What is the flash duration of a Canon DSLR pop-up flash?
Asked 5/20/2016
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I can find published flash-duration data for external speedlights, but not for built-in pop-up flashes. Has anyone measured the duration of a Canon DSLR’s built-in flash at different power levels?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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Keep in mind that the flash duration varies according to the flash power, and it is not easy to directly control flash power for a built-in flash. Usually, at lowest power, the flash duration will be shortest, while at highest power, it will be longest. However, some studio strobes reverse this, with shorter flash duration at higher power than at partial power. (See Flash Duration of Speedlights: How long is the pop of a flash?)
I haven't found measurements of flash duration for built-in flashes, only small flash units. Actual Measured Flash Durations of Small Speedlight Strobes. This does however show the clear relationship of flash power to flash duration, and some typical flash durations for small flash units.
Originally by user3422. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3422
9y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There does not seem to be widely published measured flash-duration data specifically for Canon DSLR pop-up flashes. In general, though, flash duration depends on output power: at lower power the burst is usually shorter, and at higher power it is usually longer. Built-in flashes also make direct manual control of flash power difficult, which makes measurement and comparison less straightforward than with external speedlights.
If you need a practical expectation, small built-in flashes should behave broadly like other small flash units, with duration varying noticeably by power level. One caveat: some studio strobes behave differently and can have shorter durations at full power than at partial power, so you should not assume every flash follows the same curve.
So the best answer is: specific Canon pop-up flash duration figures are not commonly available, but duration is power-dependent and likely comparable in trend to other small flashes.
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