Dark Pictures with my Canon Digital EOS Rebel HELP!!

[Csst]

hello i'm new to this fourm i just bought a Canon Digital EOS Rebel and i bought the speedlite 550EX flash and the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and i been using it and the pictures seem to look great but now for some reason the pictures are all dark i try taking the flash off and using the oringial lens try alot of things but nothing still dark i have it in auto mode too i'm i doing something wrong here can anyone help me out the pictures i'm taking are in doors.
thanks. Chris

[Canuck]

couple of ideas...
AEB is that on?
Try it in manual...shot w/ the cursor on 0 to +2.
What f-stop is it using?
What kind of lighting is around?
What ISO is it using?
Is the lens cap off?
Is this on LCD or mointor, or what?
Any other info???

[Csst]

please bear with me here i'm very new with this camera and you may laugh but i don't know half the stuff on the camera i been playung with it alot and i have a regular monitor and the pictures when i first got it came out great but now the pictures are all dark i try it in manual mode and some picture seen to be ok but other still dark.it seems to me the closer i get to the image the better the picture is when i take a picture say about 8 to 10 feet the picture are still very dark please bear with me here beucase i'm still not sure what all the settings do.by the way my AEB is at 0 i just check the settings on this.
thanks
Chris

[defordphoto]

Trying to learn one of the most advanced cameras and flashes on the planet may be a little overload at this time.

Babysteps... :)

[Jmurman]

I just got mine the other day. This camera is pretty sophisticated for someone like myself. I have been out of photography for a while.

What I am finding that is working for me is taking the manual, and going one page at a time to learn it.

Seems like alot but it is working in my case.

[Csst]

BUMP

[PacAce]

Chris, are you trying to take a picture indoors either at night or when there's no sunlight from the outside coming in? From what you're describing, where any subject close to you, say within 10 feet or so, are OK but anything farther away is dark, it seems like that's the case. And that is normal to a point. The 550ex should give you better results with more distant subjects but it can only go so far, too. You might want to check to make sure that you didn't accidently set the 550ex on a lower power setting from the full power setting. Refer to your 550ex manual on how to do that.

[cgratti]

I just got mine the other day. This camera is pretty sophisticated for someone like myself. I have been out of photography for a while.

What I am finding that is working for me is taking the manual, and going one page at a time to learn it.

Seems like alot but it is working in my case.

Same here...but I just go haywire and try everything...only 1 way to learn...
As Nike puts it....

JUST DO IT!

[rsnadel]

One of the things that I kept doing when I first got my camera was to slide the flash onto the hot shoe, and then forget to screw it down tight. It needs to be tightened to ensure that the contacts are all in place correctly. Might that be happening with you?

[eric1]

Csst,
try to reset the cam to the default settings. if you mistakenly hit the
AV* butten, and then spin the dial, you will engage the exposure
compensation. reset to default shoud cure this. i have a Dreb too,
and have done this.

eric1

[eric1]

by the way AEB and exposure compensation are not the same thing.


eric1

[Kinger]

Try this web site, it has great lessons, I used it when I first got my DRebel.

http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/index.html

[nosquare2003]

If you use Auto mode together with a 550EX, is everything still dark?

[Andy_T]

Why don't you paste some example with EXIF information?

Makes it a lot easier for people trying to solve your problem...

Best regards,
Andy

[Csst]

sorry guys for the long delay respnding back to you guys i'm going to try a few of these features and guys have been explaining to me i just want to take the time right now to THANK EVRYONE HERE for all your help and surport i'm new here and i have to says its very nice to see all these people willing to help someone that needs it.thanks again i'll post my feedback in a bit.
Chris

[Csst]

Still having trouble try everything under the sun i put everything back to default and put the old lens on and use the orignal flsh that the camera has and tok some pictures indoors (daytime) and still very dark pictures now the picture that shows up on my camera looks pretty good but when i put it on my computer pictures are very DARK now i thought to myself and thought it might have beden my monitor but i try another monitor and same results i'm kinda stuck here i just bought a nice lens and flash and can't seem to get any use out of it.now it even seems like the camera itself with the oringial lens and flsh are taking dark pictures also.this was all done in auto-mode too.
Chris[/img]

[Tom W]

