PhotoBanter.com - View Single Post - Built-in flash in P&S digital and DSLR cameras

**Data-Point**

On Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:11:32 -0800, wrote:

- Are there digital cameras (P&S or DSLR) which have two or more modes
of flash strength in their built in flash?

I know that the Canon S-series Powershots (P&S) have 3 output levels for the
manual flash setting and -2 to +2 stops in 1/3-stop steps for auto-flash output
levels in all camera's manual or auto exposure modes. Along with those
flash-output options there's so many others in these cameras that it can get a
little confusing at times. 1st curtain, 2nd curtain, slow-sync, auto, manual,
each having their particular settings in each of the various camera modes, Auto
P, Av, Tv, M, Scene modes, etc.

If instead you use the CHDK firmware add-on with them then you have all the
above plus 96 steps per stop of flash-output levels via automated script access.
32 steps per 1/3-stop. Its limits (-/+ number of full stops) has not yet been
determined nor reported. If it follows the same availability of EV choices when
using CHDK-scripts then +/- 4 stops (or more) of light output levels would be
available. (96x8) With that many levels available there comes a time where you
have to ask yourself, just how many do you want or need. For scientific research
image recording where light intensity levels might be paramount to getting the
right data then that amount of choices could be quite useful. I know of no other
cameras that can even come close to having this much adaptability and
capability, other than someone's multi-thousands $ custom optics equipment
sitting in someone's research lab.