Tips for improving flash photography

November 27, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Q. I have an Olympus E-PL1 camera and am very pleased with it except for flash pictures. If I am more than 6 or 7 feet away from the subject, the pictures are too dark. Would an external flash make a difference?

A.M., Carnegie, Pa.

A. It would definitely make a difference. Any shoe-mount flash dedicated to Olympus or Panasonic Micro Four-Thirds cameras will work automatically with your E-PL1. Don’t use any other flash as it could short out your camera.

I strongly recommend separate flash units for the best possible results but they aren’t always necessary, and sometimes you have to make do with what is built into the camera.

Here are some simple tips to improve your flash pictures, no matter what camera or flash you are using.

First, you can change the ISO setting of your camera. This will both improve the range of your flash and capture more of the ambient light surrounding your subjects. The base setting for the E-PL1 is ISO 200.

Try setting it to ISO 800, take some flash pictures at different distances and compare the images to ones taken at ISO 200. You will see a noticeable improvement.

You can also use a lower shutter speed such as 1/30 or 1/15 of a second. This will “burn in” the background. You must hold the camera steadily and have stationary subjects for this to work well.

Finally, if you can, turn on all the room lights. The additional ambient light will be captured by the sensor, filling in the background for a more natural look.

Each step will yield an improvement, and you can combine them in any combination to get the effect you want.

Q. I have an old Zenith IS-4040 stereo with a tape deck, radio, and 8-track player. It has a spindle that holds six or seven records.

The turntable is beginning to slow down slightly and the records sound out of tune. I think it is time to send it to record player heaven.

Are there any record players out there that can stack more than one LP?

M.M., Livermore, Calif.

A. What you are referring to is a record changer. They are a lot more complicated than a regular turntable and the sound quality is not as good, so you do not see decent ones offered any longer since vinyl is not the dominant format.

If you want a changer you would have to find a nice used one somewhere such as Craigslist.

I would not be so quick to give up on the Zenith because based on your description I’d say it just needs a belt.

A belt for the Zenith IS-4040 is only $4.95 at turntableneedles.com. Search their website under your model number and you will find it.

Contact Don Lindich at www.soundadviceblog.com and use the “submit question” link on that site.

2011, McClatchy-Tribune News Service