What is the difference between the flash and continuous lighting, why not using continuous lighting for photography?

From the SB 700 manual page b8:

v Notes on continuous fl ash photography • To prevent the SB-700 from overheating, allow it to cool down for at least 10 minutes after 15 times of continuous firing. • When continuous flash firing is repeated in quick succession, the internal safety function adjusts the recycling time by up to 15 seconds. If flash firing continues, the thermal cut-out indicator appears on the LCD and all operations are suspended. (0E-31) Allow it to cool down for several minutes to disable this function. • The conditions under which the internal safety function is activated differ depending on the temperature and the SB-700 flash output level. Operation B B-8 Slide the battery chamber cover open while pressing the battery chamber cover lock release. Insert the batteries following the [+] and [-] marks. Close the battery chamber cover. STEP 1 Inserting the batteries Operation B B-9 1.5 V alkaline AA battery 1.5 V lithium AA battery Rechargeable 1.2 V NiMH AA battery Suitable batteries When replacing batteries, use four fresh AA-type batteries of the same brand from any of the following types: • For minimum recycling time and number of flashes for each battery type, refer to "Specifications." (0H-27) • Alkaline battery performance may vary greatly depending on the manufacturer. • 1.5 V carbon-zinc AA batteries are not recommended. v Additional precautions regarding batteries • Read and follow battery warnings and cautions (0A-19 - A-22). • Be sure to read and follow the warnings for the battery on the section, "Notes on Batteries" (0H-9), before using the battery. • The recycling time can be longer when lithium AA batteries are used because they incorporate a function that suppresses the output current when heat is generated in the batteries.

Unfortunately, most auto-focus systems require some light to focus with. My cameras have a "focus assist" light that throws a grid of lines out so it can focus. My wife typically covers this light with her hands, and so can't get it to focus in the dark. Check for that.

Different lights for different effects. If you want the best color, and want to avoid harsh shadows, shop on ebay for a Novatron power pack and flash heads. Two flash heads and the pack can be had for under $200. Start making money before spending more. The flash heads will provide great color, allow for adding umbrellas to diffuse the light, and allow for shooting at lower ISO so you have high image quality. The flatheads also have flicker free tungsten modeling lights.

Yes, low-light photography is difficult, precisely because there isn't much light. In order for the sensor (or film, for that matter) to record what little light there is, the shutter has to stay open longer. This gives the subject more opportunity to move, resulting in blurring. Worse, this gives the camera more opportunity to move, resulting in more blurring. The situation is much worse in a compact camera such as the S860, which has a much smaller sensor than a dSLR. In order to pack as many pixels into a smaller sensor, each sensor is less sensitive to light.

If the subjects are not too far away, and at more or less the same distance, you can use flash, either on the camera or off. If the subjects are too far away, the flash won't make any difference. If the subjects are at differing distances, nearer ones will be much brighter than the farther ones.

You can raise the ISO to make the sensor more sensitive to light. This also increases digital noise. How much noise is acceptable is your call. You'll have to take the S860 out of Auto mode for this, though, and the results will still not be as good as you'd get out of a dSLR.

The best way to stabilize a camera is to use a tripod. Failing that, you can use a table, railing, window sill, or other steady surface, in conjuction with the self-timer. By using the self-timer, you give the camera an opportunity to quit moving after you pull your hand away.

None of these suggestions will make low-light photography easy, merely less difficult. Entire books have been written on the subject of available-light photography, your local public library may have one or two.

can print letters and such, but cannot print pictures. I have put in new ink . So why can't I print a picure. have never had this problem. All 3 lights start flashing.

Hey matty reps,
Aperture priority is a setting on most SLR cameras where you choose the aperture, which is the size of the opening in the lens that lets light thru, and the camera chooses a shutter speed that provides a correct exposure. The smaller the opening in the lens the less light that gets thru to expose the film so the shutter has to stay open longer to provide a correct exposure, but the smaller the aperture you use the larger the depth of field. Depth of field is how far in front and behind the subject things are in sharp focus. Canon refers to aperture priority as Av mode. With flash photography the camera usually sets the shutter speed to a designated speed called xsync speed, which is probably 1/90th of a second since this is what you said the camera was setting it to, but that speed is irrelevant since the duration of the flash is what determines the exposure time with flash photography which is usually around 1/10000 of a second (easily fast enough to stop almost any action). In aperture priority with a flash the smaller the aperture you use the more that will be in focus but more light will be needed from the flash and the closer you will need to be to your subject. A hotshoe mounted flash will help tremendously. I hope I didn't confuse you more, but as I said before you are attempting something difficult to do in photography. Keep trying and you'll get it!

