External Flash I set my Epson 3100z camera to manual mode and set up the camera for external flash. I manually set the shutter speed to 1/60 sec and the aperture to F4. I also set my SunPak flash to F4. My exposures seem pretty good. However when I review the various photo info's, the aperture reading is F5 or F4.8 not the F4 I set. Why is this? Anyone experienced this? The shutter speed are also not always what I set on the camera.

set it in manual, and open up the aperture. Flash exposure is mainly affected by aperture, Also make sure your shutter speed is set at flash sync speed

I have notice a similar problem when using my 3100Z. I have found if I use Shutter priority mode and set the shutter speed to 1/60th to 1/125th that the problem is corrected. There are several reasons you are seeing motion blur. Most 35mm would set the shutter to 1/60th or higher for flash sync speed. The 3100Z at wide angle in Auto mode will set the shutter speed to 1/30th even when the flash is on and 1/90th at telephoto. Also I notice 2 things when comparing my 3100Z to my Epson 850Z. The shutter release on the 3100Z presses harder thus causing my wrist to want to straighten as the muscles connected to my index finger tighten. This causes the camera to rotate clockwise slightly. Also the shutter release on the 850Z is raised up higher than the 3100Z which means the index finger doesn't need to be bent as much to press it. Less of a bend means less muscle tension in the wrist. This all gets worse with action shots, like candid photos of people, since the tendency to "jerk" the trigger instead of "squeezing" it to catch just the right shot will make it harder to avoid the slight rotation of the camera. Along with trying a higher shutter speed I would also suggest practicing with the optical viewfinder. Your wrist will be in the straight position and you will notice moving the camera during the shot much more. If you use the LCD viewfinder it is easy to treat a digital camera like a video camera. Since we are used to seeing things move on a TV screen you are less likely to realize you are not holding the camera steady. I noticed I was doing this after a few months of using my Epson 750Z. I used the optical viewfinder for awhile to break myself of the habit. The last thing I can think of is I always try to press the shutter release halfway down, wait till it is done focussing, then press the shutter release all the way down to take the shot. When I don't want to wait that long and press the shutter release all the way down right away I tend to get more blurry shots. I am not sure if this is because I have "jerked" the trigger so the camera can't focus while it is being moved or it is motion blur and not a focus issue or if the camera fires even if it hasn't found a good focus when it hasn't been given a chance to pre-focus.

Try the PROGRAM MODE-SPORTS setting. this will keep the shutter speed reletively high unless there is little light. Or use APERTURE PRIORITY MODE with an f2.0 to f2.8 to keep shutter speed high. If pictures were blurry when it went to AUTO then the light had to be low for the camera to select a low shutter speed. If using flash use forced or auto flash not slow sync. Also set ISO to 400 which is >>>. If inside use a larger external flash as the one on-camera is only good for about 10ft. if more than 10ft. away set focus to manual infinity so you don't have to wait for the camera to focus. Hope this helps.

re you sure the out of focus condition is due to the actually focus or do to motion blur? I think the 3100Z in auto and flash on will set the shutter speed fairly low like 1/30th of a second for wide angle and 1/90th for full telephoto. This may not be fast enough to avoid motion blur. I would suggest using manual mode and shutter priority and set the shutter speed to 1/100th of a second. This won't effect the flash output but will reduce the amount of ambient light being captured which could cause long range shots to become darker in the distance. Name of the game, don't be afraid to take it off auto mode and experiment with manual setting.

My experience is - NOT to set to other modes, BUT using the "Auto" Mode only!

Of couse, my other experience is very sweet when using an external flash unit (any common brands).

Its Hot-Shoe is the second reason I bought this camera! The first one being its Lens aperture of F2.0-2.5!

I use a Sunpak 433D flash with my Epson 850Z camera. Do a search for vivitar in this forum and you should get a lot of hits.

I have a 3000z, and have not noticed any problem with flash sync with even the fastest speed.

t is my understanding that you must use manual exposure (shutter and aperture) with an external flash. This shouldn't be a problem (set the camera to the settings on the guide chart that comes with your flash, and let the flash worry about the strength/flash duration necessary - provided it is an "auto" flash with a sensor)... I'm going to use a Vivitar 273 with my Epson 3000z... There are a few other threads on this forum regarding External Flash use.

bought the Metz 32 Z-2 that was recommended by Epson. I did a great deal of searching/researching on the web, and eventually came to the conclusion (my personal conclusion...YMMV..as well as others) that it was worth the price. I've also had two (non-digitial) pros hold the metz name in very high regard. I like it so far although I haven't used it much for nice portraiture. I did use it at the beach one night in the *dark* from 10 meters (couldn't see *anything* on the LCD when snapping the picture) and a few turned out really nice. Some were not in complete focus, but hey, it was dark. I will say it is much larger than I expected. When mounted on the 850 it felt nice. But with the 3000 being a little smaller, it is rather large. With a teleconverter lens and the flash mounted together, the whole ensemble feels rather nice. I'd recommend finding one in person first. It does have about all the features one could want tho...

You may need to use the flash. Make sure the setting is not flash off. If you're using the flash, make sure your subject is within the range of 14 feet for wide angle shots or 11 feet for telephoto shots. Use Image Expert to adjust the picture's brightness and contrast. Try adjusting the camera's exposure or sensitivity settings (use the Manual user mode). If you're taking pictures in the Manual user mode, look for the EV! warning that appears on your LCD screen when you are taking pictures out of the ideal exposure range. If you have trouble setting both the aperture and shutter speed manually, try adjusting the aperture and letting the camera choose the shutter speed with Aperture Priority mode. If you're using the macro mode to take a close-up photo, be sure to provide adequate lighting for your subject. If you're taking a picture at night and you want to light up the background as well as your subject, use the camera's slow synchronized flash mode. If you need more light, attach an optional external flash to the camera's hot shoe.