h00ligan Posted December 20, 2009 Share #1 Posted December 20, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Tonight I was at a family Xmas party - and the choices were blurred photos with grain issues, or flash burned subjects and bad shadowing. First - Since i've owned the d-lux 4 for about 3 days, can anyone tell me if I can set flash strength level? I've looked to the manual to no avail... must be missing it if it's there. Second - is there a compact flash that suits this camera and is directional? It looks like the lx3 and leica flashes are not directional and therefor i'm not sure they really solve this problem. I know i can't expect studio lighting, and I am a complete novice, but I would really like to find an answer to the problems of moving subjects indoor with crappy lighting and super brighted burned out subjects casting horrible shadows. As a beginner, am I missing a major step, or is this a problem for everyone? Ever since i stopped trying to just take snapshots, indoor pics captured in dim lighting or with a built in flash just look like garbage to me. Thanks for the feedback, i'm extremely frustrated at how poor my photos tonight turned out (most likely totally my fault). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 20, 2009 Posted December 20, 2009 Hi h00ligan, Take a look here Built in flashes suck!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted December 20, 2009 Share #2 Posted December 20, 2009 Yes, you will be able to turn down (or up) the flash strength I only have access to a DLux-3, but the 4 will be the same. There's a button on the back at the control area with a +/- icon. Push that twice and you can adjust the flash strength Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chf Posted December 20, 2009 Share #3 Posted December 20, 2009 Maybe take another look at the manual. You will find all information you need there. (Page 38) All Olympus/Panasonic FT system flash should work on the D-Lux 4, I tried it with Metz and Olympus and those worked fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted December 20, 2009 Share #4 Posted December 20, 2009 Here's a link to the respective manual page that I posted some time ago. http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/digital-forum/87140-flash-output-adjustment-d-lux4.html#post937027 Many owners tend to set the flash output to -1/3 or -2/3, according to personal preference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffster Posted December 20, 2009 Share #5 Posted December 20, 2009 If you use Intelligent Iso, you can let it go up to ISO400, combine that with a steady hand and there's no need for flash. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 20, 2009 Share #6 Posted December 20, 2009 Or buy an old Digilux 2; it has a built in flash which possesses a bounce setting which is perfect for domestic situations giving very natural results. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted December 20, 2009 Share #7 Posted December 20, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) With the D2 and its flash in "bounce" position one must use the camera horizontally and take note of the color and distance of the surface which the light will "bounce" against. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted December 20, 2009 Thanks very much for the thoughts and manual reference, sorry to take up space with such a basic question that has been answered before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveleo Posted December 20, 2009 Share #9 Posted December 20, 2009 small on-camera flashes that can't be tilted and twisted (to bounce) suck and always will suck. my opinions is *if you MUST use this kind of flash* (like the DL4/LX3) drop the shutter speed as low as you can stand, open the lens as much as you can (this will use as much of the ambient light as possible), drop flash EV down one f-stop (minimize the flash strength) and learn to accept your sad fate. if you want to avoid the color issue with mixed lighting, go B&W. i have personally NEVER taken an acceptable direct flash (not bounced) image indoors. (outdoor fill-flash is another topic) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted December 20, 2009 I can certainly agree I've never taken a direct flash photo that i didn't think sucked. Thank you for your advice on how to partially combat the problem. I think my issue is that this really is a new hobby for me - and I am trying to learn as much as I can as fast as I can - the willingness of users such as yourself to take a few moments to offer advice and tips is greatly appreciated. I have been reading a couple of good books, however they seems to move a bit randomly and I'll probably have to read through them thoroughly a few times. I would love to see the lx3 or leica flash for this camera have the ability to bounce, and maybe they can, but the photos I have seen look just like a bigger direct flash (which presumably could amplify my issues. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_d Posted December 20, 2009 Share #11 Posted December 20, 2009 Another trick is to leave the flash power on high so it is there when you need it and use your finger to cover part of the flash to reduce the flash output when necessary. Covering half of the flash is about a 1 stop decrease and it takes only a second. I do this with my PS because I hate fiddling with buttons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister X Posted December 20, 2009 Share #12 Posted December 20, 2009 Yes they do, and unless you're a fan of the "snapshot" aesthetic, low light situations will always be challenging. While situations vary widely, I find the best compromise for me is to steady the camera as much as possible (monopod, lean on a wall, camera on bookshelf w/self timer etc), no more than ISO 800 and correct shadows in post processing. The DL4 works admirably for me in low light. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted December 20, 2009 Yes they do, and unless you're a fan of the "snapshot" aesthetic, low light situations will always be challenging. While situations vary widely, I find the best compromise for me is to steady the camera as much as possible (monopod, lean on a wall, camera on bookshelf w/self timer etc), no more than ISO 800 and correct shadows in post processing. The DL4 works admirably for me in low light. I am new to post processing and will have to see how noise reduction does - decent little test project to try while learning. Thanks for the input. as for the finger lighting, i have very long thin fingers and when i tried this before the flash shot through my finger and added a pink tone! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted December 20, 2009 Share #14 Posted December 20, 2009 A piece of aluminium foil can be fashioned into a disposable reflector to bounce flash off the ceiling or walls. If you don't carry aluminium foil (who does? ) then find a smoker and ask them for the foil out of their cigarette packet instead. If you're lucky they might have a packet with gold foil which will add a 'golden glow'. Even a chocolate wrapper can be effective. You might need a little practice to get the size and angle of paper and the flash strength right but the results should be much better than direct flash for very little cost. Another easy trick is to drape a white paper tissue over the flash as a make-shift diffuser. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share #15 Posted December 21, 2009 reminds me of the lightscoop.com product! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpitt Posted December 21, 2009 Share #16 Posted December 21, 2009 With my D2 I do prefer fotos without flash. If you have to you use direct flash, you could try out a bit of scotch tape on the flash. You can make the light softer by using a yellow or orange marker. I picked this up from Thorsten Overgaard, and it seems to work for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share #17 Posted December 21, 2009 So marker over the tape, then stick the tape to the flash? Sounds like it's worth a try! I have been experimenting with settings as others have posted here with much better results - I really should have shot the party at iso 400-800 + wide lens as suggested and skipped the flash. That's the great thing I can take 1000 photos of absolutely nothing digitally - just to get to know the cam, and it costs nothing and nobody has to see them! I really just wish that there were more cameras out with proper knobs - which is why the digilux 2 seems so appealing to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveleo Posted December 21, 2009 Share #18 Posted December 21, 2009 That's the great thing I can take 1000 photos of absolutely nothing digitally - just to get to know the cam, and it costs nothing and nobody has to see them! you have uncovered a great secret of the great photographers .... shoot 100 images, torch 99 and show everyone the one best image :D :D (i have many drawers full of negatives and slides *no-one* will ever see) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h00ligan Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share #19 Posted December 22, 2009 I showed my gf some photos taken with the d-lux 4 and her comment was "wow they look really different than your other camera - everything looks.. i dunno... more colorful and deeper" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
regedit Posted December 22, 2009 Share #20 Posted December 22, 2009 and now you discover the second secret of photographers - good pictures impress [girls] or whoever you want to impress .... you are on the right lane ..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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