Bill Owens wrote: >Apparently the Optio S uses a flash system similar to the MZ-S. In normal >flash mode there are 2 quick flashed and in red eye reduction there are >three. Has Pentax been able to get a flash sensor inside something this >small?
I don't know how the MZ-S flash works, but I can confirm the number of flashes from the Optio S. Is it using the first flash to meter the scene, and the second (with duration modified appropriately) to make the exposure? I wonder if a seperate flash sensor is required. Can it not just use the CCD? This weekend I used my Optio S to take some flash pictures in dim light, and I have to say that I was very disappointed with the results. Nearly everything was badly underexposed, to the point where I don't expect it to be salvagable. I had checked the flash range specs in the manual, and I knew I was working right at the limit (perhaps a little bit beyond it :-). I think my mistake was to leave the camera set on 'Auto' ISO: While the flash ranges are specified at 200, it seems that the camera saw fit to choose 100 ISO for these pictures. I would have hoped to have spotted the problem straight away on the LCD, but it seems that this can give a rather optimistic interpretation of underexposed images. The histograms do show what was going on, but I wasn't looking at them. I will, next time. I think I know what I need to do to avoid these problems next time. (It may involve an LX and fast film). Any other tips, or GIMP/Photoshop recovery techniques, will be gratefully received. Unfortunately the event, a christening, is unlikely to be repeated. Steve.