Sincerely,
Allan
Go Ahead. Use Us.

Hey matty reps,
You are attempting one of the most challenging types of photography there is, because you are combing nighttime photography and action photography. If you want to stop the action you normally would be using the highest shutter speed possible, but since you are trying to take nighttime action photographs I would rely on a flash since the flash duration in essence becomes your shutter speed. I would definitely use a hotshoe mounted flash because the built in flash will most likely not be powerful enough for your needs. I would have the camera set to aperture priority so I could control the depth of field, because the smaller the aperture the larger depth of field you will have and the less likely your subject will be out of focus. If you are attempting natural light nighttime action photography you will definitely need a very fast film speed such as 3200 speed film which will provide significant loss of image quality. You will also need a very fast lens meaning a lens with an aperture of at least f2.8 or larger, and your camera in this scenario should be set to shutter priority so you can set the camera to the fastest shutter speed possible but this will present focusing issues. In both scenarios I would have the AF system set to continuous so the camera doesn't require you to achieve focus to be able to trip the shutter. As in all challenging photography situations more photos are better than less, because you should have more failed photos than successful. I hope this helps!

Sincerely,
Allan
Go Ahead. Use Us.

Digital cameras rely on "white balance" to control total overall color accuracy as processed for the final image. Colors are greatly affected by light. For example, look at any wall in your home or office and you can easily see that shadows will make the color of the wall appear to be different shades. Sunlight has a very different effect on colors than incandescent light or florescent lights. Digital cameras start with white (the absence of color) to measure the effect of light and adjust the metering (measurement and accuracy) of all the other colors. Of course, white in a poorly lit room may appear gray or even yellow to some digital cameras. So how can you get accurate color? 1) Turn the Mode Dial to MANUAL MODE (Red camera icon with an "M") 2) Use the Arrow Down on the ENTER Button to select W/B (White Balance) 3) Press the center on the ENTER Button to select and adjust W/B (White Balance) 4) Use the Arrow Right (once), then Press and Hold the Arrow Down. Note: Continue to Press and Hold the Arrow Down. There will be a pause as you reach the bottom of the common preset conditions. Then a new "hidden" option will appear. 5) Once PRE SET appears, Press the center of the ENTER Button to select it. 6) A Special screen will appear. Point the camera direct at something WHITE, like a piece of paper, a white wall or a white shirt. Regardless of the lighting conditions, the camera will accept this "white object" as the new starting point "base of reference" or "True White". 7) Press the Shutter Button to program the new "True White" setting. 8) Press the center of the ENTER Button to accept and continue photography. These new settings will be saved as PRE SET True White conditions in Manual Photography Mode until you change the settings with another selection. This will not "go away" when the camera is turned off. These settings do not impact Auto Photography Mode.

Digital cameras rely on "white balance" to control total overall color accuracy as processed for the final image. Colors are greatly affected by light. For example, look at any wall in your home or office and you can easily see that shadows will make the color of the wall appear to be different shades. Sunlight has a very different effect on colors than incandescent light or florescent lights. Digital cameras start with white (the absence of color) to measure the effect of light and adjust the metering (measurement and accuracy) of all the other colors. Of course, white in a poorly lit room may appear gray or even yellow to some digital cameras. So how can you get accurate color? 1) Turn the Mode Dial to MANUAL MODE (Red camera icon with an "M") 2) Use the Arrow Down on the ENTER Button to select W/B (White Balance) 3) Press the center on the ENTER Button to select and adjust W/B (White Balance) 4) Use the Arrow Right (once), then Press and Hold the Arrow Down. Note: Continue to Press and Hold the Arrow Down. There will be a pause as you reach the bottom of the common preset conditions. Then a new "hidden" option will appear. 5) Once PRE SET appears, Press the center of the ENTER Button to select it. 6) A Special screen will appear. Point the camera direct at something WHITE, like a piece of paper, a white wall or a white shirt. Regardless of the lighting conditions, the camera will accept this "white object" as the new starting point "base of reference" or "True White". 7) Press the Shutter Button to program the new "True White" setting. 8) Press the center of the ENTER Button to accept and continue photography. These new settings will be saved as PRE SET True White conditions in Manual Photography Mode until you change the settings with another selection. This will not "go away" when the camera is turned off. These settings do not impact Auto Photography Mode.