camera, will be display for the aperture value.

W Manual Exposure

In this mode, you set both the shutter speed and aperture value as desired. To determine the exposure, refer to the exposure level indicator in the viewfinder or use a handheld exposure meter. This method is called manual exposure. In the <W> mode, the center-weighted average metering will be set automatically.
<W> stands for Manual.
1 Turn the Mode Dial to <W>. 2 Set the shutter speed and aperture value.
To set the shutter speed, turn the <l> dial. To set the aperture value, hold
down the <> button and turn the <l> dial.
the subject. 3 Focusexposure setting will be The

displayed.

The exposure level mark <v>
indicates how close the exposure level is to the correct exposure.
4 Determine the exposure. indicator Look at the exposure level Exposure level mark
and set the shutter speed and aperture value as desired.
If the exposure level mark <v> blinks at the <o> or <t> level, it indicates that the difference between the standard exposure exceeds +/2 stops.
Q Automatic Depth-of-Field AE
This mode is for obtaining a wide depth of field automatically between a near subject and far subject. It is effective for group photos and landscapes. The camera uses the 7 AF points to detect the nearest and farthest subjects to be in focus.
<Q> stands for Auto-depth of field.
1 Turn the Mode Dial to <Q>.
subject. 2 Focus the AF point over the subject Move the
and press the shutter button halfway. Focus is achieved at all the AF point marks that light.

3 Take the picture.

The <Q> mode cannot be used if the lens focus mode switch is set to <MF>. If the aperture value blinks, it indicates that the exposure level is correct but the desired depth of field cannot be achieved. Either use a wide-angle lens or move further away from the subjects. In this shooting mode, you cannot freely change the shutter speed and aperture value. If the camera sets a slow shutter speed, hold the camera steady or use a tripod. If flash is used, the result will be the same as using flash in the <T> mode.

Exposure Compensation

Exposure compensation is used to alter the cameras standard exposure setting. You can make the picture look lighter (increased exposure) or darker (decreased exposure). The exposure compensation amount can be set up to +/2 stops in half-stop increments.
to a Creative 1 Turn the Mode Dial <W>. Zone mode except exposure setting. 2 Check the shutter button halfway Press the

and check the display.

Standard exposure index
Set the exposure compensation amount.
Hold down the <> button and turn the <l> dial. To cancel the exposure
compensation, set the exposure compensation amount to <~>.

4 Take the picture.

Decreased exposure

Increased exposure

Exposure level mark
The exposure compensation amount set is retained even after the Mode Dial is set to <:>. The exposure compensation amount is canceled automatically when you turn the Mode Dial to a Basic Zone mode. Assuming that a shutter speed of 1/125 sec. and an aperture value of f/5.6 will give a correct exposure, setting the exposure compensation amount to plus or minus 1 stop will change the shutter speed or aperture value as follows: 1 stop 0 +1 stop Shutter speed 60 Aperture value 8.0 5.6 4.0
LAuto Exposure Bracketing (AEB)
With AEB, the camera automatically changes the exposure within the set range (up to +/2 stops in 1/2-stop increments) for three successive frames. AEB amount
1 Move the <>> arrow to the <L> icon.
Set the desired AEB amount.
2 Turn the <l> dial.
AEB range standard exposure decreased exposure
Press the shutter button halfway to

Take the picture.

<Multiple Exposures

Since the film is not advanced after each shot, you can expose multiple shots on the same frame. You can expose up to nine shots on a single frame.
<>> 1 Move thethe LCDarrow to the <<> icon. button. () panel and press the <\> Look at

will be displayed.

operation.
Set the desired number of multiple exposures.
Press the shutter button halfway to return to normal camera
3 Take the picture.the multiple exposures, the film advances to After you take all
the next frame automatically and the multiple-exposure setting is canceled.
If you shoot multiple exposures on the first few or last few frames of a roll, the multiple exposures might not be precisely aligned due to the film curling. During multiple-exposure shooting, the <>> arrow next to the <<> icon on the LCD panel will blink. To cancel multiple exposures before shooting, set the number of multiple exposures to . To cancel multiple exposures after shooting, follow steps 1 and 2 to set the number of multiple exposures to blank.
D Setting the ISO Film Speed
If the film is not DX-coded or if you want to set a different film speed, load the film in the camera and set the film speed manually as follows. The settable film speed range is ISO 6 to 6400.
1 Move the <>> arrow to the <D> icon.
the <\> button to move the arrow. () s The current film speed is displayed.
film 2 Set the desired dial tospeed. film set the Turn the <l>

speed.

The manually-set film speed will be canceled if the film is taken out and DX-coded film is loaded.

Using the Built-in Flash

In a Basic Zone Mode
In low-light or backlit conditions, the built-in flash will pop up and fire automatically (except in <I> <P> <S> modes).

In a Creative Zone Mode

Press the <M> button to pop up the built-in flash. T : Use this mode for automatic flash photography. The flash sync speed (1/90 sec.) and aperture value will be set automatically as with the <Y> (Full Auto) mode. R : Use this mode if you want to set the flash sync speed manually (within 30 sec. - 1/90 sec.). The camera will set the flash aperture value automatically to obtain a correct flash exposure. E : Use this mode if you want to set the flash aperture value. The camera will set the flash sync speed (within 30 sec. 1/90 sec.) automatically to obtain the best exposure for the aperture you set. For portraits with a night scene or dark background, a slow sync speed will be set to obtain a proper exposure for both the subject and background. The flash illuminates the subject, while the background is properly exposed with a slow shutter speed. Because automatic slow-sync shooting uses a slow shutter speed, always use a tripod. W : You can manually set both the flash sync speed (within Bulb - 1/90 sec.) and aperture value. The subject is properly exposed with the flash and the background is exposed with the flash sync speed and aperture value you have set. Q : The result will be the same as using the <T> mode. Flash Distance Range (With EF28-90mm f/4-5.6) [m/ft] 28mm 90mm ISO Negative Film Slide Film Negative Film Slide Film - 4.2 / 3.3 - 13.- 3.0 / 3.3 - 9.- 3.0 / 3.3 - 9.- 2.1 / 3.3 - 7.1 - 8.5 / 3.3 - 27.8 1.2 - 6.0 / 3.9 - 19.- 6.0 / 3.3 - 19.- 4.2 / 3.3 - 13.9

