Technique Built-in flash DIGITAL AND FILM 24 | 25

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Brilliant light
The versatility of your camera’s built-in flash may surprise you.
Philip Raby helps you to get the best out of this handy light source.
Photographs by Gerard Maas.
The built-in flash found on most EOS cameras is a powerful tool.
Sadly, though, this pop-up flash is often dismissed by experienced
photographers as being a gimmick and not suitable for ‘serious’
picture-taking. Beginners, on the other hand, usually do use the
built-in flash, but rarely make the best of it. Indeed, they may well
be disappointed by the results they get and go on to buy an external
Canon Speedlite.
While there’s no doubt that a Speedlite (see page 59) is more
versatile, and is worth having in your camera bag, the built-in flash
still has its uses. Indeed, most photographers, be they beginners or
experienced photographers, will find it very useful.
There are inevitably times when you don’t have your Speedlite
with you, you don’t want to carry the extra weight, or the Speedlite
has flat batteries! It’s in scenarios such as these that the built-in
flash comes into its own. It’s so handy to have a flashgun on-hand (or
rather, on-camera) at all times. Once you start using the built-in flash
in earnest, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
And, as you can see, it can produce some pretty good pictures.
You might find it difficult to believe that the portraits on these pages
were taken using the camera’s pop-up flash. It just shows what is
possible with the built-in flash when you know how best to use it.

Built-in flash pictures can be ‘flat’ – the full-frontal lighting means that
faces lose their contours. But there are tricks you can use to help this.

Left and below This portrait shows
the capabilities of built-in flash.
A sheet of white plastic was held
a few inches in front of the flash
head to soften the illumination. A
slow shutter speed picked up the
background lights (the camera was
on a tripod for the main picture).
Right and below Although the
built-in flash is fixed to the camera,
it is possible to position a diffuser
in such a way that the light passes
through and is diffused, without the
lens being obstructed. Here, a large
Lastolite reflector is being used as a
diffuser (www.lastolite.com).

