http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=224&modelid=16718
I have this camera that is 10 MP. I also have an A85 that is 4 MP. I don't like the better one at this point because of the flash. If I am trying to take a picture of something in the distance- the flash gets absorbed by anything in front of it and the entire picture is dark. Is there a setting I can change?
Re: camera help please...
I'm guessing you're taking pictures at night or in low-light situations? A flash will not reach very far... I try not to use flash at all, but if I have to I make sure the subject is 4-10 ft away from me and no further.
I would recommend turning off your flash and trying it that way. Your camera probably has a slow shutter speed setting that you can use that would be even better. In either case, you will need to use a tripod or put your camera on a ledge or something to minimize movement of the camera since the exposure will take a little longer. If I were you, I'd experiment in the sort of light situations that you might be in... try holding the shutter down for 1 second, 2 seconds, 10 seconds... just to see if you're getting the results you want.
Hopefully I explained that ok... any other photogs want to jump in?
BFP 12.20.2010 :: missed m/c 1/2011 around 8 weeks
BFP @ 9dpo 5.24.2011 :: missed m/c 6/2011 around 7 weeks
positive for ANAs (1:40) with a speckled pattern
MTHFR c677t mutation (heterozygous)
*folic acid, baby asprin, Prometrium, acupuncture, Lovenox*
BFP @ 9dpo 2.1.2012 || HCG = 8 : Progesterone = 19.2
2nd HCG @ 11dpo = 40 || 3rd HCG @ 21dpo = over 5000!
Stick, little one, stick! EDD October 15, 2012
1/60-1/1500 sec., 15-1/1500 sec.; Long Shutter operates with noise reduction when manually set at 1.3-15 sec.
This is the shutter speed I found online...
Can you expand on the part where you said to try holding the shutter down for 1 second, 2 seconds...etc.?? I don't know how to do this.
Most recently I tried taking a picture of a house that was 50-100 feet away (maybe?) and got nothing but I feel like if I would have had the A85 the picture would have come out. Not positive...but am thinking so.
I would start by just turning your flash off and see what happens.
Then, look at page 99 of your manual for how to use the "Long Shutter" feature (or download it from the link you gave above). I would start by trying at 1.3sec and going from there. Again, you will want to make sure that your camera is either on a tripod or on a table or ledge where movement is minimized, otherwise you'll get a blur. It sounds like your camera does some compensation for the shutter speed so it really will just take some experimenting to get to know this feature.
CJ is right, your ISO can help with this as well... ISO makes the camera more sensitive so you can use a faster shutter speed (won't be as sensitive to your movement of the camera), but the trade-off is that your images might be grainier.
The manual doesn't say anything about being able to hold the button down for as long as you want so maybe their Long Shutter feature is in place of that. It's been a while since I had a point-n-shoot camera (I had a Sony) and it had a no-flash mode with a little infinity symbol that meant I could hold down the button for as long as I wanted in order for the camera to let more light in, but of course it was never exact. At least with your Long Shutter feature, you can set it at different speeds to see what works best for your lighting situation and then you can leave it on that setting and get the same results every time.
BFP 12.20.2010 :: missed m/c 1/2011 around 8 weeks
BFP @ 9dpo 5.24.2011 :: missed m/c 6/2011 around 7 weeks
positive for ANAs (1:40) with a speckled pattern
MTHFR c677t mutation (heterozygous)
*folic acid, baby asprin, Prometrium, acupuncture, Lovenox*
BFP @ 9dpo 2.1.2012 || HCG = 8 : Progesterone = 19.2
2nd HCG @ 11dpo = 40 || 3rd HCG @ 21dpo = over 5000!
Stick, little one, stick! EDD October 15, 2012
no point and shoot (and not even my super-duper speedlight, which will light up to 79 ft) will be able to illuminate something that is 100ft away.
the A85 has a maximum flash distance of 14 ft:
WIDE: 46cm-4.2m/1.5-14 ft.
TELE: 46cm-2.5m/1.5-8.2 ft.
MACRO: 26-46cm/10 in.-1.5 ft. (When sensitivity is set to Auto)
i'd get out both cameras, take the exact same picture and see what the differences are. you might just be having bad luck by shooting in really poor conditions with the newer camera, and thinking that it's the camera's fault, when the a85 might produce an even lower quality image.