D3400 Flash not firing when expected.

karljones

New member
Hi,
I was out in the snow this afternoon, with my D3400.
I was using manual mode, and sometimes A priority.
I popped up the flash to add some light to the foreground, but the flash did not fire.
The flash was in TTL mode, and the image was completely dark without it.
The flash works fine, pouting my hand in front of the lens made the flash fire next time.
What have i misunderstood? I assumed that popping up the flash would cause it to fire.

Thanks for your help
Karl
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Maybe it isn’t firing because the meter thinks the image will be over exposed due to the white snow? I would have to look at the manual.
(Deleted my other post.)

Welcome
 
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Bikerbrent

Senior Member
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
We look forward to seeing more posts and samples of your work.

On my D7200, there are a lot of flash options to consider, and I am sure many are not available on your D3400. Therefore, you need to look at your manual or wait for a knowledgeable D3400 user to come along.
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Thanks, but i wouldn't think so. We were in the shade, and the image was almost totally black without flash.

My D80 flashes even when aimed at a bright light, so I think you are right. How much experience do you have using a camera in manual mode? People here will want to know that and what the shutter speed and aperture were, etc. etc. in order to figure out why the image is dark during a daytime shot. If you understand metering and how to expose for images, then that will save you from having to read responses about stuff you already know about.

Are only the images outside dark?
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
It would be helpful if you could post an image or two with EXIF data that exhibit the problem. It is possible to close the aperture and get a dark picture even with flash. Also being out in the snow may cause a longer cycle time (ready) on the flash as battery efficiency is lower in cold weather.
 

karljones

New member
My D80 flashes even when aimed at a bright light, so I think you are right. How much experience do you have using a camera in manual mode? People here will want to know that and what the shutter speed and aperture were, etc. etc. in order to figure out why the image is dark during a daytime shot. If you understand metering and how to expose for images, then that will save you from having to read responses about stuff you already know about.

Are only the images outside dark?

Thanks, i understand why the images are dark - what i don't understand is why the flash didn't fire.
I deleted the images so i have no data about them.
I guess i will have to experiment further before pursuing this.
Thanks for the suggestions
karl
 

karljones

New member
It would be helpful if you could post an image or two with EXIF data that exhibit the problem. It is possible to close the aperture and get a dark picture even with flash. Also being out in the snow may cause a longer cycle time (ready) on the flash as battery efficiency is lower in cold weather.

Thanks, but I deleted the images. I know why the images are dark - i underexposed them - but that should not have stopped the flash from firing.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Thanks, but I deleted the images. I know why the images are dark - i underexposed them - but that should not have stopped the flash from firing.
I think there are a few things you should check before doing some testing...

  • Check that Flash Compensation is set to "0".
  • Check the flash mode, make sure it's set to "Normal" (not Rear Curtain or Red Eye Reduction, etc.)
  • Put the camera in green "Auto" mode and take some shots indoors in dimly lit room. Does the flash fire consistently?
  • Put the camera in "A" mode, choose an aperture of say, f/5.6, ISO 100, and take some shots in that same dimly lit room. Does the flash fire consistently?
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Good luck. [MENTION=13090]Horoscope Fish[/MENTION]. That red-eye setting used to screw me up all the time on my D80 until I got used to looking for it when troubleshooting. It was easy to accidentally change the setting.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Hi,
I was out in the snow this afternoon, with my D3400.
I was using manual mode, and sometimes A priority.
I popped up the flash to add some light to the foreground, but the flash did not fire.
The flash was in TTL mode, and the image was completely dark without it.
The flash works fine, pouting my hand in front of the lens made the flash fire next time.
What have i misunderstood? I assumed that popping up the flash would cause it to fire.

Thanks for your help
Karl

Yes, if the DSLR flash door is open, the flash should always fire in camera A, S, P, or M mode (regardless of light level or of TTL or Manual flash mode). Holding hand in front of lens would not make any difference if the flash fires, it will fire if the door is open and the shutter triggers it. Flash door open is the Flash On or Off switch, it will never pop up in A, S, P, or M mode. You open door manually when you want flash, close it when you don't.

Not firing would imply some defect (often the switch on the door, or could be the flash tube). Has it ever fired since?

The flash only "fires as it thinks is needed" if in Auto or the scene modes. Meaning, bright scenes would not fire flash then. This is like a compact camera flash would work. A few scene modes (like Landscape or Sports) will never fire the flash (described there in camera manual). And Auto does have its adjacent Flash Off position to prevent its pop-up.

Firing only with hand over lens implies mode must have been Auto (or Scene is Auto too), and Not mode A ? But dark should have done that too, so this seems confusing, I can't say I understand situation. Could the mode have been changed?

Horoscopes suggestions are a good test. Because the mirror raises and the viewfinder goes dark during exposure, we cannot see if the flash fired or not, not without actually looking around the camera and towards the flash.
 
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karljones

New member
Thanks for your reply. You confirm what I expected.
Yes, the flash has fired perfectly since then.
I can only assume i had changed some setting.
Yes, it seems very strange,
I think one thing I have learned is that I need to be more aware of what I am doing.
Thanks
karl
 

Kevin H

Senior Member
Were you wearing a ball cap?? might sound dumb but I've had my flash not fire cause of it not popping all the way up when wearing a ball cap :D
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
I think one thing I have learned is that I need to be more aware of what I am doing.

I saying that, don’t think you’re the only person who has come to that realization. There’s an entire thread on “oops” moments were we’ve all gotten ahead of ourselves and made some silly mistake because we were fully paying attention.

These are the easiest lessons to learn, and don’t incur an expensive repair bill. ;)


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