Chr8808

iTrader: (1)

Since ive had the XTI about 6 months ago, on Auto setting out of the box, my shots have been very dark. Taking the same shot with a 30D or even a P&S yields decent good shots, but for soem reason, my shots are extremely dark, even witht he flash on. I have been taking everhting in manual mode with 1600 exposure while adjusting the White Balance to keep the shots lighter. I really dont think this is how it should be. Any suggestions?

moeronn

That doesn't sound right at all. What types of shots have you been taking? All indoors? Take a few shots and post, leaving the EXIF data. That will help determine what the problem is.

wndrlst

1600 exposure? Are you referring to the ISO or the shutter speed? Either way, I agree, that it sounds sub-optimal. Also, adjusting white balance won't lighten your photos. It just changes the "warmth" of the photo, essentially.

sixsixfour

post an unedited pic and ill take a look at the EXIF.

Dan Martin

It sounds like you should venture back into Av mode for a while to get use to the exposure settings before venturing into full manual.

White balance is for changing color temperature under various lighting conditions. It doesn't have anything to do with exposure. Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are your three main exposure controls. Flash is one also, but you need to figure the other three out before you'll understand how to balance flash and ambient light.

Chr8808

iTrader: (1)

Here are a couple samples, first one is on full auto with flash. Could the flash be under powered? This is how all my shots are on full auto unless its outdoors under a bright sun. When its overcast, it still comes out dark, with shadows like how this pic is. I was about 3 feet from him when snapping this picture.



This is the pic i shot in manual mode with a 1600 ISO and the adjusted white balance. Since im really new at this, just playing with these smple settings let me get a brighter picture. Not sure what i should be doing but i'll look inot what Dan recommends. I really want my full auto to give me quality prints as i'm not really into adjusting settings after shots when i'm snapping pictures of the kid. I just wanna whip out the camera and catch em for the moment.

Any other suggestions appreciated. TIA

Chr8808

iTrader: (1)

Are those pics good to check the EXIF (i dont know waht that is )

Mizouse

yes its there.

the exif info pretty much tells you what settings you used for the camera, such as aperture, iso, shutter speed, what camera you used, what program you used, whether or not flash was used.. etc.

Dan Martin

There are two ways a camera can use the flash:
1) it can use the flash to be the primary source of light in the scene. This is what you see in photo 1.
2) it can use the ambient light to expose the scene, and just fill in the shadows with the flash. This is called fill flash or fill-in flash because it's a much more gentle flash look. This is what you see in photo 2.

Av and Tv modes will let you use the flash as fill-in light. Auto and P (program) modes will use the flash as the primary source of light. M (manual) mode gives you control to decide the balance between flash and ambient light, but with control comes responsibility.

The two photos you posted demonstrate the control you have with manual mode very clearly. Both shots were at 1/60 and f/4, but by turning up the ISO from 400 in the first shot to ISO 1600 in the second, you have brightened the background by making the camera more sensitive to light. When you increased the ISO by 2 stops, the camera's metering system decreased the flash power by 2 stops, so it is no longer overpowering the scene. The result is a much more natural look.

Balancing flash exposure to ambient lighting is a tricky subject, but to get you started, try this:
-Switch to manual mode.
-When shooting still objects or people sitting, use 1/60 or faster shutter speed. When shooting moving things, try 1/160 or faster.
-Keep the aperture set as wide as possible (i.e. the lowest number it can go)
-Use the ISO setting to control how bright or dark the background is.

In reality, you can use either the shutter speed, aperture value, ISO, or flash power to control the balance, but sticking to just one control for now is a good idea until you figure out the pros and cons to each setting.