I'm not the best photographer in the world, and this is really upsetting me because my camera is almost useless to me in less than ideal lighting.
Whenever I take pictures in a situation that requires the flash, my pictures turn out very inconsistent. Most of the time the whites (even just the lighter colours) in the photo shine and reflect like crazy. But then I take the exact same photo again, the flash goes, but the picture turns out almost black! I only get a good shot that isnt too bright or too dark about 25% of the time. No matter what settings i change, this is always the same.
If anyone can help me I'd appreciate it, because this is really frustrating and I'm quite upset about it.
Aperture Range: f2.8-7.1(W), f5.2-13(T) Flash Effective Range: ISO Auto: 6" to 13' 8" (0.2-4.2m) (W), ISO 1000: 2' 7" to 24' (0.8-7.3m) (W)
So, when zoomed in the lens opened up is either f7.1 or f13 (!). That's slow, slow, slow. Bleh.
They won't list a proper Guide Number rating which tells me something right there. It's a bittly little flash, to is not too powerful. What you are seeing is typical of an on-camera weak flash: blown highlights nearby and inky darkness just past that. This is why the pros and serious amateurs get those great big flashes and put them up on clunky brackets.
P&S digital cameras just don't do too well in less-than-optimal lighting. It's the nature of the beast. Probably not what you wanted to hear, but that's the reality.
If you really want to make effective use of the available light, try boosting the ISO to the max. I believe that one goes all the way to ISO 1000. This will enable your camera to capture images in low light. The drawback is digital noise, but it can be fixed using aftermarket image editing software. This will also help the flash be more effective, unless it self adjusts for reciprocity. Try it and see.
The same rubbish happens no matter what mode I use it on.
I have thought about getting rid of it. It's just disappointing though... I'm a uni student so I don't have the money to throw around at new cameras. All I want is some decent pictures for my photo album and I cant even get that out of something that cost me $400... what a shame.
