Flash fires but image shows no flash?

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I bought a couple of inexpensive Neewer flashes to use occasionally (camera club etc). I tried one of them out of the box on-camera to test the in-camera menus (Canon EOS M5) and E TTL functions. All seemed to work well together with flash and camera communicating seamlessly. I then tried a few indoor test shots and got very mixed results, using bounce flash in ETTL. Some of the shots were exposed correctly, some the flash did not fire and came out near black (ambient exposure turned way down for test) and some where the flash fired but the image didn't show this, i.e. the exposure was the same for no flash (black). I have no problem with the flash not firing at all as the test batteries were alkaline and not brand new, so there's a good chance I was shooting before the flash recycled. But i'm unsure as the why the flash would fire but not expose. I have a theory that perhaps the batteries had enough power for the pre-flash, which is what I saw, but the main flash didn't fire hence the black exposure.

Once I have my main batteries recharged I can give the flash a proper test but in the interim has anyone else experienced similar issues?

Thanks
 
The problem with Neewer products is that they don't make them, everything is re-branded, which means that we don't know which flashes they actually are, so just guesswork at this stage.

One possibility, as you say, is the batteries. Another may be your camera settings, I can't help wondering whether you have your camera on some sort of auto setting that sometimes sets the shutter speed too high, which could give the "no flash" effect - but not likely when used indoors.
 
Flash firing but not exposing could be down to bounce distances. If the flash is ready there should be enough power to give the required output if that's within the capabilities of the model. Yesterday I did some shooting using on Camera bounce but did manage to have some "holes" in the bounce surface resulting in under exposure
 
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One possibility, as you say, is the batteries. Another may be your camera settings, I can't help wondering whether you have your camera on some sort of auto setting that sometimes sets the shutter speed too high, which could give the "no flash" effect - but not likely when used indoors.
Gary, it's guesswork from both the flash and myself (not being a flash user). I checked the instructions and made sure all flash settings were correct for on camera ettl. I was using manual mode with shutter at 1/125. I think I had the aperture around f5.6 and ISO set to maybe 400 or 800. I wanted to make sure the ambient was black so that I would know what the flash was doing.

Flash firing but not exposing could be down to bounce distances. If the flash is ready there should be enough power to give the required output if that's within the capabilities of the model. Yesterday I did some shooting using on Camera bounce but did manage to have some "holes" in the bounce surface resulting in under exposure
Soeren, it was in a small room (my kitchen) and I was less than 5 ft from the subject and about 6 foot from the ceiling. Given the intermittent (sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't) nature of the problem, I'm hoping it is the batteries.
 
Intermittent firing is also symptomatic of poor/dirty hot-shoe contacts.
 
I .....some where the flash fired but the image didn't show this, i.e. the exposure was the same for no flash (black).

Thanks

My only thought on this one is if the flash fired but you got a dark picture, did you increase the shutter speed beyond the sync speed? Did you make any changes to the camera between shots?
 
I think the OP stated he was using 1/125 s. for shutter speed so that should be ok.
I have noticed in the past that a shutter and flash did not fire in sync.
I was doing some flash work using Godox flashes and a transmitter for a Nikon Camera, when we put the transmitter onto a friend's Canon it all appeared to work ok but pictures were dark. We had to adjust the sync delay to get it to work
 
My only thought on this one is if the flash fired but you got a dark picture, did you increase the shutter speed beyond the sync speed? Did you make any changes to the camera between shots?
No changes between shots.

I have noticed in the past that a shutter and flash did not fire in sync.
This is exactly what I was thinking initially, but I can't find anywhere on camera that would account for this or let me amend settings which would fix this. Also, the intermittent nature sort of ruled this out again, as in it would work for one shot, then the next shot a few seconds later with no changes would flash, but come out black. I did buy some off camera transmitters/ receivers which when the flash was off camera and on manual mode worked perfectly. It was only ETTL on camera I have the issue with.
 
Some cameras have a pre-flash setting which sometimes confuses external flashes, causing them to fire momentially too soon, which gives impression of flash having fires, but the resulting image looks correctly exposed for a normal non-flash shot.
I'm not explaining myself well, I know...


Edit: Some cameras have a red-eye reduction mode which fires the flash once to contract pupils and then again during the actual exposure.
 
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^^^^ Sounds like a pre-flash seting them off early to me. Been there done that haha!
 
Is the flash mode s1 or s2, if s2 it may be flashing after the camera has taken the shot?
 
Were the second set of tests shot on camera or off camera?
Mike the prob is when flash is on camera on ettl.

Some cameras have a pre-flash setting which sometimes confuses external flashes, causing them to fire momentially too soon, which gives impression of flash having fires, but the resulting image looks correctly exposed for a normal non-flash shot.
I'm not explaining myself well, I know...


Edit: Some cameras have a red-eye reduction mode which fires the flash once to contract pupils and then again during the actual exposure.
Andrew i will check for red eye reduction. But it could be as u say either preflash or red eye flash tricking camera to thinking flash isnt needed.

^^^^ Sounds like a pre-flash seting them off early to me. Been there done that haha!
Oy i know what you mean but its not triggering off camera flash, just single flash issue attahed to camera.

Is the flash mode s1 or s2, if s2 it may be flashing after the camera has taken the shot?
Moz its in Ettl.
 
borrow another flash preferably a canon and try again
i never buy 3rd party for my camera i like to stick with
the manufacturers brand never had any problem yet
 
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