Pentax 17 flash WAY too bright

[Hayli]

hello, i know the pentax 17 is not a rangefinder but i don't know where to post, and i also just love this community.

i got the pentax 17 last year and noticed right away that the pictures with flash were way too bright. i will post an example from the latest roll. am i just too close? i know there is an exposure dial on the camera, i didn't know if turning that down would help? forgive me, i am used to an ancient canon point and shoot and don't really understand this camera as well.

if the exposure dial won't help, what would you suggest? thank you 🙂

 

[JeffS7444]

Shooting film using a tiny flash as a primary source of illumination was always tricky! Yes, avoid getting too close to your subject. Also, consider experimenting with the slow-speed flash mode (orange moon) which attempts to balance flash with ambient lighting, but which may require you to hold the camera extra-steady, or use a tripod. Higher-speed film may also be helpful.

Your sample photos can be improved, as color negative film is pretty tolerant of overexposure. But for best results, it may be necessary to rescan them. I was able to somewhat recover one of them, but the brightest highlights weren't captured during the scanning process, hence the washed-out cat's eyes.

 

[Hayli]

Shooting film using a tiny flash as a primary source of illumination was always tricky! Yes, avoid getting too close to your subject. Also, consider experimenting with the slow-speed flash mode (orange moon) which attempts to balance flash with ambient lighting, but which may require you to hold the camera extra-steady, or use a tripod. Higher-speed film may also be helpful.

Your sample photos can be improved, as color negative film is pretty tolerant of overexposure. But for best results, it may be necessary to rescan them. I was able to somewhat recover one of them, but the brightest highlights weren't captured during the scanning process, hence the washed-out cat's eyes.

i get prints done with the darkroom after they scan my photos, so there's no time for me to adjust for the prints sadly 🙁 i was able to get the photos fixed up a bit in lightroom like what you did, but i just wish they would come out looking better. i use fuji 400, its the cheapest and also my favorite next to portra 800 but i may switch back and see if that helps. thank you! 🙂