Red eye problems 400D

I mate of mine has a 400D and i'd like to know if anyone has any tips to stop redeye for certain people, even when Redeye reduction is ON with the camera flash, unfortunately an on camera flash like a 430 or 580 ex is not an option.

Cheers

Post process it out.

You might also try putting a single ply kleenex over the flash and it will diffuse it a bit.

Reconsidering a separate flash is something to prioritize. How come it's not an option?

Without a hotshoe flash, there will always be some degree of redeye. The problem is the distance between the flash and the sensor is very small giving a direct reflection from the retina. Thats physics and cant be changed. You could try diffusing the onboard flash (used film canister, tissue etc) but be very careful not to burn it out by retaining too much heat.

The only sure option is the addition of another flash.

1. Shoot from an angle so the flash doesnt hit the retina straight on, this could reduce red eye.
2. Have the subject look directly at the little red reduction light. This way the retina will have to close more in order to let less light reach it, this reduces red eye a little bit.
3. Have an exgtra light like a flashlight pointed at his eyes.

Hope this practical tips help.

You don't have to break the bank for a hotshoe flash

I would definitely advise either to get a hotshoe flash or to shoot available light. The on-camera flash produces terrible results with red-eye just one of the problems.

A hotshoe flash doesn't have to be expensive like the present offerings from Canon (430ex and 580ex series). A used 420ex should run you less than $150. While the 420ex doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newer Canon offerings; it is a very capable flash which will, if bounced with some sort of diffuser, provide very good imagery.

If you ever desire to upgrade, your 420ex can be used as a slave with the 550ex and 580ex (series) flash units.

There is a new kid on the block which is really bargain priced. It is the Bower SFD35C which is selling for $64.25 on Amazon.com. I don't have any personal experience with this unit but, the specifications and features seem O.K. and for that price, you can hardly go wrong.

http://www.amazon.com …ital-Camera/dp/B000F9NXR8

There are several low priced choices when considering a diffuser-reflector for a hotshoe flash.

The first is choice is making one out of cardboard or foam-board. This is virtually free and the results from a home made reflector are very good.

http://super.nova.org/​DPR/DIY01/

There are other commercially made diffusers which are inexpensive and which work.

Here's one for about eight bucks including shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com …ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcm​dZViewItem

One final idea which will beat the on camera flash hands-down:

The Sunpak Super 383 is a non-TTL flash with Thyristor based exposure control work very well as long as the photographer is willing to engage the between the ears computer a bit. Thyristor technology was the standard of the industry some years ago and can still deliver a good exposure. The 383 will probably last forever.

The Sunpak Super 383 runs about $82 on Amazon.com.

You can always shine a flashlight in there eyes.. Hey it works *LOL*

An external flash isn't an option because the chap is a pure novice he's used to P & S cameras and he wouldn't like the extra bulk of a speedlight and similar.

He has a problem with red eye with one of the grandkids with blue eyes, but the other 3 are OK.

From what I understand some human retinas are more prone to red eye than others. Is this a fair comment?

Also I like the idea of the flash light, I'll get him to give that a go.

Even an external flash will give you red-eye if the subject is far away (using a telephoto lens).

Have your friend use the wider end of his lens. This will lessen the chance of red-eye. It also helps
to have the room as bright as possible to begin with.

How about buy a fast lens which will be very good in low light, then flash can be avoided...

If they look straight at the flash the pre flash will close their iris down and you wont see red eye.
It is always worse when they are just looking around.
tell them to all look at the top of the lens.

Built-in flashes suck.

Until your friend figures that out and buys a separate flash with an off-cameras shoe cord and a flash bracket, he'll just have to learn to edit it out with software.

Probably should have stuck with a P&S, if he's unwilling to take advantage of the various system accessories that are a very large part of the reason to buy an SLR in the first place. It's like wanting a single lens that will "do it all", the folks who are so determined to find one of those for their SLR should have just stuck with a P&S camera, too.

A DSLR being used like a P & S would still produce far better quality photos due to the large sensor and better iso noise levels.

The friend is using the editing option but I figured this would be a good discussion as to why some people have a greater red eye issue than others and workarounds.

byso wrote in post #5608266
A DSLR being used like a P & S would still produce far better quality photos due to the large sensor and better iso noise levels...

But thats only true when you get into the extremes like high ISO, long range, large picture size. I've seen quite a few P/S and compact cameras that will deliver a pic indistinguishable from my 40D as long as you keep the ISO to 100 or less, or the subject it stationary or moving slowly, and the light is good.

How often is iso100 suitable indoors, Especially with ordinary lighting and a 3 year old when a shutter speed of 1/125 is required?

This is why the 400D is the better option than P&S as iso400 is generally required indoors and without shutter lag.