Who needs LED Flash?

**Joeybear23** · 07-26-2010, 08:42 PM

I had an LED flash on two blackberrys, and it always made my low-light pictures look grainy and red.

The captivate camera without flash takes MUCH better low-light shots, no red-shift, plus incandescent lighting shows up clearer.

I'm glad there's no LED flash... in fact this phone takes better low-light pictures than my wife's new iPhone4, which now has an LED flash.

**Simba501** · 07-26-2010, 08:58 PM

I agree. In my experience, my mobile phones with "night modes" of some sort, as opposed to a LED flash, have taken much better low light pictures.

**KwietStorm** · 07-26-2010, 09:24 PM

The Galaxy S benefits from new low light technology. The LED flash on my Nexus One gets put to great use. I've never had a red or grainy picture w/ flash, not even with older phones. It's always helped.

**braj** · 07-26-2010, 10:39 PM

My only real issue with the camera is the location of the lens, I have a hard time keeping my finger out of the way, and it is slippery to hold while I wait for cases to become available, that makes me nervous taking pictures. I think I want a lanyard for this phone, as I'd really like to use it for a camera as much as a 'phone'.

**braj** · 07-26-2010, 10:47 PM

It would be nice to have the option of taking 'landscape' pictures when the phone is held in 'portrait' mode.

**CaCHooKaMan** · 07-26-2010, 11:44 PM

the flash on my blackberry 9700 was great in low light situations if the object of the photo was pretty close. heres a comparison:

captivate (no flash):

blackberry bold 9700 (no flash):

captivate (night mode):

blackberry bold 9700 (flash):

**Joeybear23** · 07-27-2010, 06:11 AM

Okay, so you just about have to be on top of the subject in order for the LED flash to do much good.

Okay.

I always got complaints when using the LED flash as well. It would turn on so you could see the shot on the screen, then it would turn off, then flash when you took the picture.

And the result was always the subject groaning about how he/she has been blinded, and I still get a grainy, red-shift blurry picture.

**SoundsGood** · 07-27-2010, 09:30 AM

Looks like "night mode" makes the picture look too grainy (at least for my taste). I prefer the flash look.

**wildkarrde21** · 07-27-2010, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by SoundsGood

Looks like "night mode" makes the picture look too grainy (at least for my taste). I prefer the flash look.

Yeah, it's probably upping the ISO or something to compensate. Honestly, I don't really mind the missing LED flash that much, but it would have been nice to use as a flashlight

**Joeybear23** · 07-27-2010, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by SoundsGood

Looks like "night mode" makes the picture look too grainy (at least for my taste). I prefer the flash look.

No doubt, in certain conditions the LED flash works much better than the low-light function, but how often do you take close-up pictures in the dark. If your subject is 4 or 5 feet away, all the LED flash does is dissipate and make the camera auto lighting setting pick up a really bad shot.

**braj** · 07-27-2010, 11:29 AM

I agree, my LED flash on my last phone was most useful as a flashlight. I think it is best to adjust the photos later in an editor than worry too much about a flash, keeping them from blurring too seems most important to me. That can't really be fixed later.

**SoundsGood** · 07-27-2010, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Joeybear23

No doubt, in certain conditions the LED flash works much better than the low-light function, but how often do you take close-up pictures in the dark. If your subject is 4 or 5 feet away, all the LED flash does is dissipate and make the camera auto lighting setting pick up a really bad shot.

I know what you're saying, but you can fix the flash pic to some extent (if need be) in Photoshop. The grainy pic is pretty much done.

**KwietStorm** · 07-27-2010, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Joeybear23

No doubt, in certain conditions the LED flash works much better than the low-light function, but how often do you take close-up pictures in the dark. If your subject is 4 or 5 feet away, all the LED flash does is dissipate and make the camera auto lighting setting pick up a really bad shot.

Well how often do you take pictures in the dark anyway? If I do, then it's almost guaranteed that it is up close. I also like how the Nexus One's flash remains on when video recording.