Day.Old.Pizza Loc: Maple Grove, MN

I have a Nikon D850 and a SB700 flash. I have used them in combination before, not often, with no issue. This evening I mounted the flash on the camera in preparation for a group shot and tried a few practice shots. The flash was set to ttl. The camera to 1/60 at 200 ISO. When I push the shutter button the flash gave 3 what I will call lower power pre-flashes before firing the flash at full power- like the camera is trying to figure out the power requirement to expose the shot. It takes about 1-1/2 seconds for the 3 light pulses after I’ve pushed the shutter button. I must have inadvertently changed a setting. Would someone tell me what I’ve done and how to correct it. I’ve been looking around, but with no success so far.

Just figured it out. I had somehow changed the Flash Mode. As soon as I made the correction the issue went away, so never mind.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Rear sync?

Day.Old.Pizza Loc: Maple Grove, MN

It had to do with how the flash works in relation to the shutter curtain. I’ll read up on it now that I know what happened. I have no idea how I changed it. I’ve never used flash in any but the “normal” way.

twowindsbear

Sounds to me like red eye reduction is activated.

Day.Old.Pizza Loc: Maple Grove, MN

Thanks! I found the problem, made a correction, tried it out and it now works fine. I need to read manual to find out what the other 2 settings are for. That’s for later today. I still don’t know how I changed that setting.

twowindsbear

What was the problem? Or did you just discover the 'fix' to the problem?

Dan' de Bourgogne

Hmmm...Strange...I suppose the camera has been set for multiple flash...like "stroboscopique"...where the photographer does set 1) the number of flashes and 2) the "fréquence" (in Hz). Si, when You release the shutter, then the flash fires "x" times (= number set by opérator) at the rate of "y" Hz (also set by opérator).Note the frequence will be limited by the shutter speed...and the Power will be limited by the number of flashes.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

User ID

The only logical explanation. But, way too simple for most Hawgsters. Many pages of OTW thinking will surely follow regardless.

ETTL autoflash does emit very weak pre flashes for measurement, but those go by super quickly and thus go unnoticed.

Day.Old.Pizza Loc: Maple Grove, MN

I learned something new today. There are 2 causes for the pre-flash that I could find.

The first is Red Eye Reduction Under FLASH MODES in the user Manual. This was the likely culprit. I could easily, accidentally depressed the ”-“ button while rotating the rear control knob.

The other scenario occurs when a CLS, Creative Lighting System, compatable (SB700 in my case) flash is attached to the camera (it was) AND set to TTL (it was). See OPTIONAL FLASH UNITS (p87-89) The camera automatically selects either iTTL BALANCED fill flash which also results in several pre-flashes prior to the main flash firing, or STANDARD iTTL fill flash. Standard fill is automatically chosen if Spot Metering had been selected (it wasn’t).