Yes. Just set the flash to Manual using the Fn button menu. That's
how mine's set. The flash will only be enabled when you press the
button to open it manually. I've never had it set to anything
else... ;-)
When the shutter speed drops below a threshold (still don't know
whether it's focal length sensitive or not...), the camera will light
the flash warning at the bottom of the viewfinder as a suggestion.
It's barely visible, certainly not annoying, and serves as a helpful
reminder if you're not paying attention to explicit shutter speed to
hold the camera steadily.
With the DS, if you mount a manual focus lens and have the focus mode
set to AF, the shutter will not release unless the focus confirmation
system thinks it's in focus and lights the green confirmation
indicator at the bottom of the viewfinder. Easy to ignore it and
defeat the problem: just flip the switch to MF and ignore the
indicator light. I often turn off the focus point indicator too when
using a manual focus lens as it will always indicate focus on the
center point, that's in the Custom Settings menu, "Superimpose AF
area"...
The DS has a number of things when set to its "idiot mode" defaults
to help a novice from not making exposures accidentally that will be
crappy. Luckily, each and every one of them can be turned off easily,
and they stay that way.
Godfrey
"Have I said how much I like this camera today?" :-)
BTW:
The FA35/2 is a super match to the DS ... Speed, size and weight are
perfect for a normal lens. The AF is very quick and sure, and its
imaging qualities are superb. On manual focus, it has a light,
smooth, sure feel, and is contrasty enough to snap in and out of
focus beautifully. I'm very glad I bought this lens, it is a perfect
complement to the FA20-35 and F50/1.7.
(I'm sure the FA28/2.8 is too, for a wide-normal focal length. I'm
tempted to just order one of those as well. Sigh ... lens acquisition
greed strikes again.)
On Aug 23, 2005, at 5:50 PM, Shel Belinkoff wrote:
Yikes! Belinkoff is asking a question about flash?!? What's the
world
coming to?
Well, actually I'm asking a question about not using flash. Can
flash use
be turned off absolutely with the istDS? My concern is that there
may be
some circumstances where the camera will decide flash is
appropriate and
that the flash will go off automatically, or, barring that, the camera
won't fire at all. IOW, if I'm using the camera in one mode or
another,
and decide to not use flash, will the camera will allow me to
underexpose
to whatever degree i want without annoying me with the flash
popping up or
sending me a distracting message or, worst of all, refusing to fire
because
the chosen exposure is outside some parameter or other.
The main reason I ask is that I saw someone using another brand of
DSLR and
the camera refused to fire at all because of some parameter being
wrong
(and I think it was because the camera decided the exposure needed
flash).
I want to always be able to make an exposure regardless of how
wrong it may
be, and to make that exposure without any interference from the
camera.
