That behaviour is normal on a Canon - and I would think normal on a Nikon
too. In "auto mode" the camera will choose a shutter speed that let's you
hand-hold - in Aperture priority it'll give you a shutter speed that
correctly exposes the BACKGROUND (the foreground is taken care of by the
flash). Shutter priority it'll do the best it can with the background, but
will take the shot anyway at the max F-Stop - if that means that the
background is underexposed then so be it.

Metering that you're seeing is primarily for the background in all modes
except automatic modes.

Basically in all auto modes the camera assumes that the flash is the primary
source of light - in Tv / Av / M / ADOF modes it assumes that the flash is a
fill flash to expose the foreground - it's assuming you'll correctly expose
the background.

Cheers,

Colin

This is the same as my D70 using built-in flash or SB-600.  If I want to
use flash as the primary light source, I set the camera to M(anual) and
choose shutter speed and aperture to suit.

The meter is not useful in this situation, it is correctly showing what
would happen if no flash was in use.  What's the alternative?  It shows
correct exposure all the time that the flash is enabled, expect that
would be wrong if the flash didn't have enough power, and the camera
wouldn't know about that until after you'd taken the picture.

Ian

According to the D70 manual on p99, the slowest shutter speed used with the
built-in flash is set by Custom Setting #21 (Shutter Speed),  It's default
is 1/60 second but it can be set from 1/60 to 1/500.  I suspect that the
D70s has a similar feature

   Norm

If the built-in flash leaves you perplexed, and you use the flash a lot, you
might want to upgrade to the SB600 or better yet the SB800.  Way more
options available to you, and really compliments your D70.  I've got the
800, and use it a lot more than I thought I ever would.

You can't change physics.  The exposure is the exposure. If the correct
exposure is 3.5 at 1/60 (the default flash sync speed) that is what it
is.  You may wish it to be 1/60 at f/11 but wishing won't do it.

The Nikon Flash system normally operates in  a balanced flash mode,
trying to balance the background against the forground.   You can
modify this behavior.

for example. I set my D70s to Auto (most other settings other than
image (changed to RAW) are set to default except for a couple of things
which have no exposure effect).

D70s  18070 F3.5/4.5

Auto:        1/60  3.5
Program  1/60 3.5
Shutter:    I set shutter speed to 1/60 and camera picks 3.5  If I
increase the shutter speed to any increment up to 1/500 aperature stays
at 3.5 and the shot is correcty exposed.  Why?   Because the flash is
many times faster than the shutter, and so long as the camera will sync
at that speed,. then the exposure remains the same.
Now, go the otherway...  the camera is actually measuring the the
available light situation.  In  office right now the subject I have
been shooting (the ever thrilling bulletin board on the wall.. know how
often I look at that.. I got a new calendar for christmas, replaced the
one on the board... it was stuck on July)   In this case, the available
light exposure is 1/8 at 3.5.  If the available light is brighter, it
will pick a faster
aperature and shutter speed.  There is a limited chart on page 78 of
the manual (D70s) which shows you the various shutter speeds and
aperature combinations for a given EV (Exposure Value).  regretfully
Nikon does not gives extended tables for all the auto modes but this
gives you an idea of what is going on.   If you are getting a "LO"
reading that means there is not enough natural light to give an
exposure within the Auto limits of camera.  However if the flash to
subject distance is with in the specs of the flash, then the camera
will give a correctly exposed shot using the flash, but the shutter
will be open for a long time.. you probably don't want to shoot in this
mode for flash photograph without a tripod.

Aperature Priority      Here the camera sets the shutter speed for the
default 1/60th.  As noted above the correct available light exposure
for my situation is 1/8 a 3.5.   Again, if I were to take a picture at
1/60th at 3.5 the flash exposure will be correct.

Manual:  I can set what ever combinations I want. It won't let me
exceed 1/500th of a second shutter because that is all the camera will
sync the flash to.   So, If I want I can set the camera to any shutter
speed and any aperature.  However, I need to beware of the Guide Number
of the flash and the effects of falsh to subject distance. See the
discussion below.

Flash exposure is a function of four  items..   ISO, Flash to Subject
Distance, Guide Number (or "power") of the flash and aperature.  
Shutter speed has no effect on the flash exposure.. the background or
available light yes, flash no.

With the built in flash you can modify the behaviour by selecting slow
sync mode and the camera will expose for the natural light and use the
flash for fill.

You can also select manual mode and spot meter and the camera will use
TTL flash but stop trying to balance the background, so you may get
better results and faster shutter speeds.

The built in flash is not very powerful and it needs to pick  apertures
to get any kind of shooting distance.  At 3.5 with ISO 200, the maximum
flash to subject distance is about 12 feet.   I you increase the ISO to
400, you get 18 feet at 3.5 or 12.6 feet at 5.6

The camera is behaving normally.  Its is doing the best it can.  If you
want to overide things, then you can go to manual.  But if yo set your
camera to f11 with the bultin flash, your subject has to be closer than
5 feet for correct exposure.  See pages 97 to 101 of the manual.   All
cameras behave this way. he curves and programs may be a little
different, but the basics are there.

If you want more flash  range and flexibility, its time to add a more
powerful SB600 or 800 to your gadget bag.  Other flashes may work but
until you understand the relationships do flash exposure, best stick
with Nikon ones.  They are excellent flashes anyway.

Good luck and happy shooting.

-
Jim     <jen....not....home..remvdots...@....yahoo