Shutter

Type..Electronically controlled focal-plane shutter Shutter speeds..1/2000 - 30 sec. in 1/2-stop increments, bulb, X sync at 1/90 sec. Shutter release.Soft touch electromagnetic release Self-timer..Shoot after 10 sec. delay Remote control.Remote Controller RC-1/RC-5 (DATE Model only)

Flash

Built-in flash.AF point-linked, 3-zone autoflash Guide No. 12 (ISO 100, in meters), 39 (ISO 100, in feet) Recycling time: Approx. 2 sec. Flash coverage: 28 mm lens angle covered Red-eye reduction: Lamp External EOS-dedicated flash.E-TTL / A-TTL / TTL autoflash

Film transport

Film loading.Automatic prewind Film advance modes.Single-frame/continuous shooting Continuous shooting speeds.One Shot AF: Max. 1.5 fps AI Servo AF: Max. 1.3 fps Film rewind..Automatic. Mid-roll rewind
Date imprinting (DATE Model only)
Automatic dating.Automatic calendar to 2099 Power source.Two CR2 lithium batteries Dimensions (W x H x D).130 x 88 x 64 mm/5.1 x 3.5 x 2.5 in Weight.340 g/12.0 oz (body only) All the specifications above are based on Canons testing and measuring standards. Specifications and physical appearance are subject to change without notice.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Do not make any changes or modifications to the equipment unless otherwise specified in the instructions. If such changes or modifications should be made, you could be required to stop operation of the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the interference-causing equipment standard entitled Digital Apparatus, ICES-003 of the Industry Canada. The CE Mark is a Directive conformity mark of the European Community (EC)

CT1-1248-000

CANON INC. 2003

PRINTED IN TAIWAN

when you press the shutter release button down halfway. But the subjectilluminating flash pulse, however, occurs after you press the shutter release all the way. That means that the flash pulse appears after the mirror has flipped up (blocking the ambient light meter) and the shutter has opened. There are thus two basic ways you can meter for flash automatically. First, you can measure the flash pulse as it is being emitted or second, you can send out a lowpower test pulse (preflash) of known brightness first and base your light calculations on that data before the shutter opens. These two flash metering methods are used by Canons automated flash metering systems. TTL and A-TTL flash use the former and E-TTL the latter. Flash units capable of E-TTL also support FP mode flash. Heres an explanation of these technologies. TTL (through the lens) flash metering. As noted above, the earliest electronic flashes required the photographer to perform distance calculations by hand. Later, the first generation of automatic electronic flash units relied upon external sensors to determine the flash exposure setting. These sensors, mounted on the front of the flash unit, simply recorded the flash bulbs light, reflected back from subject, and cut off the power when enough light for a satisfactory exposure was determined. The venerable Vivitar 283 still sold today works this way, in fact. Of course, such external sensors were easily fooled. The sensor might, for example, cover more or less area than the lens currently in use. So Olympus pioneered through-the-lens flash metering in the mid 1970s with the OM2. Canon later included TTL flash metering in their T90 camera a decade later, and added the feature as standard with the EOS line of film cameras. Its for this reason that the Canon T90 is the only non-EOS camera capable of using Canons TTL system. TTL flash metering works by measuring the pulse of flash-generated light bouncing back off the subject and entering the lens. It actually measures this light reflecting off the surface of the film itself, in realtime, by using an off the film (OTF) sensor. The light from the flash bulb is quenched when the sensor determines enough light has been produced to achieve a satisfactory flash exposure to get a mid-toned subject. For those interested, the OTF sensor is buried deep in the camera body, and is visible if you put the camera in bulb mode (ie: flip up the mirror and open the shutter) and open the camera back. Its a small lens pointing back at a 45 angle towards where the film surface would be, and is located at the bottom of the camera in the ridged black area right in front of the shutter curtain. The rectangular or crossshaped hole or holes immediately in front of it are the autofocus sensors. The TTL sequence of operation is as follows: When the shutter release is depressed halfway the current ambient light levels are metered by the camera as usual. Shutter speed and aperture are set by the camera or user depending on the current mode - P, Av, Tv or M. In