Still having trouble try everything under the sun i put everything back to default and put the old lens on and use the orignal flsh that the camera has and tok some pictures indoors (daytime) and still very dark pictures now the picture that shows up on my camera looks pretty good but when i put it on my computer pictures are very DARK now i thought to myself and thought it might have beden my monitor but i try another monitor and same results i'm kinda stuck here i just bought a nice lens and flash and can't seem to get any use out of it.now it even seems like the camera itself with the oringial lens and flsh are taking dark pictures also.this was all done in auto-mode too.
Chris[/img]

Do you have Photoshop Elements on your computer? If so, run the monitor calibration setup. Even though you tried a different monitor, your video card may be sending a signal a little on the dark side.

If you don't have any monitor calibration software, there are some web sites that have tools that you can use to get a pretty good setup. At minimum, the brightness/contrast needs to be set up right.

Try here for starts:


http://bryce-alive.net/calibrate/

[Csst]

here a sample picture of one of them

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/picture.JPG

here 1 more

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/picture2.JPG

here the info it gave me i hope this helps.

File Name
IMG_0240.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/7/2004 7:22:31 AM
Shooting Mode
Macro( Close Up )
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
28.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation
0
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
1906KB
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting

[Tom W]

Shooting mode: Macro

Change your mode to "P" and try again. I'm not sure how the Macro mode works with flash, but it certainly isn't going to help you unless you're shooting very close macro shots.

[Csst]

Still no go i try to change the setting to P and it still seems dark.

[Tom W]

Those do look a little dark. Someone else here had some concerns with underexposure with their digital Rebel - take a look here:

http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27307

With your 550EX, you might be able to dial up a little positive flash exposure compensation to see what it does for you without having to use other software.

[Tom W]

Also, what is your camera's focus point? The e-ttl system biases the flash exposure to the active focus point. In your kitchen photo, if the focus point was the chair, then the flash will automatically adjust its output to expose the chair properly - the background is secondary.

Try setting your focus point to the center square so that you can control what you want the flash to work with.

E-TTL can be complicated, to say the least.

[Csst]

i tried that free software to comensate the flash but still nothing i'm going to try to play with the focus points and see what i come up with.

[MediaMagic]

i tried that free software to comensate the flash but still nothing i'm going to try to play with the focus points and see what i come up with.

Just for the heck of it, turn the main knob to the green square and put new batteries in the flash. Then take another shot and post it for us to look at.

All the shots you've posted were shot in macro mode which will change the output of the flash. You did say you had the same result in P mode, but It would help to see the unaltered shots from P mode, and the green square mode.


edit: Free software to compensate the flash? I have no Idea what you are talking about there. It's best to NOT bother with software until you ascertain that the camera is working correctly.

edit2: ah, I see now, you were talking about software hack that allows the DRebel flash compensation to be adjusted. Makes sense now. I thought you were referring to editing software. My bad.

[Calis]

Are you absolutley sure the flash fired? There doesn't seem to be any shadows indicating a lighting source from the camera?

[Csst]

Yes the flash did go but i went back to best buy and talk to the people there and they said my ISO was to low it was at 100 they said for indoor shots to put it at at least 400 i did that and also try 800 too the pictures seem to be a little better but some still still seemed a bit dark but much better does this make sence?

[defordphoto]

Best Buy? You might as well have asked the guy at the gas station what he thought. They know nothing about photography or cameras. They only know how to sell them.

I am also quite suspicious that the flash never went off. There is no evidence in that photo of a flash. No shadows or anything. Take a picture of yourself in a mirror and let's see what that looks like.

[MediaMagic]

Yes the flash did go but i went back to best buy and talk to the people there and they said my ISO was to low it was at 100 they said for indoor shots to put it at at least 400 i did that and also try 800 too the pictures seem to be a little better but some still still seemed a bit dark but much better does this make sence?

Well, that was a terrible answer from them. You bump the ISO up for ambient light, not flash under normal circumstances (there are exceptions as always, but you should be fine at ISO 100 for your normal indoor flash shots). The 550EX is quite capable of delivering very adequate short range light. You should easily get bright light within reasonable distances at ISO 100.

There's something else going on there. It's usually something very simple, and the solution being simple is the very reason it gets missed.

