DX7440 Question

[waynehayes]

Hi,
I'm all set to buy this camera, but the only thing concerning me is the talk of the poor flash. Is it really that bad?

Thanks,
Wayne

[pgoelz]

I don't think it is any worse than other small built in flashes. But I find that it does let me down from time to time at distances of more than 10'.

Other than that it is a really great camera with good features and good ergonomics.

[yonco]

This really depends on your needs.
I haven't been pleased with the way the camera performs in low-light conditions. The flash doesn't seem to do the job when you're far from the subject, but no, it's not all that bad. Haven't checked other cameras out, but I guess the DX7440's flash isn't much different than other camera's flashes.
I will warn you, I was shooting at a party on Friday and most pictures came out terrible (some of them were just complete darkness). Don't take my word for it though, I'm not a very experienced photographer and as Jeff says, "your mileage may vary".

It's an excellent camera, I advise you to try it out (unless there's another camera you're considering that might be better?) - the worst thing that could happen is you returning it a week or two later. In general that camera is a great value for that relatively-small amount of money.

[waynehayes]

Thanks for the replies.
Any chance of a few sample indoor, low light photos, so I can make up my own mind.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne

[pgoelz]

Given the same exposure time, I seriously doubt that the 7440 is any better or worse at forming an image in low light than any other camera with similar lens aperture. What I HAVE found to make a difference is that in auto mode, the longest exposure time the 7440 will set is 1/8 second. Especially if you are zoomed in a bit (reduces the aperture), this is too fast for some indoor available light situations. By comparison, my old Olympus D-360 would go to 1/2 second, and got better available light exposures in automatic mode. But they often came at the cost of severe camera movement.

In available light situations, A) stay zoomed all the way out and move closer to frame your photo and B) use manual mode and set an appropriate exposure time.... and make sure that the aperture is wide open (f2.8). The exposure value is shown in the display.... get it close to zero and you will have a good exposure.