currently selected focus point, thereby increasing the chances of getting accurate flash exposure for off-centre subjects. The AIM system means that its best to rely on selecting off-centre focus points for flash photography rather than using the centre point and then recomposing the image. (unless you use flash exposure lock, explained below) For more information on AIM consult the flash metering patterns section. Note that older EOS cameras with multiple-segment flash metering didnt use the term AIM in their documentation - Canon came up with the marketing term sometime in the mid 90s so the fact your multiple focus point camera doesnt mention AIM doesnt mean it hasnt got it. Nikon improved their TTL flash metering system by incorporating subject distance into flash calculations - their 3D system. This system determines distance information by reading the current focussing distance from the lens. Canon did not incorporate a similar distance-data system in their flash technology until 2004, with the introduction of E-TTL II. However, while distance data is valuable, its important to keep in mind that distance data isnt very useful when using a flash in bounce mode or when using any diffusion system in which the light from the flash unit does not travel directly to the subject, since both cases increase the flash to subject distance over the lens to subject distance. A-TTL (advanced TTL). Canons first step in altering flash exposure design was the creation of A-TTL, or advanced through the lens flash metering, which was introduced with the T90 camera and continued on to the EOS series of film cameras. A-TTL flash units (300TL and EZ series Speedlites only) send out a brief burst of light during the metering phase. (ie: when the shutter release button is pressed halfway) This preflash is recorded by an external sensor on the front of the flash and used to determine a reasonable aperture to ensure adequate depth of field, particularly at short distances. The flash unit then sends out the actual scene-illuminating flash once the shutter has opened. The A-TTL sequence of operation is as follows: When the shutter release is depressed halfway the current light levels are metered by the camera. In P and Tv modes the ambient aperture value is determined and stored, but not set. In Av and M modes the ambient aperture value is user-set. The flash unit fires a preflash (either near-infrared light from a front-mounted secondary flash bulb or white light from the main flash bulb, depending on the flash unit and operating mode) in conjunction with the ambient light metering, in order to determine the approximate distance from the flash to the main subject. In P mode only, the correct aperture value to expose the main subject is then calculated. In P mode only, the two aperture values (ambient and flash) are compared when the shutter release is fully depressed. The camera typically sets the smaller of the two apertures, particularly if the distance to the subject is determined to be fairly close. In Av and M modes the aperture is determined

along with the EOS 10/10S - the 35-135mm 4-5.6 USM, 70-210mm 3.5-4.5 USM, and 100-300mm 4.5-5.6 USM. Its also not clear what the resolution is of a typical lens distance decoder. Photos Ive seen of the decoder rings (not quite like childrens toys in a cereal packet) in one lens suggest that the distance data is fairly approximate, with each combination of distance contacts returning a certain distance range. I have no information as to whether any third-party lenses compatible with the EF lens mount are capable of returning distance data. EF 14mm 2.8L USM EF 20mm 2.8 USM EF 24mm 1.4L USM EF 28mm 1.8 USM EF 35mm 1.4L USM MP-E 65mm 2.8 1-5x Macro EF 85mm 1.8 USM EF 100mm 2 USM EF 100mm 2.8 Macro USM EF 100mm 2.8 Macro (discontinued) EF 135mm 2L USM EF 180mm 3.5L Macro USM EF 200mm 2.8L II USM EF 200mm 2.8L USM (discontinued) EF 300mm 2.8L IS USM EF 300mm 4L IS USM EF 300mm 4L USM (discontinued) EF 400mm 2.8L IS USM EF 400mm 4 DO IS USM EF 400mm 5.6L USM EF 500mm 4L IS USM EF 600mm 4L IS USM EF 1200mm 5.6L USM EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF 16-35mm 2.8L USM 17-35mm 2.8L USM (discontinued) 17-40mm 4L USM 20-35mm 3.5-4.5 USM 24-70mm 2.8L USM 24-85mm 3.5-4.5 USM 28-70mm 2.8L USM (discontinued) 28-80mm 3.5-5.6 USM (discontinued) 28-105mm 3.5-4.5 USM (discontinued) 28-105mm 3.5-4.5 II USM 28-105mm 4-5.6 USM 28-105mm 4-5.6 28-200mm 3.5-5.6 USM 28-200mm 3.5-5.6 (discontinued) 28-300mm 3.5-5.6L IS USM 35-135mm 4-5.6 USM (discontinued) 70-200mm 2.8L IS USM 70-200mm 2.8L USM

EF EF EF EF EF EF EF

70-200mm 4L USM 70-210mm 3.5-4.5 USM (discontinued) 70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS USM 90-300mm 4.5-5.6 USM 90-300mm 4.5-5.6 100-300mm 4.5-5.6 USM 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM
EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 USM (Japan only) EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 If your lens doesnt appear on the list above then it may not have distance data capabilities. Here are a few current lenses in the EF lineup which dont have distance data. Note the 50mm 1.4 USM and the 85mm 1.2L USM are in this list. EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF EF 15mm 2.8 fisheye 24mm 2.8 28mm 2.8 35mm 2.0 50mm 1.4 USM 50mm 1.8 II 85mm 1.2L USM 135mm 2.8 SF 28-80mm 3.5-5.6 II 28-90mm 4-5.6 II USM 28-90mm 4-5.6 II 35-80mm 4-5.6 III 55-200mm 4.5-5.6 II USM 75-300mm 4-5.6 IS USM 75-300mm 4-5.6 III USM 75-300mm 4-5.6 II 80-200mm 4.5-5.6 II
FP (focal plane or high speed sync) flash mode. Synchronizing flash exposure with both curtains of focal plane shutters was as much of a problem in the days of single-use flash bulbs as it is today with electronic flash units. For that reason flash bulbs designed to work with focal plane shutters were developed. Such bulbs produced light quite rapidly and sustained their light output for the full duration of the shutter opening. They were called FP bulbs. With E-TTL Canon introduced an implementation of an electronic FP flash mode, which is a way of circumventing the X-sync limitation in certain cases, and another flash technology pioneered by Olympus. FP flash lets you take flash photos at any shutter speed you like, and works by pulsing the flash bulb at an extremely high rate - 50 KHz - simulating constant light at the cost of total light output. FP stands for focal plane, by analogy to the old FP flash bulbs, though Mark Overton memorably refers to it as fast pulse mode in his FAQ, since thats exactly how it works today. This mode is useful for shooting with fill flash outdoors with wide apertures. Normally you cant shoot outdoors and use fill flash unless you stop down the lens or use very

