84
Taking Photographs—Beyond Point-and-Shoot
The Flash-Ready Light
A short pause is required between exposures for the flash system to charge. If
the shutter-release button is pressed halfway while the flash is charging, the
red light next to the viewfinder will flicker. Remove your finger briefly from
the shutter-release button and try again.
Keep the Flash Window Clear
Keep your fingers and other objects away from the flash window and photo-
cell when using the flash. If a shot seems dark even though the flash fired,
this may indicate that you accidentally blocked the flash window; check that
the flash is unobstructed and try again.
When Lighting Is Poor
When lighting is poor and the flash is off ( ) or set to slow sync ( ), shut-
ter speed slows and photos may be blurred. Use of a tripod is recommended
in these circumstances. At speeds of below
1
/
4
s, the shutter-speed indicator
in the monitor will turn yellow. Mottling (“noise”) may appear in photographs
taken at this speed or slower. To reduce noise, turn noise reduction on ( 128).
Shutter speeds can also be increased by zooming the camera out ( 69), rais-
ing sensitivity (ISO equivalency; 96), selecting an exposure mode of aper-
ture-priority auto and choosing a larger aperture (smaller f/-number; 93),
or selecting shutter-priority auto as the exposure mode and choosing a faster
shutter speed ( 92).
Note that the built-in Speedlight will turn off ( ) automatically when:
•Autofocus is set to “Infinity” ( ; 77)
•An external flash accessory is attached with Auto selected for Speedlight
Opt. > Speedlight Cntrl in the SET-UP menu for User Sets 1, 2, and 3 (
152)
•Any of the following are in effect (User Sets 1, 2, 3): BSS is on ( 112), a
setting other than Single is selected for CONTINUOUS ( 108), a setting
other than Normal is selected in the LENS sub-menu ( 116), On is selected
for the AE Lock option in the EXPOSURE OPTIONS sub-menu ( 118), or
NOISE REDUCTION is set to Clear Image Mode ( 128)