External flash problems

[davholla]

I use a Canon 350 D and 550 D cameras. I bought this flash Neewer® *COLOR-SCREEN* E-TTL Camera Flash Kit recently. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It works best with the 350 D and best in auto mode. I did drop it yesterday but I don't think that is the problem because a) there is only a scratch b) it works sometimes c) it was like this before hand Is there something I need to change in the settings. I want this to work in M/AV so I can use it with Macro.
This is what I bought
Neewer COLOR-SCREEN E-TTL Camera Flash Kit for Canon Amazon.co.uk Camera Photo

 

[TCampbell]

If you shoot too soon after the previous shot then your flash may simply need more time to recycle. The batteries don't technically power the flash tube... they charge capacitors and those capacitors release their energy to make the flash tube fire. If the flash isn't firing at full power it may be able to fire off a few shots in rapid succession, but once the capacitors get low you have to wait a few seconds to allow the flash to recycle (the batteries need to charge up the capacitors.)

On fresh batteries this doesn't take very long at all (perhaps a second or two) but as the batteries get weak you'll find it taking longer and longer... you could easily be waiting 5 seconds or even 10 seconds on very low batteries. This would result in a lot of missed shots if you use it before the flash is ready.

I don't have your particular flash, but there should be a light that illuminates when the flash is ready to fire again.

If you do a lot of shooting you could easily go through several sets of batteries in a day. That can get expensive, so I prefer to use Panasonic "Eneloop" rechargeable batteries. These are NiMH "low self-discharge" batteries -- meaning after a full charge their "shelf life" is extremely good (after sitting unused for a year they still retain about 85% of their charge.)

 

[Derrel]

I will second what Tim said above, but add that if the batteries are pretty low, his 5- to 10-second wait times could EASILY be stretched to 20 to 45 seconds! Not all batteries are created equally...some will become tired, then exhausted, more rapidly than other batteries will. Shooting rapidly can weaken batteries quite rapidly, whereas shooting photos with longer delays in between shots, like say one to five minutes, means that you will not have a problem with batteries being weak and performing sluggishly.

A second thing: many newer flashes have a rather too-short sleep setting, where the doggone flash goes in to sleep mode too soon, which is a major PITA.

 

[davholla]

Thanks all for that, that makes perfect sense. I was using cheap rechargeable batteries how can I tell which batteries are better than others?

 

[WesternGuy]

If you are interested, here is a reference that provides a detailed evaluation of a number of different batteries used in flash equipment - 6 560 FLASH POPS LATER The Results of AA Rechargeable Battery Tests -- Flash and Studio Lighting in photography-on-the.net forums . It is a little old, but is still the most detailed review and test that I know of. Hope this helps.

WesternGuy