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In lugnet.events.brickfest, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> > * Are flashes a distraction for you?
> Yes. Get a camera that doesn't need them! But they are part of the territory
> too.
Ya, flashes aren't really needed much anymore with modern digital cameras...
but using a flash can still make a difference -- especially with a CCD-based
digital camera. CMOS imaging chips don't suffer from the same "snowy pixel"
effects that CCD imaging chips do at faster film-speed settings and at longer
exposures, but CMOS cameras are far more expensive than CCD cameras.
Anyway, my camera is CCD-based, and I'm extremely pleased with the photos it
takes when it has good lighting to work with, but it really has to struggle
(and me too) when it has typical indoor lighting to work with -- which is
why I like to use a flash when I can.
For example, without a flash, to get a good shot under typical indoor
lighting conditions, I have to set ISO 50 and f/2.0 or f/2.8, which results
in a shutter speed of 1/15 or 1/20 second -- slow enough that the image
comes out blurry if I don't use a tripod or if the subject moves at all,
not to mention a very narrow depth of field (which is fine for people, but
not so desirable for macro photography). If I set ISO 200, I get shutter
speeds of 1/60 to 1/80 second, which is acceptable but at a noticable loss
of image quality when viewed full-size. If I set ISO 400, I get shutter
speeds of 1/120 or 1/160 second, but now the image is totally grainy. So,
if I want an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8.0 and a non-grainy image, I need a
very long exposure like 15 seconds, which is often problematic.
Now contrast that with an external bounced stroboscopic flash. Because
there's so much more light (for an instant), I can set ISO 50 film-speed
and set the aperture all the way down to f/8.0 and still get shutter speeds
down to 1/250 second. Almost paradoxically, the images come out looking
better. So the bottom line for me is: with a flash, I have more control
over the lighting...and since long exposures aren't required, I don't need
a tripod, which means I can work a lot faster and have a lot more fun. :)
--Todd
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