*ist DS + AF280T or AF400FTZ & Redeye reduction

The manual for my istDS states that redeye reduction does not work with the AF400FTZ and it doesn't list the AF280T but . . . I have just tested my istDS & AF400FTZ combo and redeye reduction does actually seem to work OK in that the initial short redeye reducing flash fires, then the frame is taken and the flash also fires. The image looks great too although I have no redeyed subjects available to test it on. I have discovered accidentally that the AF280T works with redeye reduction as well if I turn off the Finder A check switch.

I have just tried my AF400FTZ on my MZ-6, a combination which, according to the manual, also shouldn't be able to do redeye reduce . . . but it does.

Perhaps I'm missing something here and the redeye disfunction has more to do with flash to lens distance being too great rather than the cameras inability.

Does anybody else have either combination to confirm my results ? or,
If I'm totally wrong, could somebody please educate me.

Thanks, Pete Smith.

Just a guess... you may find that the red-eye reduction preflash may, in some cases, completely discharge the flash so there won't be enough charge left for the "real" flash. I suspect that red-eye 'aware' flash guns handle this specially.

Might be worth testing in a situation where a lot of light is needed to see if it expends itself on the redeye burst
Matt