Left Although a sheet of white plastic

is excellent as a diffuser, it is not
always convenient to carry and hold
at parties and social events. The Soft
Screen diffuser overcomes these
problems by fixing to the camera. The
result is not as soft as the perspex,
but less harsh than direct flash. See
These stunning portraits were taken with the built-in flash page 78 for details.
 Technique Built-in flash
Getting the flash to fire
The built-in flash on EOS cameras is a neat,
retractable unit that appears to be part of the
pentaprism – when the flash is retracted,
you can hardly tell that it’s there (above left).
The flash will only fire if it is in the raised
position (above right). Most EOS cameras
have a motorised flash unit that pops up
automatically in some shooting modes, or you
press a button (above centre) to activate them
in other modes. A few early models, though,
have a flash unit which has to be pulled up
manually. See the table on page 33 to find out
to which cameras this applies.
When your EOS is set to Full Auto (green
square), Portrait, Close-up or Night Scene
PIC mode, the flash will pop up automatically
when the camera senses it is needed
(except on the few models with manually
activated flashes, where a flash symbol in the
viewfinder appears, telling you to raise the
flash). In other PIC modes – Landscape, Sport
and Flash Off, the flash will not fire.
Generally speaking, the flash will activate
when the lens is at maximum aperture and the
shutter speed has dropped to below 1/focal
length – in other words, the slowest safe
ISO speed
The built-in flash limits the range of shutter
speeds that your EOS can set. This is
because the shutter speed must not exceed
the camera’s flash synchronisation speed.
The synchronisation speed of EOS cameras
varies from model to model, but is typically
1/90 to 1/200 second. You can set slower
shutter speeds, but not faster ones – if you
try to set a faster speed in shutter-priority or
manual modes, the camera will override the
setting and select the flash synchronisation
speed. An alternative is to adjust the ISO
setting. In some situations it is the only way
to obtain correct exposure (right).
DIGITAL AND FILM 26 | 27
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Above and right On dull days, built-in flash will
enhance skin tones and add detail to dark areas. It
also produces a reflection of the flash in the eyes.
This ‘catchlight’ makes the eyes sparkle.
This flash button is speed for hand-held photography. It will also
available on most activate if the camera’s Evaluative metering
cameras which have system senses high-contrast lighting or a
a built-in flash unit.
Pressing the button backlit subject.
while in a creative zone If you are new to photography, or taking
mode will pop the flash snapshots, then one of the PIC modes is an
up, ready for firing.
ideal, pain-free way of using flash. You don’t
have to think about what is happening and the
camera’s metering system will ensure good Using flash outdoors
results in most situations. In PIC modes, the
Auto Depth mode flash will not pop up when you press the flash You may think it’s an odd idea to use flash In fact, some photographers use flash for all
Many EOS cameras activation button (on cameras so equipped), outdoors in daylight, but it can be very useful. their outdoor photos for this last reason alone.
have an Auto Depth
(A-DEP) mode. If you so you cannot force the flash to fire in these In fact, your EOS will automatically activate
use the built-in flash modes. Also, if your EOS has a manually the built-in flash from time to time outdoors Backlighting
(or a Speedlite) in this lifting flash, it will not fire in a PIC mode when when the camera is set to Full Auto, Portrait or If the subject is backlit – standing with the sun
mode it will not operate flash is not required, nor in PIC modes that Close-up modes. behind them, or against a bright sky – their
correctly but revert to
Program mode. don’t use flash, even if you raise it. The flash can do a number of things to face will be in shadow and appear dark in the
If you prefer to use your EOS in Creative improve outdoor photographs in daylight. photograph. In this case, the built-in flash can
Power to spare modes (such as Program or aperture-priority), come to the rescue, illuminating the features.
The built-in flash is Below If you expose
then it is up to you to raise the flash if you Sunny days to retain detail in
powered by your EOS,
so using it excessively
want it to fire; when you do this, the flash Bright sunlight produces hard shadows interesting skies, the Highlighting
will drain the battery will always fire, whether it is needed or not. on faces, with a large amount of contrast subject will become The final reason for using flash outdoors is
more quickly. It’s a good Creative modes, therefore, give you full between light and dark. The human brain can a silhouette. Built-in to make the subject stand out against their
idea to carry a spare flash will add detail
control over whether or not the built-in flash compensate for this contrast, but a camera background. This is most effective on dull
battery with you or use to the subject without
an auxiliary battery pack
will fire. If you don’t want flash, you don’t have can’t, so the resulting photograph shows part affecting the sky days and will make the person look almost like
if your EOS accepts one. to have it. If you do, then simply pop it up. of the subject lost in deep shadow with all exposure. a cut-out in front of the background.
detail lost.
Firing the flash will add some light into the
shadows, making them less noticeable and
bringing out the detail in these areas. This is a
technique called fill-in flash – because it ‘fills
in’ the shadows – and is regularly used by
professional photographers.
Fill-in flash used to be difficult to get right
because it involves balancing the flash light
and the ambient light, but with today’s EOS
cameras anyone can take well-exposed fill-in
flash photographs – the camera does all the
calculations for you.
Dull days
Going to the other extreme, the built-in flash
is also useful in dull weather. Adding a burst
ISO 1600 ISO 3200
of light to a portrait can bring out colours and
add an attractive twinkle to the person’s eyes.
 Technique Built-in flash DIGITAL AND FILM 28 | 29
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Balancing flash with ambient light Flash exposure compensation

If you are shooting in low light, the main

CREDIT
subject may be correctly exposed by the
flash, but the background will remain dark,
even if there is some ambient light. This is
because the background is too far away to
be illuminated by the flash, and the shutter
speed will usually be too short to record the
ambient light.
This can work to your advantage in that
your subject will stand out strongly against
a black background, but is not good if you
want to include the surroundings in your
photograph. You’ll also see this effect
occurring when you are shooting in a room

FEC 0 FEC +1 FEC +2

EOS cameras automatically
determine correct flash exposure
by reading the brightness of the
flash illumination reflected from
the subject. However, as with
daylight exposure metering, the
system can sometimes be fooled
by non-standard subjects.
FEC gives
flash, you use ‘flash exposure
compensation’, or FEC.
This powerful feature gives
you full control over the flash
output when your EOS is set
to a Creative
Zone mode.
Setting Flash
Setting FEC on a film camera
is usually via a function button
and the exposure compensation
scale. On digital cameras it is
usually a menu item. FEC will be
covered in detail in a future issue.

