anils Posted June 3, 2003 Share Posted June 3, 2003 Hi, I recently shot a roll of Fuji Velvia under different conditions. However I found that some of the slides that I shot indoors using my cameras flash have come out completely dark. Under a lightbox I can barely make out the figures. The entire slide appears dark for all practical purposes. Has anyone ever experienced this? Could this be a problem in the slide development process or a defective film. I had purchased this roll from B&H and processed it at a pro lab in my locality. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 If other frames on the roll are OK, it's not the film or processing that's at fault. I suspect either "user error" when using the flash, or a faulty camera or flash. "User error" is the most likely cause! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G. Dainis Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 <I>"...some of the slides that I shot indoors using my cameras flash have come out completely dark."</I> <P> Only some? It sounds as simple as your flash didn't go off. Keep both eyes open when using flash and even better is to compose the shot in the viewfinder and then, without moving the camera, look over the top of the camera to check that the flash is lighting up the scene. James G. Dainis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordcares Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Also, mind you, Velvia has ISO of 50... I have similar experience. I think it's just that the flash did not have enough power to illuminate the whole area of your frame. Especially if the flash was weakly on-camera flash, the chances are high... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
400bpm Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Could the shutter speed have been far higher than the flash sync speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_griffin Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Anil, A few things come to mind: 1. Your batteries were weak and could not generate the power to push the flash to the necessary light output. Velvia will cause most shoe mounted flash heads to work hard -- and drain batteries quickly. I keep two sets of rechargeable batteries with me to avoid that problem. If I notice the flash is slow to recycle -- time to put in fresh batteries. 2. Your flash is not powerful enough regardless of battery strength. 3. You were too far away from your intended subject. I learned this the hard way in underwater photography. 4. Incompatible settings. You don't say what camera, lens, or flash settings were. Both the camera and flash should have been set to ISO 50. If the camera was set for ISO 50 and the flash for 100 or higher -- there's your problem. If you were in the manual mode I don't think we can help without specific settings. That should give you something to check next time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anils Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 Thank you for all your comments/suggestions. I own a Minolta Maxxum 5 with a built in flash. Although I cannot recollect the exact settings now, I think I had probably set the aperture to a very small value and that might have resulted in not enough light reaching the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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