flash on S5 IS and other settings

[jwnk]

I was wondering if someone could help me out - I was taking photos of my cats the other night, took a while to figure out there is different flash settings :lol:
I was shooting in AV mode and had reduced the flash to the lowest I could get it - the first setting which is 5 bars, most of the pictures turned out like this
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff240/jwnk/Millie-flash5barsAV.jpg

On the same settings, in the same room I took a picture of the other cat and it turned out like this
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff240/jwnk/Smudge-flash5barsAV.jpg http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff240/jwnk/Jasper-flash5barsAV.jpg

So I put set to the flash to 9 bars (the second setting) and it turned out like this
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff240/jwnk/Smudge-flash9barsAV.jpg

I turned the exposure down, but I think it's the flash that is the problem..
I'm still very new at this so can anyone suggest what settings I should be using?

Also, when I take photos during the day, the subject has to be completely still for 30 seconds to get the best possible shot which I know isn't right.

Here is another pic I had taken with a friend's dog
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff240/jwnk/IMG_0132.jpg
It's awful quality so I'm obviously doing something wrong.

Can anyone suggest some settings for me, for indoors, with and without flash..
I saw the other thread where someone took photos in a moving truck and they turned out perfect! As I said before, everything has to be completely still for me to get a non-blurry shot..

Hope someone can help me out a little :)

[colormaniac]

I guess you may need to adjust the evaluative mode. Maybe the camera meters the wrong brightness and therefore instructs the flash to be stronger or weaker than it should be.

[sue.t]

In Av mode, it is important to adjust the aperature setting properly. The larger the aperature value the smaller the lens opening which permits less light to enter the camera, regardless of the flash output setting. When you set the aperature, then the camera automatically sets the shutter speed.

I'm no expert, but it seems you have the aperature set to let the least amount of light in so the shutter tries to compensate by staying open for a longer period, which means your subject is blurry because it moved or you moved while taking the picture.

You might also want to check the ISO setting, as this can also affect the result.

You can try using Auto mode to get an idea of the settings the camera would use, then switch to Av or Tv mode and adapt those settings to give you a better shot (I find the Auto mode often over exposes on the S5).

[HAKANN]

between first two shots, aperature openings are definitely different, thats why at the same flash power you get different results.always try to use small aperature settings.