SD 600 and too much flash?

I bought my wife a SD 600 Canon for Christmas. Without a flash indoors it's great unless the subject is moving fast. But with a flash it's very very bright. I don't understand why. The histogram shows normal exposure with a flash, but everything is so blown out.

Has anyone else experienced this? Problem with my copy or standard for this model?

Maybe I'm just spoiled now that I have an XTi and a bounce flash.

An example would be helpful here - please help us to help you

Also experiencing too much flash and cannot figure a way to reduce it. As I've already delted the bad pics I'll try to get one today and post also.

I just posted in another thread that I tried Teflon taped pressed onto an on board flash and it works better than I thought it would. No tape needed.

Can you not turn the flash level down a few notches?

I haven't had this problem with my SD 600. Have you checked to make sure the exposure compensation setting is set to "0" ?

JustShootin wrote in post #2537356
=JustShootin';2537356]​I haven't had this problem with my SD 600. Have you checked to make sure the exposure compensation setting is set to "0" ?

It's at zero. A small piece of teflon tape diffuses the light very well. Also white medical tape works too. I wish there was a way to reduce the flash power like my XTi.

Just Be wrote in post #2537440
It's at zero. A small piece of teflon tape diffuses the light very well. Also white medical tape works too.

Sure, there's lots of ways to defuse the flash, but you shouldn't have to do that just to get a proper exposure. While all head on flash leaves something to be desired, youre SD 600 still shouldn't be washing out your pictures, even with no defuser.

Does that model have a manual mode? I had problems in the start with my S3 blowing out pictures with the flash in M because I had not lowered the flash level. But on auto and most other settings it adjusts it itself.

The SD 600 has what it calls a manual mode, but it gives you very little control. It does however have a exposure compensation setting in M mode. I just don't think the camera should wash out your photo unless the compensation is set to a + setting. Mine doesn't.

I think my SD600's flash is a little hotter than my S2 was. I bought the SD600 after buying my XTi where I've been using bounce flash and diffusers.

So I'm a little spoiled with my DSLR being able to have more control with my 430 EX.

If the SD600 had a fllash adjustment all would be fine.

I'm not sure if sending the camera back to Canon would help much. Complaining that the flash is a little too powerful may not be something they can change. The flash is OK for wide angle and large group shots.

Again, it may just be that I'm too picky now that I have a much better camera and flash.

Seriously though...Even if my flash wasn't this powerful I'd still give the teflon tape or medical tape idea a try. It still lets the flash be the primary light source, but it looks more like shots taken in better light without the flash on. It's a very even look.

Give it a try!

Just Be wrote in post #2539020
Even if my flash wasn't this powerful I'd still give the teflon tape or medical tape idea a try. It still lets the flash be the primary light source, but it looks more like shots taken in better light without the flash on. It's a very even look.

Give it a try!

I agree with you on that, Just Be. Even if the flash is wokring perfectly, some kind of defuser for head on flash always creates a better, softer image. I've used eveything you can think of to defuse head on flash over the years.