[Tom W]

csst,

I took the liberty of copying your first picture and fiddling with it in Print Shop Elements. The histogram only covered about 1/2 of the graph, which was expected given how dark it was. So I corrected it with levels.

Then, I checked the color and found that it had a yellowish-greenish cast, which indicates that it didn't get much help from the flash.

Here's the original:

http://home.comcast.net/~trwilk3/Images/darkpicture.jpg

Here's what it looks like with those two changes:

http://home.comcast.net/~trwilk3/Images/correctedpicture.jpg

It looks to me like the flash is way too weak for the desired exposure. That obviously shouldn't happen with the 550EX!

Can you try a similar picture with the pop-up flash unstead of the 550EX. I'm curious as to how the exposure works that way. Use the "P" or "green box" mode and stay within the flash's range (which is marked in the manual somewhere).

[Csst]

ok here the 1st pic this one is with the bult0in pop-up flash
here the options:
File Name
IMG_0381.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 9:21:06 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
53.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation
+2/3
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
3247KB
Drive Mode
Continuous shooting
http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/picture1.jpg

and here picture 2 with the 550EX

File Name
IMG_0383.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 9:22:54 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
56.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation
+2/3
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
3290KB
Drive Mode
Continuous shooting

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/picture2.jpg

Both these picture didn't come out that bad this time.

[Tom W]

OK, I'm going to go through your settings and note anything that stands out, but my first observation indicates that your on-camera popup flash is exposing better than the 550EX. I don't have the 550, but I think it has exposure compensation built in as a feature - you may want to check its settings.

ok here the 1st pic this one is with the bult0in pop-up flash
here the options:
File Name
IMG_0381.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 9:21:06 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
53.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation
+2/3
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
3247KB
Drive Mode
Continuous shooting


Two things jumped out at me - the drive mode being set to Continuous shooting. I don't know if this affects flash or not, but if you aren't shooting rapid-fire, then set it to "one-shot". The other thing is that you're using ISO-800. I know this is what the folks at Best Buys told you to do, but it shouldn't be necessary. The whole purpose of using a flash is to allow you to shoot in dark areas without having to bump up the sensitivity.

and here picture 2 with the 550EX

File Name
IMG_0383.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 9:22:54 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
56.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation
+2/3
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
3290KB
Drive Mode
Continuous shooting

Both these picture didn't come out that bad this time.

No, those are both better, but the popup did expose better. Hopefully, somebody here with a 550EX will chime in and help you make sure that the flash isn't set up to under-expose.

Can you duplicate one of the previous photos with the popup flash and a more normal 100 or 200 ISO? I want to see how much the flash is contributing to your light as opposed to using the high-sensitivity ISO range to make use of ambient available light.

I think we're getting somewhere here.

[Csst]

see this is what i mean??
this first picture is with the pop-up built in flash i was about 10 feet away from fireplace and see how dark the picture is



File Name
IMG_0384.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 9:52:52 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
44.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation
0
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
3022KB
Drive Mode
Continuous shooting
http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/pic1.jpg

and this next pic is with the 550EX flash very dark?
File Name
IMG_0385.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 9:53:18 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
800
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
47.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation
0
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
3006KB
Drive Mode
Continuous shooting

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/picc2.jpg

[Tom W]

see this is what i mean??
this first picture is with the pop-up built in flash i was about 10 feet away from fireplace and see how dark the picture is


http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/pic1.jpg


OK, this is about what I'd expect. Perhaps a tad dark, but your lamp is probably fooling the light meter a little. That +2/3 stop would be just about right, I'd guess.

and this next pic is with the 550EX flash very dark?

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/picc2.jpg

Yes, that's definately too dark. The 550 is firing, but its not putting out the quantity of light that you need for proper exposure. In my opinion, either there's something wrong with the flash or it needs to have its settings adjusted.

[Csst]

TOM I THINK YOUR THE MAN I THINK YOU MAY HAVE FIGURE IT OUT
look here first pic with the built in flash
File Name
IMG_0386.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 10:10:11 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.0
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
41.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation
0
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
1607KB
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/test1.jpg

2nd with the 550EX
File Name
IMG_0387.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 10:10:40 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
4.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
50.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation
0
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
2488KB
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting
http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/test2.jpg

[Tom W]

Is it my imagination or did you just switch to single-frame shooting mode? I saw that the ISO was switched back to 100, but the flash should expose properly regardless.

