Does your LCD screen flash when focusing with the R5?

I noticed whenever the R5 uses the focus assist beam or has trouble focusing the viewfinder or LCD screen flashes bright white for a moment before the picture is taken.  There is no white flash if the beam does not fire or there is plenty of light.

Can you guys please confirm this is normal behavior?  Why the white flash?

Really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

PMUK wrote:

Nephi wrote:

I noticed whenever the R5 uses the focus assist beam or has trouble focusing the viewfinder or LCD screen flashes bright white for a moment before the picture is taken. There is no white flash if the beam does not fire or there is plenty of light.

Can you guys please confirm this is normal behavior? Why the white flash?

Really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

Hi Nephi,

Yes, my R5 exhibits similar behaviour - not necessarily ‘a flash’, but more of a momentary brightening of the image in the EVF/ on the display. (I don’t know for sure, but I suspect it’s the camera opening up the aperture to assist with acquiring focus, with this change being reflected by the exposure simulation - it’s certainly not a fault/ problem with your camera).

Phil

I notice the same exact thing and suspect the same (some internal camera adjustment)

Nephi wrote:

I noticed whenever the R5 uses the focus assist beam or has trouble focusing the viewfinder or LCD screen flashes bright white for a moment before the picture is taken. There is no white flash if the beam does not fire or there is plenty of light.

Can you guys please confirm this is normal behavior? Why the white flash?

Really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

Have you got exposure simulation turned on?

As I haven’t seen this on mine, as far as I can remember, and that’s turned off?

It is normal to flash because the camera is focusing and for that it will open the diagragm of the lens and raise the iso for better focusing.

Cristi CC wrote:

It is normal to flash because the camera is focusing and for that it will open the diagragm of the lens and raise the iso for better focusing.

Is it normal. I don’t see it with tracking auto focus with servo on but only with spot single shot mode. It is distracting. Is there some way to disable it?

What focus modes are you seeing it in?

I have it too on the R6 when pointing at dark objects and then pressing the shutter button halfway. Disabling Exp.sim does not make sense.
I have it on the 6D too when filming while pressing the AF-ON button and that is recorded on the video
So I tried filming with the R6 and pressing the shutter button halfway or pressing the AF-ON button, but it did not brighten at all, so it only happens on photo mode and dark objects.

Yes I have the same and find it a bit annoying. I did not see that on Nikons Z series or the Fuji XT-3.

It happens in all shooting modes and even if I am at open aperture and high Iso at full manual. So it cannot be the camera opening the aperture further.

Most recent firwmare on body and lens.

Nope I’m still not seeing this phenomenon on either the R6 or R5?

Chris_Chapterten wrote:

Cristi CC wrote:

It is normal to flash because the camera is focusing and for that it will open the diagragm of the lens and raise the iso for better focusing.

The lens is always wide open when focusing on Canon mirrorless cameras. Yes the camera is brightening the image to acquire focus but the aperture of the lens is not changing when this occurs.

If that is the explanation, everybody would see it.

I saw this the other day and it freaked me out - I had changed my "Lens Drive When AF Impossible" setting to OFF instead of ON - and I think it was an alert that it couldn't find focus.  I switched back and it's stopped happening
There's a lot of old posts and threads that you are resurrecting here

Lars wrote:

Chris_Chapterten wrote:

Cristi CC wrote:

It is normal to flash because the camera is focusing and for that it will open the diagragm of the lens and raise the iso for better focusing.

The lens is always wide open when focusing on Canon mirrorless cameras. Yes the camera is brightening the image to acquire focus but the aperture of the lens is not changing when this occurs.

If that is the explanation, everybody would see it.

Exactly! I’ve yet to see it myself and I’ve tried in very low light situations as well?

JamieTux wrote:

I saw this the other day and it freaked me out - I had changed my "Lens Drive When AF Impossible" setting to OFF instead of ON - and I think it was an alert that it couldn't find focus. I switched back and it's stopped happening

I tried that - that setting makes no difference for me.

CWaterston wrote:

JamieTux wrote:

There's a lot of old posts and threads that you are resurrecting here

Often I visit the forum by means of a google search on a particular topic. If the thread is old, I see how old, and then I weigh that against how relevant the information still is or could be. If the possible benefit to someone from updated information outweighs any concerns that some might have about seeing a thread that passed out of sight a while ago, then I add the information or respond.

I never understood, by the way, anyone's objection to responding to an "older" thread with new information or follow-on observations. Isn't that why forums are valuable over, say, social medial snippets and why threads aren't automatically locked after a certain period of time goes by?

I was weighing the up as I was responding - I agree it's good to keep the data together.  I guess I commented as for someone new to this particular forum I was finding it odd that there were so many multi-moth or older threads surfaced near the top.  But it was a genuine smile I posted.
Anyway - did the info on the focus box help?

Has anyone found the cause for this yet?