kodak easyshare and dark photos

hello to all. hope someone can help me. i have a easyshare cx7330. i take a lot of pictures at school events. such as basketball games., concerts and awards nights. these events are always well lit. if i use the zoom lens, with the auto or any other flash mode, the pictures are dark. if i dont use the zoom which is 3x optical, the pics are fine but, to far away. digital zoom is shut off. if i shut the flash off, the pictures are lighter but blury. i am real puzzled about this. have tried different modes and flashes. have lost a lot of nice picture oportunitys because of this. got no help from kodak. just sent me a page on how to take pictures in low light.:mad2: thanks for any help

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nana17

hello to all. hope someone can help me. i have a easyshare cx7330. i take a lot of pictures at school events. such as basketball games., concerts and awards nights. these events are always well lit. if i use the zoom lens, with the auto or any other flash mode, the pictures are dark. if i dont use the zoom which is 3x optical, the pics are fine but, to far away. digital zoom is shut off. if i shut the flash off, the pictures are lighter but blury. i am real puzzled about this. have tried different modes and flashes. have lost a lot of nice picture oportunitys because of this. got no help from kodak. just sent me a page on how to take pictures in low light.:mad2: thanks for any help

---

What you see as a well-lit indoor event is probably lit very poorly lit. Your eye and brain process the information and brighten it up for you, the camera has no such advantage.

Your photos are dark because the camera has no way to allow in enough light. It is probably setting the maximum aperture and slowest shutter speed possible. This is still not enough. You get better images without the zoom because the largest aperature is better at the low end on the zoom and the camera can get a bit more light.

There are no cheap handheld solutions for indoor events I can think of. What you really need is a DSLR and a large, heavy, expensive f/2.8 lens. That will set you back quite a bit. Sorry!

thanks for the explanation. it is good to know it isn't anything i am doing wrong. just the camera.:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nana17

thanks for the explanation. it is good to know it isn't anything i am doing wrong. just the camera.:)

---

Just to make sure I am being clear, all P&S cameras will act this way. There is nothing wrong with the camera you have.

I have a Kodak DX6490 that I loved...until I started having the same problem. I have a friend with a similar style Canon digital and I had her stand next to me, and take the same still photo in a well lit room. Mine looks a lot darker. It must be a problem with the camera, no?

I've been thinking about upgrading to a DSLR and now might be the time :)

Tara