slow film. However, changing film is a nuisance and stopping down the lens increases the depth of field. If youre shooting a portrait, say, you probably want to blur the background and the only way to do this is to shoot with a wider aperture. But the wider aperture lets in more light, and you cant compensate by increasing the shutter speed if you then bump up against the cameras X-sync limit. FP mode flash solves this problem by letting the shutter speed exceed the X-sync limit and reach the cameras maximum shutter speed (usually 1/2000 or 1/4000 sec) instead. The primary drawback is that pulsing the light causes a reduction in overall light output and thus range. When you have FP mode engaged you typically get about a third less range than you would if you were shooting with normal flash. With a powerful flash unit like the 550EX this may not be a big problem, particularly if your flash subject is fairly close to you. But this loss of range could be a serious impediment if youre using a smaller flash unit (eg: the tiny 220EX), if the subject is far away, or if youre using slow film. Of course, if youre using FP mode simply for a little fill flash (rather than relying on it to illuminate your subject) then this loss of range shouldnt be a huge problem. Note an important point - FP mode does not help you freeze motion; the name high-speed sync is a bit misleading in this regard. Normal flash photography is very good at freezing motion on film, since the flash burst is so incredibly brief. However when you use FP mode flash, the flash unit pulses the light output to simulate a longer-duration burst of light. Since the flash burst is no longer particularly brief you cant freeze motion as easily, even with high shutter speeds. The mode is called high-speed sync since it lets you synchronize flash exposure with high shutter speeds, not that it lets you take high-speed photographs. Since Canons FP mode is tied in with E-TTL technology its only available when using EX-series flashes attached to A-type bodies. There are two exceptions to the type A gives you FP flash rule. First, the type B EOS 1N body can be reprogrammed by Canon at great expense to support FP mode but cannot support any other feature associated with E-TTL even when so reprogrammed. And second, the digital SLRs with built-in flash (10D, 300D, etc) support FP mode on external flash units but have E-TTL compatible internal flashes which cannot support FP mode. FP mode is indicated on type A cameras and flash units by a small lightning bolt symbol and the letter H, for high speed sync. Camera units which support FP mode flash: All type A EOS cameras plus the EOS 1N if reprogrammed as above. Flash units which support FP mode flash: All EX series Speedlites: 220EX, 380EX, 420EX, 550EX, MR-14EX, MT-24EX. TTL and E-TTL and EOS film cameras. All film-based Canon EOS cameras at the time of writing support TTL flash metering the one exception being the oddball Canon EF-M, which was a manual-focus camera that could accept EF-mount lenses but which lacked both autofocus and TTL flash circuitry as a cost-saving measure. (you had to buy an optional flash unit with an

systems are commonly used with portable electronic flash units, so Im not going to cover them here. They also measure different things and are, therefore, not convertible or interchangeable units. Finally, a fair bit of subjectivity goes into determining the guide number, which is presumably why its called a guide. After all, how is an adequately exposed subject determined? Guide values are, therefore, not a very reliable way to compare flash units built by different manufacturers. Particularly since manufacturers tend to be wildly and cheerfully optimistic when it comes to assigning guide numbers to their products. Exposure value (EV). The sensitivity of camera gear at autofocussing or determining correct exposure metering is rated in terms of EV - exposure value - for a given lens type and film speed. Since the amount of light hitting the surface of film is determined by exposure time (shutter speed) and lens aperture, exposure values are simply combinations of shutter speeds and apertures. For example, f4 at 1/30 sec has an EV of 9, which is the same EV as f2 at 1/125. Toomas Tamm has a complete EV table on his Web site. Both speed/aperture combinations let the same amount of light hit the film - the only differences between the two are depth of field and type of motion recorded. Depth of field decreases as the aperture increases and subject motion blur increases as shutter speed decreases. However, its only meaningful to compare exposure values when theyre rated for the same film speed. Canon rate EV values in their documentation for a standard 50mm f1.4 lens using ISO 100 film. Dedicated or non-dedicated flash units. In the olden days of electronic flash, when the flash sensor was self-contained in the flash unit itself, the flash trigger controlled by the camera was the only control the camera had over the flash. The output level and shutoff time were both determined by the flash unit itself since two-way communications between camera and flash unit were not possible. For this reason a lot of generic flashes were sold and basically worked the same way on every manufacturers camera. However, by the 1980s camera makers started designing dedicated flash systems which would only work with their own cameras, in order to achieve more precise control over the final results. (and also probably to sell more of their product by discouraging third-party sales) Canons Speedlite flash units are, therefore, dedicated flash units since they can communicate digitally with EOS cameras. They can work on other cameras in the most basic of ways, but advanced through the lens metering and other features reliant on two-way communication will not work on cameras built by another manufacturer. Some makers of third party flash units, such as Metz and Sigma, get around the dedicated interface problem by figuring out the camera system-specific protocols and
either building generic units with custom flash adapters designed to work with specific camera makes or else building different flash models for each camera make. Shoe mount. Most SLRs today have a squarish slide-in socket on the top of the prism or mirror housing which accommodates external flash units. These are called hotshoe mounts hot because they contain a flash-triggering electrical contact. (though it should be noted that no modern camera lacks this contact, so this term exists now for historical reasons) Despite the dramatic name the contacts do not carry any significant electrical current when a flash unit is not installed, so theres no risk of electrocution from a hotshoe. EOS cameras have shoe mounts containing 4 additional small contacts in addition to the large central flash-triggering contact. These small contacts carry digital signal data, proprietary to the Canon EOS system, to the flash. They arent compatible with flashes made by Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, etc. Another Canon feature is the presence of a small hotshoe locking pin on most EOS flashes. This pin extends out when the tightening wheel is rotated, fitting into a small hole on most EOS bodies and preventing the flash from sliding accidentally out from the shoe. The pin is spring-loaded so the flash will still fit in hotshoes which lack the locking pin hole. Note that the plastic shoe of external flash units isnt quite as sturdy as it should be. Its a bad idea to pick up a camera and flash by the flash unit. Pick up the camera body to be on the safe side. The redeye effect. Redeye, the common bane of snapshots, occurs when the light from the flash unit bounces off the blood vessels lining the retina of a persons eye and makes it back to the camera. The result is the familiar evil satanic glowing red eye effect that shows up disconcertingly often with point and shoot cameras. It happens a lot in restaurant and living room photos because the low ambient light levels mean that the subjects pupils tend to be dilated fairly wide to let in more light. The problem doesnt occur in daylight partly because the pupil of the eye contracts and reflects less light and partly because the relative brightness of flash illumination to ambient light is much lower during the day. The problem of redeye is intensified the further you are from your subject and so becomes very apparent when shooting portraits using telephoto lenses. The greater the distance from the subject the further you have to lift the flash away from the lens to eliminate redeye. This is because its an issue of how narrow the angle between the subject-flash and subject-lens distances is. The smaller this angle whether because youre a long way away from the subject or because the flash is too close to the lens or both - the greater the chance of redeye. Built-in flash units, located very near to the lens, are thus extremely likely to cause redeye. Interestingly enough, flash photography of cats and dogs can involve a similar, but slightly different, problem. Cats and dogs have a reflective membrane in their eyes

