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04/03/2009 12:33:43 AM · #1 |
ok... I am finding that on some of fy long exposure shots, I take the pic, then when I get home, they are way underexposed... I think my camera LCD is too bright... I have been told to just read the histogram and ignore what the picture looks like...
ok... soooo how do I read the histograms??? =P
let me know, thanks
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04/03/2009 12:47:35 AM · #2 |
| left side = darker, right side = lighter. you want it to be as much in the middle as possible, because the very left means that it's completely black and the very right means that it's blown out white and no information is being read by the sensor on either (extreme) side. |
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04/03/2009 01:12:15 AM · #3 |
Your LCD is just giving you a JPG representation of what it "thinks" the sensor is seeing. If you always rely on your histogram... you at least have the most data possible, and can alter the exposure in RAW when you get home :O)
There's a ton of good info here. |
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04/03/2009 02:02:34 AM · #4 |
If you are shooting long exposures because of low light levels, then it's probably dark where you are, and your eyes are adjusted to the darkness. That makes you read a dark looking LCD image as looking correctly exposed when you see it in that light. When you get home and put it on screen, it will be too dark. I had to learn to allow for this when shooting at night using manual exposure modes.
The histogram is your friend when you learn how to use it.
Another trick is to shoot one shot in daylight as you would normally do, and leave it on the card. You can then use that shot as a reference by moving one image fwd in the playback mode when you want to compare LCD levels to what a normal exposure looks like when shooting at night.
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04/03/2009 07:33:04 AM · #5 |
Two excellent links:
Understanding Histograms - Luminous Landscape
Histograms 1 and 2 - Cambridge in Color
Main idea: Expose to the RIGHT on the histogram. You'll have more data to work with. If you expose to the left, you'll have more noise.
Most of the time, your exposures will be long and it will take you a long time to find the right exposure settings. The trick: Set the ISO high, set the aperture wide, to let the most amount of light in. Find out how long you need to expose for. The shutter time will be much shorter, but the noise will be high and DOF low. But now, since you know the right exposure time, set the ISO back to normal and set the aperture back to normal. Count the number of ISO and f/stops and adjust the shutter speed.
This Tutorial by  Philos is an excellent primer.
Message edited by author 2009-04-03 07:37:50. |
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