ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

I have an Altura speedlite AP-UNV1 & Canon T1i/500D. I mounted it on my camera and shot a few photos both in MANUAL and in Av modes--I fooled around on setting the speedlite's power and its three settings--M, S1 & S2. Happy with my results I took off the speedlite from the camera and then tried to fire my built-in flash ---- nothing, it just didn't fire! I went to my #1menu & used FLASH CONTROL which carried me to "Flash Firing" which was enabled, next I went one notch down to "built-in flash func. setting" and pressed "set" and this pops up--"This menu cannot be displayed. External flash is attached." The aproximate same message to the other three down notches reading "This menu cannot be displayed: incompatable flash or flash power is turned off." No matter what I tried, I still couldn't restore my camer's built-in flash! Short of contacting the place where I bought this speedlite I thought someone in Ugly Hedgehog would be able to answer this technical question -- it doesn't seem like it would be too hard----could you fellow members please help?? P.S. I KNOW the external flash was not attached!

twowindsbear

Look at the hot shoe on your camera. There may be a tiny button that the flash presses to indicate the flash is attached. IF your camera has this button, confirm that it is 'up' to indicate that the flash has been removed. If it is up, or your camera is not like this - then I'm clueless. Good luck.

MarcusTitus Loc: Dallas

twowindsbear is correct, the shoe mount has a tiny switch and also a flat piece of metal that is under the rail of the hot shoe. This piece of metal and or the switch will occasionally stick or hang up the switch. Being careful not to put to much pressure on the metal, try pushing down and releasing it to see if the switch clears. The switch tells the camera that an external flash is mounted and don't raise the pop up flash.

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

Thanks for the attempt---but it caused me to take a look at my second camera, it's twin. I discovered that only the second notch--"Built-in flash func. setting" (holding another 4 settings) was really affected. There are no other physical button but one that fails to open and the flash door is really close-fitting -- there should be a digital command that would unlock this door and I dont know one. I even tried to duplicate my short session with this speed flash --I forgot most of the moves I made, something in the back of my mind tells me that I was asked OR I saw a "TTL" among the three simple modes. It is a simple and easy speed flash to manipulate and I don't remember whether it was attached to my camera or was being used as slave. Only my camera can be a Master (I think)---oh woe is me! I might have to do without flash unless I use the speed light. I might have to do a "reload" but that would mean re-setting all of the menus!!!!

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

A full "reset" may be the answer (if you are concerned about current settings, pull up the menus and take a shot of each menu page with the other camera, so you can set it up that way again), unless the external flash somehow damaged a connection, or some circuitry. Stuck buttons and bad connections can bring down the best equipment, but can usually be remedied.

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

Thanks everybody for the assistance, I needed that feedback! This morning I woke up and headed for the camera as I remembered that I had tried the Chinese made Opteka 85mm lens because there are no electrical connections at all, it is a total MANUAL lense.
Well, I tried mounting this lense and lo and behold I turned the camera on and headed for the menu. I clicked the navigations till I arrived at the place which told me that my camera was connected (which it was not) and I clicked and It was NORMAL! It gave me the information that the first curtain shutter sync was functional and the rest of the functions were working!

Then I put my speedlite flash on and shot a few photos. I checked the menu again after I removed the speedlite and much to my disapointment the same old problem raised its ugly head AGAIN. So maybe it is like you said --the hot shoe button(s) get stuck somehow-------

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

So----I concentrated my efforts on the hot shoe in good strong light using a toothpick. I proded on the buttons that makes connection with my speedlit - next I concentrated wiggling both the inside edges of the hot shoe. So - after all this contact exercising with my toothpick, I tried pushing my side flash door button and --IT FLEW OPEN! So I tried my speedlite, shooting a half dozen shots and then took the speedite off then tried to open the flash door and it works normally. Then I checked my menu and all was well. Thanks to ALL of you, the problem was solved; I admire your willingness to help and will remember this for the rest of my life!