As noted in the section on X-sync, Canon EOS cameras (and basically all SLRs) have two moving curtains in the shutter mechanism. The first curtain opens the shutter and the second curtain closes it. Lets say you take a flash photo of a static object combined with a long shutter speed. Normally the shutter opens, the flash fires, time passes and then the shutter closes. Now lets say youre taking a photo of a moving object. The object is illuminated enough to leave light trails recorded on the film as the object moves along. But if you fire the flash immediately after the shutter opens then youve got a bit of a problem, since the light trails will appear to be moving in front of the flashilluminated object. The object will actually sort of look like its moving backwards. Second-curtain sync. To solve the first-curtain sync problem mentioned above, and to get the light trails looking like theyre following behind the moving object as they should, you need to fire the flash right before the shutter closes. This is called second curtain or rear curtain sync flash since the flash is fired about 1.5 milliseconds before the second curtain of the shutter starts to close. The result is a photo which expresses motion nicely - it will show light trails following the moving object. The Canon T90/Speedlite 300TL was apparently the first camera/flash combination to support this feature. The drawback to second curtain sync is that it can make it harder to take a photo if youve got a really long shutter period. With first curtain sync you can see the moving object in the viewfinder and can thus trigger the shutter at the exact moment. But with second curtain sync you a) cant see the moving object when the shutter is open, because with SLRs the mirror flips up out of the way and b) you have to predict accurately whether or not the object will still be in the frame at the end of the exposure period. For these two reasons EOS cameras ship with first curtain sync as the default. Theres one minor issue to be aware of if you use E-TTL flash with second-curtain sync. The E-TTL preflash occurs prior to the shutter opening, and so the flash will visibly fire twice when youre using long shutter speeds and second-curtain. (the preflash always fires before the shutter opening - its just that with a long shutter speed and second curtain sync, the time delay between the two flashes is increased and thus more noticeable) This delay between preflash and subject-illuminating flash usually doesnt have any negative side-effects, but there are two cases in which it might be a problem. First, if the subject is moving then the preflash metering obviously wont be right for the final exposure - FEL may be required. And second, the preflash might confuse human subjects if theyre expecting just one flash. They might assume youve taken the photo and walk off or look away from the camera. See the section on how to enable second-curtain sync, if its available on your particular camera and flash combination. Colour temperature theory.

(nb: this section gets pretty detailed, but its a useful basis for understanding colour shifts in photography) The human eye (or, more accurately, the brain) is extremely adaptable. If you look at a sheet of white paper in a room lit only by an overhead incandescent tungsten lamp, the paper will look white. If you carry the same sheet of paper outdoors and look at it in sunlight itll still look white. But tungsten light and sunlight produce very different types of light - tungsten light is orange in tone whereas sunlight is quite blue. This is because they are light sources of different colour temperatures - so called because they represent the colour of light produced by a theoretical black body object thats heated to a certain temperature, measured in degrees Kelvin. (Kelvin is similar to the Celsius scale but uses absolute zero, -273C, as the starting point rather than the freezing temperature of water) Note that some of the terminology is a bit confusing here. In colloquial English we say that reddish light is warmer than bluish light. But in terms of the colour temperature model, light becomes more blue as the colour temperature increases. Note also that were talking about a photographic colour temperature model, which by dealing just with red and blue light is a huge simplification of the colour temperature model used by physicists. Regular incandescent tungsten light has a theoretical colour temperature of about 3200 degrees Kelvin, though household bulbs are often a bit lower at about 2900K. (they go down in colour temperature as they age or when supplied with lower voltages, such as from a dimmer circuit) Tungsten halogen bulbs (usually just called halogens even though they have tungsten filaments just like regular incandescent bulbs) and non daylight-corrected photoflood bulbs are usually slightly higher, sometimes reaching 3400K. The light from a candle flame is quite low in temperature, hovering at around 1400-2000K. Daylight has a colour temperature of between 5000K and 6000K; often given as 5500K for the midday sun. Naturally these values can vary. Just as regular light bulbs drop in colour temperature, as noted above, the colour of daylight varies at different times of the day and because of different weather conditions. In fact, natural light can vary from around 2000K at sunset to over 20 000K in blue evening shade. Skylight, or the suns light scattered by the atmosphere, is extremely blue in colour. Normally the human brain compensates for these differences in colour temperature automatically. One of the few times they become really noticeable is when you encounter both types of light at, for example, dusk. If youre outside looking at the windows of a building youll see that the tungsten light of a household lamp looks quite orange-yellow in tone and the sky and your surroundings look quite blue. Colour temperature and film. Colour temperature isnt a purely theoretical issue. Its a real problem for colour photography, because film records light as it sees it, does not offer interpretation and cannot automatically adapt. So film has to be formulated from the start to assume a certain colour temperature is white.