Most metering works on the you full Compensation to a

assumption that the average
tone of a subject is equivalent
to a medium grey. If you have a
very light subject, such as the
white mannequin above, normal
flash metering will give you an
underexposed grey image (FEC
0). To overcome this problem,
you need to tell the camera
to adjust the metering. For
daylight exposure metering you
use a camera function called
‘exposure compensation’. With
control over minus figure (such
flash output as -1) reduces the
flash output, while
setting a positive figure (+1, for
example), increases the power of
the flash. Many photographers
are familiar with FEC in relation
to Speedlite flash guns, but don’t
realise that it can be equally Above FEC on the EOS 350D is set
effective with the built-in flash via a menu item. Compensation from
unit. FEC is available on many -2 to +2 stops is available. It is best
to shoot several pictures at different
digital and film cameras – see settings if you are not sure of the
table on page 33 for details. amount of compensation needed.

with a window – even in daytime it may
appear dark outside.
The reason this happens is because the
camera has exposed for the flash and not the
background.
Whenever possible your EOS will try to
ensure this does not happen by setting a wide
aperture and/or a long enough shutter speed
to give a well-exposed background. However,
in Full Auto and PIC modes the camera will
not set a long shutter speed because this can
lead to camera shake.
The solution is to set your EOS to a
Creative mode. We recommend aperture-
priority (Av) so that the camera can set a
long shutter speed, if needed. You may then
need to use a tripod or other support to avoid
camera shake spoiling your photograph.
Above Shoot with
built-in flash in Program
mode and the camera
will not set a shutter
speed long enough to
capture ambient light
(above left). However,
in aperture-priority (Av)
mode, the camera will
expose for the ambient
light, as well as giving
correct flash exposure
(right). This could lead
to exposure times of
1/15 second, or slower,
and means that you
need the camera on a
tripod to avoid camera
shake blurring the
background image.
Night Scene mode
Night Scene is a PIC mode found on many
digital and film cameras. It is designed
for shooting outdoors at night with lights
in the background. The flash illuminates
a close subject, but the background
lights are also well-exposed. For this,
the camera sets a long shutter speed,
so a tripod is essential. The built-in flash
will always fire in Night Scene mode.
Night Scene mode does the same as the
aperture-priority (Av) mode, but without
the creative control. Ideally, Night Scene
mode requires the extra power of a
Speedlite, unless the subject is close.
Blocking the flash
Think carefully about which lens you are
using when you activate built-in flash.
• Because the built-in flash is close to
the lens axis, if you mount a very large-
diameter lens, such as a wide-aperture
telephoto, you may block the flash from
reaching the subject, leading to a shadow
over the lower part of the photograph. The
same thing can happen with large lens
hoods or filter holders.
• The built-in flash has a spread equivalent
to that of a typical wide-angle lens. The
exact coverage varies from model to
model, see page 33. You can use longer
focal length lenses (as long as the barrel is
not too large) but if you use a wider focal
length, the edges of the image will not be
covered by the flash and may appear dark.
• It’s also possible to block the flash
accidentally with your hand when you are
Right A large lens holding the camera vertically – get into the
hood on a lens can habit of holding your ‘lens’ hand on the
block some of the light opposite side of the camera to the flash.
from the built-in flash,
throwing a shadow
over part of the image.
The only solution is to
remove the lens hood.
This problem is less
common when using
a Speedlite, because
the flash head is further
away from the lens.
 Technique Built-in flash DIGITAL AND FILM 30 | 31
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Problems with built-in flash Red-eye Reduction

