Why does using the flash on my kodak easyshare c613 camera in low light situations give darker pictures?

Question

I get better pictures by turning the flash off. I'm talking about anything indoors, and pictures taken around dusk outdoors. Am I doing something wrong?

Answer 1

The built in flash on your camera is very weak. It can properly illuminate a subject within 2 meters of camera (that's 6.5ft). Therefore if your subject is farther away than that, it will not be properly illuminated.

But even if your main subject (say a person) is well within the flash range - the rest of the room isn't. So the main subject may be illuminated properly, the overall impression will be dark.

When you photograph without flash - camera uses longer shutter speed to expose the entire scene correctly. The drawback is a chance for motion blur, if you move your camera during the exposition. If you do have steady hands or a tripod though, you should get a better result in somewhat dim conditions.

Another possibility - a person in front of the dark scene (say city skyline). Some cameras have modes for front-curtain and rear-curtain synchronization. Check your manual if your camera has it. It will then expose correctly for the city scene, but will also fire a flash to highlight the person up front. If it's first curtain (most common) the flash will fire as soon as shutter opens. If it's rear curtain (used for specific effects on moving objects) the flash will fire just before closing the shutter.

Hope this will help you,

LEM.