use flash bulbs (the kind of bulbs which contain a metal filament or piece of metal wool which burns out). Unlike electronic flash, which achieves maximum brightness almost instantaneously, old electric flash bulbs required a longer period of time to reach maximum brightness. So with M-sync the shutter opening was delayed by 20 ms or so after the bulb was fired, to provide adequate time for the light output to build. No EOS camera has M-sync capabilities, since hardly anybody uses electric flash bulbs these days. Apparently the M stood for medium speed flash bulbs.
On to Part III. Back to Part I.
- NK Guy, tela design. Disclaimer and copyright: This document is copyright 2001-2004 NK Guy, tela design. This information is provided with neither warranties nor claims of accuracy or completeness of any sort. Use this information at your own risk. All trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. I wrote this document in the hope that others in the Internet community might find it useful or interesting. However, I dont think its reasonable for anyone else to earn money from - or take credit for - my work. Therefore you may copy and print this document for your own personal use. You may not, however, reprint or republish this work, in whole or in part, without prior permission from me, the author. Such republication includes inclusion of this work in other Web sites, Web pages, FTP archives, books, magazines or other periodicals, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM compilations or any other form of publication or distribution. Please do not frame this site within another. Please send feedback if you find this article to be of interest or value or if you have any comments, corrections or suggestions. Please also consider making a donation to help defray some of the costs of building and maintaining this site. Thanks!
Flash Photography with Canon EOS Cameras - Part III.
Copyright 2001-2004 NK Guy. Version 1.6. February 11, 2004. http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/ Back to Part II.
Common EOS flash features.
Here are some features found on various Canon EOS Speedlite flash units. Note that not every flash has every feature, and some features only work in conjunction with certain camera bodies. Bounce flash - swivel and tilt. Many of Canons external flash units have the ability either to tilt or both tilt and swivel the flash head independently of the flash body. The 430EZ, for example, lets you tilt the head from 0 (straight on) to 90. Left swivel goes from 0 to 180 facing backwards! Right swivel only goes from 0 to 90. There are click stops at various detent positions, and a spring-loaded bounce latch keeps the flash head pointed head-on. Tilt and swivel let you bounce (reflect) the flash units light off walls, ceilings, reflectors, etc, in order to soften the light. Non-bounced flash light tends to be fairly harsh, since it originates from a relatively small area. This harsh light tends to result in unflattering photos of people, for reasons outlined in the quality of light section. Bounce flash softens light nicely, but does have some disadvantages. For one, you obviously cant bounce flash outdoors unless you carry a reflector or something with you - its most immediately useful in interior spaces. Some interiors, in fact, arent much good either if they have really dark surfaces or high ceilings. Another drawback is that coloured surfaces (such as painted ceilings or walls) can end up tinting the light from the flash, resulting in unwanted colour shifts. Relying on ceiling bounce flash can sometimes result in unattractive shadows appearing under the eyes and nose - some photographers elastic-band an index card around the back of vertically-pointing flash heads in order to bounce a little bit of light forward to minimize this problem. And finally, bouncing the light obviously reduces the amount of light hitting the subject and this costs about half your range. For this reason you may want to use faster film or larger lens apertures when using bounce flash. Low-end flash units which lack tilt and swivel heads can also be used for bounce flash - you simply attach an Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2 and then you can point the flash unit in any direction you like. Note, however, that this technique doesnt work well with flash units that rely on external sensors such as A-TTL devices since the