A serious disadvantage with the built-in flash

CLAIRE ALLEN
over a separate Speedlite is the occurrence of
Shadow play ‘red-eye’. This red glow in a subject’s eyes is
caused by the light from the flash entering the
One of the most common faults with built- eye and bouncing off the blood vessels inside.
in flash photographs is harsh shadows Red-eye is more likely to occur in low light
behind the subject. There are two reasons when the person’s pupils are dilated (wide
for this. First, most flash photographs are open). Alcohol also dilates the pupils, which
taken indoors, with the subject standing is why you often get red-eye in photographs
in front of a wall. Second, the built-in flash taken at parties.
fires a direct light at the subject. The problem of red eye is more likely
The problem is usually less apparent to occur with the built-in flash than with a
when the camera is held horizontally, Speedlite because the flash is so much closer
because the flashgun is then above the to the camera lens – the light is bouncing
lens and the shadow falls down behind the straight back into the lens. The further away
subject. However, if you turn the camera the flash is from the lens, the less chance
on its side to shoot in vertical format, the there is of red-eye occurring.
shadow falls to one side of the subject and Because of this, there is only so much you
becomes much more noticeable. can do to reduce red-eye when you are taking
If you can move your subject further photographs – turning the room lights up to
away from the wall, the shadow will be force the subject’s pupils to contract is one
softer and less noticeable. Alternatively, Retouching red-eye in Photoshop is easy option, getting them not to look directly at the
find a darker background so that the camera is another.
Above Red-eye can spoil your Above top Using the ‘lasso’ tool in
shadow is less obvious. pictures of people. The effect is Photoshop, draw a circle around the Many EOS cameras (see table on page 33)
unpredictable – you may have two red area of the eye. You do not have have a feature to help reduce the occurrence
people in the same shot, one with to be too precise with this. of red eye. When the shutter button is
red-eye, the other without. It all pressed, a bright light is emitted for a couple
depends on the level of light in the Above Now select Image >
room, the distance between the Adjustments > Desaturate from the of seconds before the shutter fires. This
subject and the camera, and the menu. The red colour will be replaced is designed to force the person’s pupils to
distance between the camera lens with grey, giving a much more natural contract. Sometime it works, but is dependent
and the flash head. effect. on the distance between the camera and
subject (so don’t use a long focal length lens)
If you have a AF Assist
and the age of the subject (young children’s
eyes don’t react as quickly).
With the camera held in horizontal format,
shadows thrown by the flash fall behind digital camera, it Don’t confuse Red-eye Reduction The best solution is to use an external
the subject and are not usually visible. is easier to tackle with AF Assist, even though the
two functions use the same light
Speedlite or, if you use a digital EOS camera,
red-eye on a on some cameras. AF Assist retouch red-eye out of the photographs using
computer than in is designed to illuminate the
subject to enable the camera to
photo editing software – in some software
applications there is an auto function for
the camera autofocus.
dealing with red-eye.

Top Spectacles can

reflect light directly
back to the camera,
giving a distracting hot
spot. All it needs is a
slight change in the
angle of the head for
the light to be reflected
in a different direction.
Above Gloss paint and
glass can create strong
hot spots. You may not
be able to eliminate
them completely, but
a change of viewpoint
can help to make
When the camera is turned to a vertical
the reflections less
format, the flash is to the side and throws
background shadows down one side of
distracting. With digital,
you can check for
the subject.
reflections in the review
image within seconds
of shooting.
Bad reflections
Another common cause of spoiled indoor
photographs is unsightly reflections. Because
the flash is pointing directly at the subject, the
light can bounce straight off and back to the
camera, creating ‘hot spots’ of light.
Spectacles are the worst culprits. If your
subject is wearing glasses, suggest they
remove them. If they prefer to keep them on,
ask them not to look directly at the camera
so that the flash light is not reflected back
into the lens. Positioning your subject looking
slightly to one side can often give a more
natural portrait, anyway.
Mirrors, windows and pictures can also
cause problems, so think carefully about
positioning your subject. You may be able
to close blinds or curtains to get around the
problem (and create a nicer background, too).
So why do I need a Speedlite?
If the built-in flash is so good, you may be
wondering whether you need a separate
Speedlite. If you just use your EOS for
snapshots, or only use the built-in flash for
fill-in outdoors, then maybe you can manage
without a Speedlite. However, flashguns are
versatile tools that do everything the built-in
flash does plus much more besides. Here are
just some of the advantages of a Speedlite
over the built-in flash:
More power A Speedlite is a much more
powerful flash than the built-in unit, which
means is can reach further and illuminate a
larger area.
Less risk of red-eye Because the flash head
is further from the lens axis, you’re less likely
to get red-eye.
Bounce head Some Speedlites models have
a head that can tilt and swivel, allowing you to
bounce the light off a wall, ceiling or reflector.
This gives a much softer, more natural light,
compared to a direct flash.
Off-camera option Speedlites can be
used off-camera using the Off Camera Shoe
Cord, and more recent models can be fired
wirelessly.
Multiple flashes More than one Speedlite
can be used at once, which is ideal for
illuminating large areas for sophisticated
lighting techniques.
 Technique Built-in flash DIGITAL AND FILM 32 | 33
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Flash fall off Built-in flash guide

