Hi all, does anyone know if it is possible to turn the 550D's internal flash down with a manual output setting? You can on the 7D, I'm not sure if this is possible on the 550D.

Alex

I've got a T2i and I have not found a way to do this either. It would be nice to help the internal flash recycle faster.

Yes, it has both a "Manual Flash" setting, and FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation) of +- 2 stops.

Manual is here:

http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/9/0300003169/0...s550d-im-en.pdf

Search for "Manual Flash".

-- Martin

Hi both, it looks like that is only available for external flash, not for the camera's built-in flash

The 7D you can minimise the internal flash output for instant recharge. Looks like ETTL is fixed on the 550D when the camera's flash is in the raised position.

Alex

Yeah, I missed the external flash part. Still, you can adjust the internal flash down two stops with FEC.

-- Martin

Thanks Martin

Thanks all. I have this problem. Canon's response is that the 550D is less feature rich than the 7D and thus the option is simply not available.
I've got the flash power dialed down to it's lowest setting but I'm still having major issues with "Busy" messages from the camera.
If I cant confidently hack the firmware to enable the feature, I may resort to switching the flash off toward the end of each dive and start shooting natural light subjects instead!