Weird clanking sound from 40D when using Live View AND Flash

I'm getting a weird mechanical clanking sound from my 40D when I'm using Live View AND (internal or external) flash. The sound occurs when I have taken and previewed the picture and camera goes back to the Live View -mode. It sounds like the mirror (or shutter) is doing something, althought not like the regular mirror sound. When I'm not using the flash, there is no extra sounds! Weird...

Can you confirm if this is a normal behaviour from 40D? Why does this happen only when using flash?

I'm not sure if this has been going on since I got the camera. I remember I have heard this sound before but now I have isolated this to be Live View + Flash related "problem".

Ps. I'm using the newest firmware v1.0.5.

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Antti P.

Can you record the sound it's making somehow? Maybe through a mobile phone or a microphone on your computer?

It's hard to know what sound you are describing

Cheers,

David

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http://www.pbase.com/hogster/eos40d

Hogster said:

Can you record the sound it's making somehow? Maybe through a mobile
phone or a microphone on your computer?
It's hard to know what sound you are describing
Cheers,
David

Click to expand...

I can try to record a sample tonight.

You have a 40D. Haven't you noticed a weird sound when using Live View with flash?

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Antti P.

Just tried it and I get no sounds at all after taking a shot with LV and internal flash.

Are you sure its nothing to do with AF? (I'm using * to focus)

I guess its still under Warranty so you could either send it to Canon now or wait till just before the Warranty runs out.

EvanDavies said:

Just tried it and I get no sounds at all after taking a shot with LV
and internal flash.

Are you sure its nothing to do with AF? (I'm using * to focus)

I guess its still under Warranty so you could either send it to Canon
now or wait till just before the Warranty runs out.

Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for the confirmation.

No it's not mirror sound occuring from auto focusing (I'm using AF-ON to focus). It seems that there is something else wrong with my camera.

Fortunately I have plenty of warranty left. I think I'll have to get my camera repaired during the spring time.

The quality of todays products sucks. I have bought 4 Canon lenses to my 40D and 3 of them had calibration issues

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Antti P.

The mirror must flop down briefly to allow for the measurement of the "pre flash" pulse when using flash with LV. The only way around that is to use an external flash set to manual mode so that you don't get a pre-flash. You cannot use FEL during live-view, so that won't help in this case.

I think you may be just hearing that extra mirror actuation that's associated with the pre-flash measurement by the ETTL system.

Something that everyone needs to keep in mind about LV is that if you use ETTL flash, you lose a lot of the "quietness" that you normally would gain by using LV because you are forcing the camera to flop the mirror down to perform the metering of the ETTL pre-flash pulse.

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Jim H.

JimH said:

The mirror must flop down briefly to allow for the measurement of the
"pre flash" pulse when using flash with LV. The only way around that
is to use an external flash set to manual mode so that you don't get
a pre-flash. You cannot use FEL during live-view, so that won't help
in this case.

I think you may be just hearing that extra mirror actuation that's
associated with the pre-flash measurement by the ETTL system.

Something that everyone needs to keep in mind about LV is that if you
use ETTL flash, you lose a lot of the "quietness" that you normally
would gain by using LV because you are forcing the camera to flop the
mirror down to perform the metering of the ETTL pre-flash pulse.

--
Jim H.

Click to expand...

I'm getting the sound before I take a new picture, just at the moment I get the Live View image back to the LCD-screen. AFAIK, in the Live View -mode, the mirror should be already up after the camera's sensor has recorded the previous picture.

I'll try it with external flash in manual mode to narrow down the possibilities.

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Antti P.

And it does it just the same even if I'm using an external flash in "M" mode. But, of course, the rest of the sequence is quieter with the external flash in "M" because you don't get the extra mirror drop/raise for the ETTL pre-flash metering.

That may be the opening of the shutter to prepare for live view again. It's as if they delay that until right before they resume live view when you're shooting with flash, but they do it immediately after the shot when you're not using flash.

I need to think about this, but mine doesn't sound "bad". It's just a fairly quiet sound as if it is the shutter opening. Is yours a loud and "bad" sound?

If not, then I think you camera is OK because mine makes a noise then too.

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Jim H.

JimH said:

I need to think about this, but mine doesn't sound "bad". It's just
a fairly quiet sound as if it is the shutter opening. Is yours a
loud and "bad" sound?

If not, then I think you camera is OK because mine makes a noise then
too.

--
Jim H.

Click to expand...

Good to hear! Maybe it's a normal sound then. Though EvanDavies did not get the sound. EvanDavies, are you using firmware v1.0.5?

To my ears it sounds semi-bad. It sounds like a mirror or a shutter tries to operate and it fails. Though, the volume is quite quiet.

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Antti P.

In the manual on page 111 on the bottom of the live view section

“When flash is used , there will be two shutter sounds, but only one shot will be taken”

Mine makes the same noise so I checked the manual

hillclimber said:

In the manual on page 111 on the bottom of the live view section

“When flash is used , there will be two shutter sounds, but only one
shot will be taken”

Mine makes the same noise so I checked the manual

Click to expand...

Ok, my camera is normal. Maybe I also should've done as it is said: RTFM

Thanks to everyone for resolving this "issue".

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Antti P.

The silent mode settings are ignored when using a flash.
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Anders