Built-in Automatic Guide Red-eye Flash Widest
Flash activation Number reduction Comp. coverage
If you shine a torch at something very close, Bottom left Flash Built-in flash
it will illuminate that subject very brightly, but illumination falls of very Which cameras have
DIGITAL CAMERAS built-in flash? The
quickly. This picture
something just a bit further away will receive has been exposed for general rule is that
less light. Similarly, the built-in flash is not EOS 1D No
the hands. The face is professional and
able to light two objects at different distances underexposed because EOS 1D Mark II No semi-professional
from the camera and provide even exposure. less light has reached it. EOS 1D Mark II N No cameras do not have
EOS 1D Mark III No built-in flash.
If you are photographing two people together Top right If you expose
you need to ensure that they are both the EOS 1Ds No
for the face, the hands Automatic activation
same distance from the camera, otherwise the are overexposed – they EOS 1Ds Mark II No The built-in flash
one behind may be underexposed. have received more EOS 1Ds Mark III No on some models
light than the face. EOS 5D No automatically pops
up in some modes
EOS 10D Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 18mm
Right The only way to and some lighting
get good exposure for EOS 20D Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 17mm conditions.
the face and hands is to EOS 20Da Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 17mm
have them all at about EOS 30D Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 17mm Guide number
the same distance from This number indicates
EOS 40D Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 17mm the power of the flash.
the flash. This same
rule applies if you have EOS 300D Yes Yes 13 Yes No 18mm It is much the same on
two or more people in EOS 350D Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 17mm all models, and always
the picture – they all EOS 400D Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 17mm quite low. Speedlites
need to be about the have guide numbers
EOS D30 Yes Yes 12 Yes Yes 18mm of 43, 55 or even 58.
same distance from the
flash if you want even EOS D60 Yes Yes 12 Yes Yes 18mm If you are shooting at
exposure. ISO 100 and divide
FILM CAMERAS the guide number by
the subject distance
EOS 1 No (in metres), the result
EOS 1N No will be the aperture
EOS1N RS No needed for correct
EOS 1V No exposure. However,

Turn it off EOS 10

EOS 100
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
12
12
No
No
No
No
35mm
28mm
all EOS cameras will
calculate this for you
automatically.
EOS 1000 No
Red-eye reduction
EOS 1000F Yes No 12 No No 35mm
These cameras shine
EOS 1000N No a bright light briefly at
EOS 1000FN Yes No 12 Yes No 35mm the subject to reduce
EOS 3 No the risk of red-eye
reduction. See page 31.
EOS 30 Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm
EOS 30V Date Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm Flash comp.
EOS 33 Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm These cameras
EOS 33V Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm offer flash exposure
compensation. See
EOS 300 Yes Yes 12 Yes Yes 28mm
page 29.
EOS 300V Yes Yes 12 Yes Yes 28mm
EOS 300X Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm Widest coverage
EOS 3000 Yes No 12 Yes No 28mm This is the widest lens
focal length you should
EOS 3000N Yes No 12 Yes No 28mm use to avoid dark areas
EOS 3000V Yes No 12 Yes No 28mm at the corners of your
There are times when you need to turn off Above left If you use • There are times when the ambient light EOS 5 Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm images.
the flash and stick to ambient light. The way flash when the subject is attractive and atmospheric, and EOS 50 Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm
is too far away, all you EOS 50E Yes Yes 13 Yes Yes 28mm
to stop the flash from firing automatically will do is illuminate the direct, white light of a flash would
is to set your EOS to a Creative mode a subject closer to destroy the mood. If you’re not sure, EOS 500 Yes Yes 12 Yes No 28mm
– program (P) mode is the easiest to use. the camera. People take two photographs – one with flash EOS 500N Yes Yes 12 Yes No 28mm
If you really want to use Full Auto or a who leave the flash and one without. You can look at them EOS 5000 Yes No 12 Yes No 35mm
on when shooting in EOS 600 No
PIC mode but don’t want the built-in flash large stadiums are just afterwards and decide which you like.
to fire, there is a little trick you can use. wasting battery power. • There are situations where the flash EOS 620 No
Slip a plastic hot-shoe cover (available could annoy other people, or draw EOS 650 No
Above right If you
from most camera shops) on the camera turn the flash off, the attention to you. EOS 700 Yes No 12 No No 35mm
– this will activate a microswitch inside the picture might succed • There are places where use of flash is EOS 750 Yes No 12 No No 35mm
hot-shoe and trick the camera into thinking if there is sufficient prohibited, such as theatres, museums EOS 850 No
ambient light for an EOS RT No
that you have attached a Speedlite. When exposure. and some sporting events.
a Speedlite is attached, the built-in flash • There is no point using the flash if the APS CAMERAS
cannot operate. subject is too far away for the light to
Why would you want to disable the flash? reach it. EOS IX Yes Yes 11 Yes No 22mm
EOS IX7 Yes Yes 10 Yes No 22mm