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Archive 2017 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

dgdg
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Kind of weird behavior I'm not used to seeing with the 5D series.
I have my Canon flash on, it's in auto mode, high speed synch.
I use Aperture or Shutter speed priority which gives me fill flash. (As opposed to Manual mode which uses flash to expose the entire scene).
ISO starts at 400, the default for flash.
I press the set button and turn the dial to manually set the ISO higher, say 800.
When I press the shutter button, the ISO often reverts back to 400.
Hard to reproduce, but if I push the dedicated top iso button and then turn the dial to manually set the ISO, then it stays where I put it. Hence I need to keep checking my ISO during a shoot. I don't trust it.

Anyone else notice off manual iso behavior with flash?

Apr 14, 2017 at 09:28 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

What type of flash? First off you said Auto mode. Depending on your flash it may have both Auto and ETTL. Is it actually in Auto or in ETTL?

The only time I have heard of this is when you use flash in Auto ISO in ETTL. It defaults to 400 because when in ETTL the system needs to have a set ISO during the pre flash to determine correct flash exposure. Maybe something along this line is happening to you.

We need a little more info.

Apr 14, 2017 at 11:59 AM

David Garcia
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Are you using one of your C modes when this is happening?

Apr 14, 2017 at 01:49 PM

jrhoffman75
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

See page 179 of the manual.

Apr 14, 2017 at 02:29 PM

dgdg
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

I'm using a canon 580 ex II in ettl high speed synch, shutter or aperture priority.
It defaults to ISO 400, of course, but can revert back to 400 after I manually set it to something higher.
The manual page doesn't help, I think. Only scenario could be if my manual ISO would result in over exposure and it then forces the ISO back to 400? That being said, when the ISO is higher, image is not over exposed.
Thanks for your suggestions.

Apr 14, 2017 at 02:52 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

That is new one. Maybe it does. I often shot with very high ISO but the cam was in manual. Does it happen in both shutter and aperture priority? I never shot in shutter priority, only aperture and manual. Manual indoors and aperture or manual outdoors.

Apr 14, 2017 at 03:24 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Another thought. Your subjects won't be overexposed when the ISO is at 800 because the flash exposure system via ETTL will adjust output for correct subject exposure. It can go as low as 1/128 duration, it does hit it and does not need to go lower.

Since you are using Aperture or Shutter priority the camera will not compensate the shutter or aperture. For instance in Aperture priority if you select f8 the shutter will be automatically set the shutter to get the ambient meter in the middle. That is for ambient lighting only and has nothing to do with the flash exposure so that will not change.

Aperture or shutter priorities will bring in enough light for a decent exposure. The flash in this mode is often referred to as fill flash. Perhaps as you said it is on the edge. Maybe sometimes it fires at the lowest duration - 1/128th to get the correct flash exposure. Other times if 800 ISO will overexpose and it can't reduce flash duration below 1/128 it will drop the ISO. This is the first time I have heard of what you are describing and perhaps there is a built in fail safe. I have been looking around and I can't find anything on it.

I will crank my ISO way up to bring in more ambient light in a darker venue so ambient better balances with flash. No matter what the ISO is ETTL will compensate the flash for correct subject exposure. I can see this possibly happening in a well lit environment.

Apr 14, 2017 at 04:35 PM

dgdg
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

I'll have to fiddle with it and see if I can isolate a consistent pattern I can reproduce. So far it has only happened during golden hour outdoor photography of people.

Thanks for your thoughts!

David

Apr 14, 2017 at 07:16 PM

dhphoto
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

I don't have a 5D4 but check safety-shift isn't enabled as if you manually set the ISO it should stay there.

One thought though, remember 'exposure compensation' and 'flash exposure compensation' are not linked in any way so you get the correct ambient exposure using Exp Comp and then adjust the fill-in ratio of your flash using the FEC. Once you get it it's easy and very consistent

Apr 19, 2017 at 02:48 AM

Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

The behaviour you describe only really makes sense for Auto ISO, which will force ISO 400 in Av, Tv or P modes or as dhphoto says, if ISO speed safety shift is set, it will override manually set ISO to obtain correct exposure

Apr 19, 2017 at 05:48 AM

dgdg
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Just checked, safety shift is off.
Yeah, I do use flash and exposure comp separately in A or T modes.
I'll keep fiddling to try and isolate.
Thanks

Apr 19, 2017 at 02:57 PM

dgdg
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

OK. Had a chance to experiment today.
The behavior is not related to flash.
Without flash,

If I have ISO set to auto in aperture mode, then
Press and hold the Set button, turn top right dial to change ISO, I can take images with the manually set ISO.
If I stop imaging, the next time I press the shutter button (metering start), ISO goes back to auto value.
If I press the little top right dedicated ISO button and change the ISO, the manually set ISO stays put.
So it seems how I manually change the ISO causes two different behaviors.

Don't recall this with the 5D3. Maybe there is some other setting?

Apr 26, 2017 at 01:23 PM

Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Are you using a C1-C3 setting and have auto update settings turned off. That will cause it to return to registered settings immediately after you have changed it. You can take shot at new settings, but after you release the shutter it will revert back. You need to have auto update settings enabled.

Apr 26, 2017 at 06:09 PM

dgdg
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

No.
I had the mode dial in Aperture today.

Apr 26, 2017 at 08:00 PM

Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

dgdg wrote:
No.
I had the mode dial in Aperture today.

Last idea. On the 5D4 if you have auto ISO set, then manually change the ISO by pressing the SET button and turning top dial your manually set ISO reverts back to auto ISO after metering timer ends. From page 505 I found this. You can avoid this by using the rear QCD dial instead to change ISO, see p506.

If you can't solve this behaviour try a reset of camera or clear custom controls.

Apr 26, 2017 at 08:28 PM

dgdg
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Nuts, that's it. It describes the behavior exactly. Thank you.
I'll look at 506 in the manual and see how to adjust my settings.

Thanks!
David

Apr 26, 2017 at 08:43 PM

Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Canon 5D4 manual ISO setting reverts back to default 400 with flash

Yeah, glad it's solved, I hate these things, but these cameras are so customizable it's easy to forget something you've set. BTW, the 5D3/5Ds manuals do not describe this behaviour, so it's new to 5D4.

Apr 26, 2017 at 09:04 PM


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