Olympus Stylus Epic - Flash problem?

[valen]

I just got an Olympus Stylus Epic and I noticed some problems with

some of the pictures where flash was used.

 

Now I'm not generally experienced at using flash and tried remember to

turn it off most times, however in many of the images that did use

flash there is a white washed-out area in the center of the image. I

don't know if this results from an inappropriate use of flash or a

flaw in the camera.

[valen]

<p>Here's an example:</p>

 

<a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/2586443">Rug</a>

[ccrevasse]

I have a Stylus Epic. While the flash is not great, mine doesn't create such an obvious hotspot as in your example. It appears that your camera is defective.

[anthony_armstrong]

I second Chris's opinion. My Epic has a very even flash coverage and does not show that problem.<p>

Can anybody offer a guess as to what is happening here? It looks like some pictures I took with a Konica Lexio P&S that had an oily deposit on the rear lens - it worked perfectly after I cleaned the lens. Also looks a little like a picture I took on my Epic when I rushed outside of my air-conditioned home into the Miami humidity and got condensation on the outside of the lens - except that was 'flared' over the whole image not just the center.<p>

Does it happen only with the flash? Perhaps the reflector inside the flastube is distorted - melted slightly from having been left inside a car glovebox. Just wild guesses but it might trigger somebody to think of other possible causes.<p>

Good luck.<p>

PS Is there a way to permanently disable the flash or will my turn-on routine always be open the cover and press the flash button twice?

best regards

[richard_cochran]

It's hard for me to tell, but I'd look very closely at the

front and back surfaces of the lens, to see if there's any

obvious dirt or smudges. That spot doesn't look like typical

lens dirt, but it's so easy to check your lens, you need to do

that first.

<p>

Notice that the brighter area isn't only brighter, but it's

also got a much reduced contrast. That almost looks like

flare or a light leak of some sort.

If it's only happening with flash, perhaps there's a light leak

somewhere in the camera that's allowing light from the flash tube

to directly hit the film?

<p>

I don't know what it is, but I have two Olympus Stylus Epics, and

I use them both with flash quite a bit, and I've never seen

anything like that. There is some sort of problem with your camera.

[valen]

I don't think it is a normal hotspot. No one I spoke to could suggest a technique-related reason for this.

 

I thought about the light leak too - it really does kind of look like that, but it does only happen when the flash is on. I'm not sure I always had remembered to turn it off, but I'm sure it was on in each of the six images that had the spot.

 

Anyway, I took it back to Adorama and they said they'd replace it, but I was missing one little piece of paper, which I found, so I'll go back and exchange it tomorrow.

[ken_hassman]

"No one I spoke to could suggest a technique-related reason for this."<p>

Sounds like an X-File. Call Mulder?

[luis triguez]

I remember those days when everybody used to use bounce flash. Whit my old Braun F900 never problems