[Csst]

yes tom i switch to single shot mode and change the ISO to 100 and thats all i did i had the setting on P for both pictures and with the built in flash the picture came out dark and the 550EX same settings came out great is this normal or no??

[PacAce]

What does the 550EX show in it's display? Does it say E-TTL? And is there anything else displayed on the display? I wondering if you have the flash set to less than full power.

[Csst]

here 1 more picture with the 550EX flash

File Name
IMG_0388.JPG
Camera Model Name
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Shooting Date/Time
3/14/2004 10:25:46 AM
Shooting Mode
Program AE
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/60
Av( Aperture Value )
3.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
28.0 - 135.0mm
Focal Length
28.0mm
Image Size
3072x2048
Image Quality
Fine
Flash
On
Flash Type
External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation
0
Red-eye Reduction
Off
Shutter curtain sync
1st-curtain sync
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
AI Focus AF
Parameters
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Color saturation +1
Color tone Normal
Color Space
sRGB
File Size
1402KB
Drive Mode
Single-frame shooting

http://home.comcast.net/~christarr/test3.jpg

[Tom W]

yes tom i switch to single shot mode and change the ISO to 100 and thats all i did i had the setting on P for both pictures and with the built in flash the picture came out dark and the 550EX same settings came out great is this normal or no??

OK, the 550 did very well, but now the built-in flash is weak. Have you worn the camera battery down testing? :)

Really, I don't know why, but the continuous-shoot mode seems to have some effect on flash strength - perhaps it is designed to underexpose to save flash charge, given that in continuous mode, you'll likely be shooting another shot within less than a second. Surely, you'd want a string of modestly underexposed flash pictures as opposed to one good exposure followed by a string on shots where the flash failed to operate at all.

I intend to find out just how that continuous mode affects flash.

[Csst]

my 550EX say this
ETTL ZOOM 28mm

--------------------------------------
and than the numbers right below it
1.7 2.3 4 5 7 ect...

[Tom W]

my 550EX say this
ETTL ZOOM 28mm

--------------------------------------
and than the numbers right below it
1.7 2.3 4 5 7 ect...

I think you've got the 550EX flash problem solved. No go charge the camera's battery!

[Csst]

now you have me thinking again Tom..lol i'm not quite sure why the built-in flash was so weak it isn't my battery i just charge it and its full strenth.i was just so happy to see a picture come out clear i have to say 1 thing though you guys are great at helping people out its very nice to see people helping.thanks everyone and TOM for ALL YOU WONDERFULL HELP HERE :-)i would really like to reopen this topic tomorrow if you guys don't mind to see about the bult in flash

[Tom W]

now you have me thinking again Tom..lol i'm not quite sure why the built-in flash was so weak it isn't my battery i just charge it and its full strenth.i was just so happy to see a picture come out clear i have to say 1 thing though you guys are great at helping people out its very nice to see people helping.thanks everyone and TOM for ALL YOU WONDERFULL HELP HERE :-)

I appreciate the thanks, and I'm sure that the others that have helped do as well. I rather enjoy trouble-shooting.

Anyway, I'll let you in on one more popup flash-related issue. I speak from experience here - watch where you put your left hand. I have, on more than one occasion, put my hand in front of the flash, blocking its light.

Also, give the built-in flash a little time to recharge its capacitor. I don't know what the recharge time is, but I'm sure its considerably slower than the 550EX so give it a half a minute or so between shots.

[PacAce]

From what I can make out, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason for why the flashes are behaving so inconsistently. Sometime the build-in flash isn't working right. And other time, it's the 550EX. My bet is that there's something wrong with the camera itself, more specifically, the part of the camera "brain" that handles the E-TTL logic. It might be time to call Canon service to see if you'll need to have the camera looked at. You should also send them your test shots you posted here, just to show them how inconsistently the flash exposures are.

[nosquare2003]

Csst,

Can you do some more tests:

1. half press the shutter button to do the autofocus;
2. Turn the button on the 28-135mm lens from "AF" to "MF"
3. Press the shutter button to take shots with 550EX
4. You can do the same with the built-in flash

5. Compare these shots with your previous shots to see any differences.