Hello,

did anyone experience bad picture quality when use of the build in flash of the Sony DSC-T30 with the underwaterhousing (Marine Pack MPK-THC) ?
When I use the flash, I get an underexposed picture with a purplish spot on the right middle of the photo.
Same problem when I use flash with uw-housing above water.
I think it has got something to do with the curved reflector inside the housing.
I could solve the problem with external (slave) flash or strobe, but want to know if this might be a design-defect.

thx.

Hi.

What distance was there between your camera and subject (in both underwater and above water examples?).
Compact camera flashes have very short range underwater (usually up to 1m or so is OK, but beyond that, the flash generally just can’t ‘reach’)

Graham

Hi Norman,

welcome to DIGIDEEP! I would even state beyond that, that the internal flash
is not capable to illuminate subjects in a distance of more than 50 centimeters.

fishonfilm - 07 August 2007 04:24 AM

Hi.

What distance was there between your camera and subject (in both underwater and above water examples?).
Compact camera flashes have very short range underwater (usually up to 1m or so is OK, but beyond that, the flash generally just can’t ‘reach’)

Graham

Hi,

distance was about 0.5 to 1m (could be 1.5m). This occured in a swimming pool.
(I made some very beautiful uw- pix in Dahab Egypt though, but this was all without flash.
You can see some examples at http://picasaweb.google.be/the.stingray.divers/Badflash
It was my first tryout with the Sony T30.
The other album is made by a fellow diver with another camera. Most underwaterhouses have the flash ‘window’ right in front of the flash. Buth with the marine pack for the T30 it is curved and has a white difuser plate at the end. I haven’t seen this with other devices.

Hi Norman

Sorry, I can’t offer anything specific to this problem as I have not had my hands on the particular housing you have (or for that matter, the camera).

From your description, it sounds like the housing has a refractor to re-route the flash slightly, and then the light passes through a diffuser.  Perhaps this loses some of the flash light level, but the camera should be able to compensate for a small loss anyway.

One thing I’ve found with the very small Sony cameras is it is quite easy to accidentally put your finger or part of your hand over the flash when holding the camera.  I would be surprised if this was happening to you with the camera in the housing, especially as the results appear quite consistent, and I’m sure you would have noticed if you were blocking the flash with your hand!

When you took the example shots, especially those that included the other divers, did the flash appear to be firing correctly?  Did the divers in the pictures notice the flash going off?  If not, then perhaps there is a problem with the flash refractor or diffuser on your housing.

That’s all I can think of I’m afraid.

good luck

Graham