Dark flash photos with Rebel 2000 and 420Ex

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Hi

I have been facing a problem with my Rebel 2000 and 420EX. Most of the time it gives dark photos with fill in flash. I am sure that the distance between the objects and camera was within the recommented range. I had a 220EX and had the same problem, then I thought it would be because of low powered 220EX and changed it to 420EX and still the problems persists. I am here in this forum because I want to find out few things before I take my camera to service center.

1. Is it because I am not getting correct exposure in those scenes? Is there anything that exposure can do with flash photography?

2. I tried using the FEL feature and still the same. Most of the photos that I got dark are taken in low light situations like indoor rooms, restaurents with dim light etc.

I have found out few questions in other forums that says about underexposure and flash problems of canon's other EOS models. That made me to think in that way and also compared my photographs with photographs that other rebel2000 users taken. I could find out a major difference especially in flash photos.

Thanks for your comments

-- George Mathew (george_mathew2k@yahoo.com), January 11, 2002

Answers

fill-in flash is used to fill in shadows in a scene. the camera and your 420EX flash will do this automatically. your exposure (shutter speed and apeture) will determine how bright or dark a scene is overall. the flash will shine just enough to fill in where needed. if you use P mode it will by defalt set your shutter speed and apeture to get the best ambient lighting exposure yet maintain handholding shutter speeds. this means that if it is dark the camera won't use a shutter speed lower than 1/30 (depends on length of lens) thus in some cases underexposing the picture. it compensates by using more flash power, which usually gives you a picture with a bright subject but extremely dark background. basically, in order to use "fill-in" flash to make a scene look more balanced, you need to have an accurate exposure before you start working with the flash. modes that meter for ambient light first and flash second are Av, Tv, and M. there are many websites i'm sure people will mention that explain this more clearly than i do. good luck!

-- Jeff Nakayama (moonduck22@hotmail.com), January 11, 2002.

Fill-in flash is used to lighten shadows in order to reduce contrast and render a more pleasing image. When you use Av or Tv modes, the camera meters for ambient light and fills in the shadows with flash. To look natural, the level of flash is low as not to overpower the background light. Thus, the image doesn't look much like a flash picture, i.e., the subject and background are evenly lit. If you want more pop, just dial in + .5 or 1 stop of flash compensation.

Like Jeff said, P mode is better if you want the "flash look" automatically. Below 10 EV, P mode or Full Auto use the flash as the main light and allow the background to be underexposed.

Are your slides too dark? Or, are your negatives too thin? Most of the people I know that thought they were having underexposure problems were actually experiencing poor quality control at their photo lab. You can't tell much from prints except how good your lab is. If you want to know for sure, shoot a roll of slide film and examine the images on a light table with a loupe. If they look good, you have a crappy lab/printer and a good camera. If they're underexposed, Canon Service centers await your arrival.

The Elan II uses the same E-TTL flash system as your Rebel. Check the E-TTL FAQ on this site, it will answer many of your questions:

http://bobatkins.photo.net/info/faq30/flashfaq.htm

Good Luck,

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), January 11, 2002.


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