The trick to taking shots of bright things (such as festivals and gigs) in very dark conditions is to use manual mode and spot metering
Switch to spot metering, zoom in and point the centre to a face that's lit and press the green button. Then reframe and shoot away. (You may even have to use less than ISO1600 to make this possible!!)

With an image that's substantially black the camera tries to push it so it becomes 18% grey - thus blowing out the highlights and losing all detail.

Might help...
Matt

It was helpful having the K20D vs K10D in RAW mode. Surprising how good the K10D is in RAW
The high ISO of the K20D look very appealing, though it's not something I use every day. Additionally, the nearly 2 stops extra dynamic range in the K20D looked an excellent upgrade.

But, having seen all that, I think I'm carrying on with the K10D. It's just saved me seven hundred squid that I don't have

Matt

My advice: contact Tamron first, and then arrange to get the lens looked at.

You can get small specks of dust inside a lens, especially zoom lenses that can "suck" in air as you extend the lens. But a hair, and those white specks...!

The trouble is, they may view it as unfair wear-and-tear (for example, leaving the lens in a warm damp environment may encourage fungus spores - that's not the manufacturer's fault). So phone them up, talk nicely to them, and ask what they can do first

Matt

If you're not sure what exposure mode to use indoors... then switch to "P" and choose auto ISO 100-1600.

The camera will choose what it thinks is the best arrangement. You can always override its choice by using the front wheel (for shutter speed), or rear wheel (for aperture). Press the green button to go back to full-camera choice.

Personally, I use another mode - but I'd suggest you start with that and see how it goes
Indoor shots (especially without flash) can be challenging. If you want to get used to it before trying it out on the kids - borrow of one of their soft toys and practise first. Toys don't get bored When you're comfortable and familiar with the camera you can take more natural shots of the kids - keep them interested and engaged by talking to them and having a laugh!

Matt

Only needs to take 30 seconds
If you're using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements... just let me know and I'll write up another thread.

The best way to stop RE in the first place is to either (a) get some distance between the lens and flash so there's a greater angle of incidence, or (b) reflect and bounce the flash with an external gun.

I've been playing around with a small home made reflector, and bouncing the light off the ceiling. I've been getting some great shots (Check out the admittedly slightly annoying videos: www.abetterbouncecard.com )

Have fun!
Matt

I'm not sure you've explained yourself properly here... do you mean that you have problems focussing in very dark conditions when using the pop-up?
When focussing is eliminated, the pop-up flash is as responsive as any other flash I've used (and I've used many )

In P-TTL mode there is no way to avoid the preflash. It is, as you say, a contradiction.
With the AF360/540 you can switch the flash to "A" or "M" modes (when using the camera in "M" mode)... but that's a different story, and may not be at all possible with the Metz.

[quote]It occurred to me that as the pop-up flash supposedly puts out an infra-red AF assist beam in dark conditions...[/quote[
No it doesn't The pop-up flash fires a burst of real light to get focus assist. None of the external flash units use IR - just visible red light.

It is not measuring distance at all. The AF assist is to provide a measure of contrast so that the regular AF circuitry has enough light to focus! With an external flash (like your Metz) the red light is enough for the lens + AF mechanism to lock onto your subject. That's all it is.

I am not sure if the Metz will act as a slave to the pop-up flash. The remote flash is performed with a short burst of sequenced light from the pop-up to the slave (and back again). You can't cover anything up!
There is, however, a custom setting in the K10D/20D etc that allows you to choose whether the pop-up contributes to the exposure.


I think you have more than one subject here - (1) focus in low light, (2) remote flash, and maybe some more...

Have you read my sticky note on P-TTL flash?
Matt

I only use TDK for archival... their CDs were spec'd for long-term storage.
Never been let down yet

But then I still use HDD for keeping my images (3 of them in different places).
Matt

The correct question is "WHY"?

If it's because you want better photos, then stick with Elements
If you are missing a particular feature then consider it...

However, I would definitely encourage you to learn all you can about PSE6 before switching. You need to learn about layers, masks, filters etc etc etc. Only when your skills cannot grow any more - then consider CS.

To be honest, when it comes to general photography, there isn't much that Elements can't do.

Some good places to check out:
www.hiddenelements.com
and the tutorials on my website: www.photon.me.uk

That should keep you going for a long time!

If you don't already shoot RAW, then switching to RAW and using a decent convertor (like Silkypix or CaptureOne) will keep you going for even longer!

Matt

Definitely And preferably with a camera
Matt

ROFL!
I'm always learning