Faking flash exposure compensation. Its possible to fake FEC if your camera and flash combination lacks the ability. It basically involves fiddling with your cameras manual ISO (film speed) override. You cant simply adjust exposure compensation because doing so affects both ambient exposure settings and flash exposure settings simultaneously. The workaround is thus to do the ambient metering first and locking it into place by going into manual metering mode. This puts both the shutter speed and aperture under your direct control. Once thats done you can manually alter the ISO setting of the camera (if your camera supports this, as the vast majority of EOS cameras do). If you lower the film speed rating youre essentially tricking the camera into producing more flash output - halving the ISO results in one stop more flash output. If you raise the film speed rating then the camera will produce less flash output doubling the ISO results in one stop less flash output. The drawbacks to this technique are obvious and threefold. First, its rather fiddly since altering ISO isnt a commonly changed thing and thus the interface isnt the easiest to use. Second, you have to be certain to set the ISO value back to its correct setting when youre done or else you risk messing up the exposure settings for the rest of the roll. And third, you cant really use it if your camera lacks manual ISO controls altogether. Flash exposure lock (FEL). EOS cameras (type A) which support E-TTL also support flash exposure lock when used with EX flash units. This feature lets you lock flash settings in, then optionally recompose the image before taking the final photo. This allows you to adjust the flash settings in certain difficult to meter cases. Canon first introduced FEL in 1986 with their T90 camera and 300TL flash, but dropped the feature with the first EOS
cameras. It wasnt until 1995, with the introduction of the Elan II(E)/50/55 and ETTL, that FEL made its return. FEL works by issuing a preflash when the AE lock button or, if the camera has one, when the FEL button is pressed. (on most EOS cameras the AE lock and flash exposure features are tied together, but top of the line EOS cameras have separate FEL buttons which allow you to set AE lock and FEL independently) The camera then stores flash exposure data, biased towards either the current focus point or the central focus point, for a 16 second period or for as long as you keep the shutter release pressed halfway. During this time you can recompose the photo or you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed (overriding AE lock, which is set when you press the AE lock button, if you like). FEL is thus useful for taking photos in which the subject is not covered by one of the focus points or photos containing reflective surfaces which can fool flash metering or certain cases in which the subject is moving. Its also useful for scenes in which you want to bias the flash exposure to something other than the current focus point. A major drawback with FEL is that the E-TTL preflash occurs when the AE lock or FEL button is pressed, which can confuse your photographic subjects who may think that the photograph is already taken. If you lock focus on a scene and recompose you will likely have poor flash metering, since E-TTL biases flash metering to the current focus point. Use FEL instead to avoid this problem. Some cameras have a custom function (CF 8 on the Elan II(E)/EOS 50/55 and Elan 7(E)/EOS 30/33/7) which lets you specify whether you want partial metering and FEL tied to the central focus point - the default - or to the active focus point instead. Cameras that support FEL: All type A bodies. Cameras with separate FEL buttons: EOS 3, 1V, 1D, 1Ds, 1d mark II. Flash units which support FEL with type A bodies: All EX series flash units. The T90 and the 300TL flash unit support FEL, but only with each other. Their FEL protocols are not compatible with E-TTL, and so putting an EX series flash unit on a T90 will not give you FEL. Flash exposure bracketing (FEB). Recent high-end EOS flashes - the 550EX, MR-14EX and MT-24EX - support flash exposure bracketing. Its a function of the flash unit - the Canon Flash Work brochure says that these recent high-end flash units can do FEB on any EOS camera except the 650, 620, 750, 850 - and EF-M. This is a similar concept to auto-exposure bracketing (AEB), only instead of changing ambient exposure settings you shoot a series of three photographs with normal,

- modelling flash will not work in the PIC modes. Note also that Canons ring flashes also contain small white incandescent bulbs for focus assist and modelling purposes. Camera bodies which support modelling flash: EOS 3, Elan 7/EOS 30/EOS 7, 1V, 1D, 1Ds, D30 and D60, EOS 300V/Rebel Ti/Kiss 5, 10D. Flash units which support modelling flash: Speedlites 420EX, 550EX, MR-14EX and MT-24EX. Save Energy (SE) mode. Most EOS flashes go into low-power or SE mode (called Energy Conservation Control in some Canon material) after a predetermined period of time - usually 90 seconds or 5 minutes - in order to minimize battery drain. Some flash units are always in SE mode when powered on. However, since it can be annoying to have your flash unit turn itself off in the middle of setting up a shot some flash units have a three-position switch - off, on and SE. The ability to override SE mode is very important for wireless flash applications. Pressing the shutter release button down halfway will wake up the flash and recharge it. If youre using the intervalometer on an EOS 10/10s, a 600-series camera with the Technical Back E, an EOS 1 or 1N with the Command Back E1 or an EOS 1v, 3, D2000, D30 or D60 with the TC-80N3 timer/remote controller, the camera will wake up the flash unit a minute or so prior to taking a photo in order to give it time to recharge. Note that there is still battery drain associated with the SE mode. If youre going to leave the flash off for more than an hour or so youre probably best off turning it off altogether. Some more advanced flash units like the 550EX have custom functions which allow you to adjust various power-down time intervals. No power switch at all: Speedlite 160E. (unit charges up when you press the shutter halfway) No SE function: Speedlites 480EG, 200E. 90 second SE timeout: Speedlites 380EX, 420EX*, 430EZ, 540EZ, 550EX*, MR-14EX, MT-24EX. 5 minute SE timeout: Speedlites ML-3, 300EZ, 420EZ, 300TL. SE override capabilities (3 position power switch): Speedlites 540EZ, 550EX*, MR-14EX, MT-24EX, 300TL. * These flash units behave differently when theyre used off-camera in wireless slave mode. Here the SE timeout is extended to 10 minutes for the 420EX and 60 minutes for the 550EX (unless custom function 4 is set on the 550EX, in which case its 10

the capacitor. Some flash units, like the 540EZ and the 550EX, have multiplex circuits which make particularly noticeable humming/clicking sounds when powered on. All flash units also make a soft popping sound when fired. The other thing you can hear on zooming flash units is the hollow rattling buzz of the small electric motor used to move the flash bulb inside the flash head. This is also totally normal. Flash safety. Finally, and this isnt really a flash unit feature as such but just something that doesnt really fit in anywhere else, Id like to remind you about the need to keep flash safety in mind. Electronic flash technology involves extremely high voltages - literally thousands of volts. The amperage is fairly low, but nonetheless some of the internal components of any flash unit still have quite a high-voltage kick to them if theyve been charged up recently. And it takes a bit of time for this high voltage energy to drain out of the flash units capacitors. Even cheap disposable cameras with built-in flash units can shock you if theyre disassembled. So. Dont expose your flash unit to rain or liquids if you can avoid it. And dont open up the device and monkey around with the innards unless you know what youre doing and have drained the capacitors by grounding them. You could literally get a nasty shock - which could be deadly if you have a heart condition. However, as long as you dont dismantle your flash unit or pour lemonade into it you shouldnt have any problems.

