How to manual focus with electronic viewfinder while using flashes?

[CryptikFox]

I am using the Sony a55, but point is it's an electronic viewfinder. The display (whether it's the LCD screen or the EVF) will always show the image as if you were to take it at the current settings; it doesn't show the scene as your eye would. (For example if I'm in a dimly lit room and have a shutter speed of say 1/1000, both screens will appear black.)

Anyways, my problem is I can't manually focus on my subject when I use strobe flashes in a studio setting, even with the modeling lights on. The aperture and shutter speed are set such that if I took the image without the flash, it'd be near black- so that's what it displays. But of course when I do take the image, it's properly exposed for the flash.

Are there any work-arounds for using an electronic view finder with this kind of setting?

 

[Kolia]

From what I understand, the a55 doesn't have the option to turn off the preview mode.

Have you tried maxing the iso, focus and then going back to normal iso ?

 

[Nervine]

I asked a similar question about when doing macro. Are you using a Sony branded flash?


Could it be that the lens in use doesn't support TTL to adjust exposure? I am still new to using flash so could be way off.

I noticed that if my pop up flash is up it exposes correctly however when flash (Yonguo 560) it doesn't expose same way. I haven't had a chance to try a Sony branded flash