Camera Flash Problem

[DarrenSV650S]

Any camera experts on here?
I have a Fuji finepix F31fd. When I have it on the Auto setting and the flash on it usually works fine. But sometimes it's as if the flash goes off at the wrong time. Some pictures are very dark where the flash has gone off at completely the wrong time. And some are far too exposed so everything is white. Red eye reduction isn't on.

Is there anyway to sort this? Apart from this problem it's a really good camera

Here's the 3 types I get. The curve in the corner is caused by the shadow of the lens

[rictus01]

Not an expert by any means, and given yours is a compact means it's not quiet as straight forword, but having just had a look at the spec, your inbuilt flash has several modes, slow syncro and forced being just two, is it possible the selector is playing up ?

Try using these modes and seeing if you get the same results as you've posted?

you've posted three pictures so I'm prosuming it doesn't do it all the time, do you have to power off the camera to get it back to normal? how many shots before it starts playing up again ?

Cheers Mark.

[DarrenSV650S]

The flash was on the same mode all the time - Auto. So it decides whether the flash is needed or not.
I don't know what syncro is? The flash modes I can select are Auto, Red Eye Reduction, Forced Flash and Suppressed Flash.

Out of 45 pics I just took on Auto setting, of the same shot, 16 were without flash. The over exposed ones don't happen so often.

Just tried a few on Forced flash and sometimes the flash didn't even go off. And again some photo's the flash went off but not at the right time

[TSM]

look on the front, many compact cameras have a small hole at the front of the camera to sense the required flash power and adjust it, i have it on my phone which has xexon flash. If i have it covered the picture is way under exposed even though in the preview it looked fine. The hole seems to control the flash but the camera still meters for the shutter though the view it sees.

[DarrenSV650S]

Originally Posted by TSM

look on the front, many compact cameras have a small hole at the front of the camera to sense the required flash power and adjust it, i have it on my phone which has xexon flash. If i have it covered the picture is way under exposed even though in the preview it looked fine. The hole seems to control the flash but the camera still meters for the shutter though the view it sees.

It has an LED on the front which comes on in dark conditions when it is focusing. The light sensor must be built in to the lens because when I cover the lens and focus, the LED comes on.

[TSM]

Originally Posted by DarrenSV650S

It has an LED on the front which comes on in dark conditions when it is focusing. The light sensor must be built in to the lens because when I cover the lens and focus, the LED comes on.

na not that one, thats focus assist, ive got that but also another one which just looks like a hole

[rictus01]

Originally Posted by DarrenSV650S

.

Out of 45 pics I just took on Auto setting, of the same shot, 16 were without flash. The over exposed ones don't happen so often.

and were these in groups or inbetween shots that worked ( as in two with flash one without then another couple with flash), does delaying the rate of shots make it more reliable ?

[DarrenSV650S]

Originally Posted by TSM

na not that one, thats focus assist, ive got that but also another one which just looks like a hole

The only other holes are for the microphone

[DarrenSV650S]

Originally Posted by rictus01

and were these in groups or inbetween shots that worked ( as in two with flash one without then another couple with flash), does delaying the rate of shots make it more reliable ?

The order seemed pretty random. I tried waiting longer between shots. I tried waiting longer between focusing and actually taking the shot. Didn't seem to affect it

[rictus01]

I take it you are holding it the same way each time ?

if it's a none consistent problem and can't be replicated at will then it's liable to be inside, moden compacts aren't really user serviceable, although it could be something as simple as a dry joint.

Cheers Mark