Accessories.

As with any photographic endeavour there are all kinds of add-on accessories you can buy for use with your flash unit. Extension cords. There are two extension cord systems which allow you to move the flash away from the camera for more complex flash setups. The Off Camera Shoe Cord 2. The OCSC 2 is a simple coiled cord with sockets on either end that lets you attach a flash unit to your cameras hotshoe and move the flash independently of the camera, up to a distance of about 60 cm (2 feet). This cord, though expensive, preserves all flash functions including E-TTL if its available, and is useful for mounting a Speedlite flash to a flash bracket. Its pretty short, however. You can connect two of them together if you need more distance, but Canon do not recommend this practice since the electrical impedance (internal resistance) changes. Ive heard from other users that worked just fine for them, so you might want to experiment to see if it works reliably for you. Note also

Another important thing to remember is that you do not have to adjust flash compensation when using a diffuser in any automatic flash metering mode that works through the lens (TTL, A-TTL or E-TTL) - just put the diffuser on the flash unit and shoot away. The camera will adjust automatically for the stop or two that the diffuser costs you, up to the limits of the flash units light output. Of course, if you plan on shooting in manual flash metering mode youll need to factor in the reduced light output yourself through testing. Finally, dont think you have to spend the money on these accessories. You can always just slap together a homemade flash diffuser out of a white translucent milk jug or tracing paper or thin fabric or whatever else you have lying around. A common trick is to angle the flash unit vertically, then use an elastic band to wrap an index card around the back of the flash head. This provides some forward light in addition to the light bouncing off the ceiling. The expensive accessories are mainly just more convenient and professional-looking. Flash brackets. As noted above, the large metal brackets from companies such as Stroboframe and Newton, and designed for mounting external flash units to a camera, are commonly used by wedding photographers and the press for reducing the risk of the redeye effect. However they also serve other purposes as well. By raising the flash up above the lens you also reduce ugly flash shadows cast onto walls behind a subject. The shadows still occur; theyre simply lowered down below the subject and thus may not appear in the final picture. Many flash brackets also have rotating attachments which allows you to keep the flash centred above the lens at all times rather than having it on the side when you take photos in portrait orientation rather than landscape. The primary drawbacks of flash brackets are that theyre very large and cumbersome and that they make you look like youve got a huge gigantic camera rig - which can frighten your human subjects or make them feel much more self-conscious than they would normally. Another drawback involves AF assist lights. If you raise the flash off the camera you may find that the assist light on the flash unit no longer lines up correctly with the cameras focus points, thanks to simple geometry. Ironically this isnt a problem for A2/5 and 10/10s users, because those cameras never activate the AF assist light on external flash units. External battery packs. Most of Canons high-end flash units have sockets on the side which can accommodate external high-voltage (270 volts) battery packs. These packs have two basic functions - they speed up the flashs recycle time between shots to a second or two (critical for news or wedding photography) and extend the time you can go between changing batteries. Theyre also useful in cold weather (battery performance always drops precipitately at freezing temperatures) since you can stuff the pack inside your jacket to keep the cells warm if necessary.

The Compact Battery Pack E requires 6 regular AA alkaline, NiCad or NIMH cells, but the newer Compact Battery Pack CP-E2 can also accept lithium AA cells. Either compact pack can be attached to the bottom of a camera using the tripod mounting screw. The much larger Transistor Pack E can use either 6 regular C cells (with Battery Magazine - lithium cells are not compatible) or nickel-cadmium rechargeable cells (with Ni-Cd Pack) and obviously has much greater capacity than the smaller Compact pack. A number of other companies also sell high-power battery packs compatible with the Canon Speedlite high-voltage connector. These products include Quantum Instruments Turbo (lead-acid) and Turbo Z (NiCad), Lumedynes Cycler and Dynalites Jackrabbit. Unfortunately, the packs are all fairly heavy, bulky and inconvenient, (especially the huge Transistor Pack E and third party products) and require that the flash unit be tethered to the battery pack via a coiled cord. Note also that the flash unit will not work with an external pack if the flash units internal AA batteries are dead or missing - the high-voltage power is used solely for recharging the units capacitors, not for powering its control circuitry. A number of manufacturers also sell generic battery packs (such as the Quantum Bantam) which can be connected to most AA-powered EOS flash units - even those which dont have special power sockets. They work by replacing the AA batteries with a plastic shell and running a cord to the power pack. However, as they arent highpower they cant speed up the recycle time as dramatically - theyre more useful for extending the number of shots you can accomplish between battery changes. Keep in mind that portable flash units were not designed for continuous high-power use. You can damage your flash if you fire too many high-power bursts in a short period of time; something an external battery pack may let you do. So try not to fire flash bursts for longer than a few seconds, especially at full power manual or small aperture TTL firing. Remember that smoke emerging from your flash unit is shorthand for stop immediately. Flash units with high-voltage sockets: Speedlites 430EZ, 540EZ, 550EX, 480EG*, MR-14EX and MT-24EX. * The Compact Battery Packs are not recommended for use with the 480EG. Flash extenders. If youre doing nature photography of wild animals or are stalking wild celebrities for a tabloid and need to use flash photography across great distances, you might consider a flash extender, such as the Better Beamer. These accessories are simply plastic Fresnel lenses you can attach to your flash units head with tape or velcro. They concentrate the light much like a zooming head and give you an extra couple stops of light, at the cost of coverage area. Theyre only really useful, therefore, when using very long telephoto lenses - say, 300mm or so or longer. Michael Reichmanns Luminous Landscape Web site has some example photos of how this works, and Arthur Morris Birds as Art site sells them.