The built-in flash fires brief burst of flashes and a noise is audile before shooting (EOS 70D)

Under low-light conditions, when you press the shutter button halfway, the built-in flash may fire a brief burst of flashes. It illuminates the subject to enable easier autofocusing. Additionally, a noise may be audible when the AF-assist beam fires. This is not a malfunction.

When the camera’s shooting mode is set to a Creative Zone mode, the AF-assist beam can be disabled.

The procedure for disabling the AF-assist beam is explained below.

1. Set the camera’s power switch to <ON>.

2. Set the Mode Dial to Creative Zone mode.

3. Press the <MENU> button to display the menu screen.

4. Under the [ ] tab, select [C.Fn II: Autofocus], then press <>.

5. Press the < > key to select [5], and then press <>.

6. Press the < > key to select [1: Disable], then press <>.

7. Press the <MENU> button to return to the screen shown below.

8. Press the <MENU> button again to return to the shooting screen.