FUJI FinePix 6900 Zoom

Dear Sirs,

I have recently purchased a new FUJI FinePix 6900 Zoom digital camera and encountering certain problems whilst taking photographs with the built-in flash.

It seems quite impossible for me to take a satisfactory flash picture of an object in a room internally (beauty products - jars, tubes and bottles with their respective packaging). Please note that I am an importer and sole representative of cosmetics and not a professional photographer, but I have sufficient knowledge of photography techniques.

I have used all modes of FUJI FinePix 6900 Zoom (AUTO, P, A, S, M, Macro, Exposure Compensation, Flash Brightness adjustment, Manual/Auto White Balance, Photometry Average/Spot/Multi etc., but the final result is indeed very poor and disappointing. Nearly most of the times, I get underexposed shots e.g.: main object bright and correct, but with a dark background and total change of colors. For instance, if a white sheet is placed behind an object as a decorative background, once the pictures are developed, the background becomes dark gray. Or a yellow curtain placed behind the main object, becomes brown!

Although all pictures in the camera LCD Monitor appear to be correct, once they have been loaded and printed in my PC -via a Minolta laser printer (Magicolor 2+)- they come out dark and underexposed. Please note I do not have a special studio with the appropriate fixture and fittings including technical lighting etc. I just use the build in Fuji electronic Flash and file size 1M (A6) which I assume should be adequate. All pictures are taken at a distance of 30cm to 100cm. For external shots in daylight, I have no problems whatsoever.

I would be most obliged if I receive at your earliest convenience your valuable comments, tips and further advice, as I am at a complete lost!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon, I remain with kind regards.

Yours faithfully
VANGUARD LTD

Evangelos A. Yiallouros
Managing Director

Dear Evangelos
Your problem sounds like a problem of contrast rather than exposure.

If your main object is properly exposed then the camera is exposing correctly. So, what sort of ambient light conditions are you taking these shots in?

The light from the flash is only coming from one direction and it is spreading out like ripples in a pool. As you go further away, it has had time to spread out more, but when something is close, and the ambient light is low, then it will expose correctly on the object and as the amount of light that is reaching the surroundings is very small then clearly the contrast is very high and the surroundings will be underexposed.

The solution is either to move further away from the object and zoom in, and/or increase the ambient light. This light doesn't have to be from any studio source. It can be from a table lamp or a window. Or you can buy a slave flash. These aren't too expensive.

You can also try reflecting the light onto the object. Put some white card around it, or an umbrella covered with Aluminium paper.

The colour problem is probably due to under exposure too although I'm surprised a white card comes out grey. You've tried a custom white balance you say? With the flash? If you get the contrast right and the colour is still a problem then it'll need looking at again.

You can adjust the brightnes of your LCD/EVF independently from the image taken by the camera, so it can appear bright (or dark) and the shot not be. Clearly, you need to be able to see what you are doing in low light, and if you've got a 2 second exposure to get enough light on the CCD, the screen has to be doing something else to get its light almost instantly.You wouldn't be happy waiting 2 seconds.

A more useful way of checking exposure is to press the 'info' button when you are post-viewing the shot and before you've saved it. This will give you a histogram that will show you if the shot is under exposed or over exposed and whether you have good contrast. You'll find lots of info about histograms here and in the manual.
I'm not sure what settings you're saving the file in but you say 1m.

If this is correct than it's testement to your printer that you're getting reasonable results. I suggest you try 3mp Fine at least. The smaller sizes don't do such a good job and it's better to take shots at a higher file size and then reduce afterwards.

Finally, for really serious flash photography, get an external flash. The internal flash is useful in emergencies and for fill-in, but that's about all (and that's true of any internal flash as far as I know). They aren't very expensive. A good old second-hand unit can be picked up for practically nothing, and a new one like the Sunpack383 still isn't very expensive.
regards
Ian

i totally agree with my friend Ian.

the file size alone (1mp) will have a tendency to 'look okay' on the lcd, but 'wash out' in the printing process (ain't enuf info in the file to avoid a flash wash out). and there is not enuf info in the file to really produce a good print.

an external falsh will present different problems and needs some experimentation (perhaps also a diffuser...plastic cover to the 'light' unit) to allow it to bring a soft yet full light on the subject.

--
robert
Native Eye Photography
mitakuye oyasin
('we are all related'. Lakota language)
http://www.pbase.com/nativeeye

Evangelos,

I am unable to give you a good explaination of what you need to do for good product photography today. I will try to get back to you either tommorow or Saturday either here or in an e-mil if that option is open.
--
Ray
RJNedimyer

Evangelos,
Read the posts starting at:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=2684937

--
Ray
RJNedimyer