[Aroy]

Originally Posted by CRV2010

I am newbie for DSLR's. can you please tell me how to recover those shadows. What setting we need to use ?

There are two methods.
1. Use the in camera "Active D Lighting" option. That will optimise the DR to give you reasonable image with shadows boosted and the highlights subdued. This is the only recourse if you shoot JPG.

2. Shoot in RAW. Meter for the brightest area. I use spot metering most of the time. Then open the images in Nikon Capture software. I use their free Capture-D version. In one of the image adjustment menus (windows) you can adjust the D lighting and the exposure compensation.

As every case is unique you have to adjust each shot individually.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by Aroy

There are two methods.
1. Use the in camera "Active D Lighting" option. That will optimise the DR to give you reasonable image with shadows boosted and the highlights subdued. This is the only recourse if you shoot JPG.

2. Shoot in RAW. Meter for the brightest area. I use spot metering most of the time. Then open the images in Nikon Capture software. I use their free Capture-D version. In one of the image adjustment menus (windows) you can adjust the D lighting and the exposure compensation.

As every case is unique you have to adjust each shot individually.

I think spot metering is not recommended for objects that are much darker or brighter than the ambient environment, such as a bird in a canopy having lot of openings into a bright sky. It's very easy to overexpose the sky in such cases. I know this from practical experience. Also that could be a reason why your photos need so much shadow recovery and also because you are shooting in very harsh light. Try using matrix metering and I think you will notice a difference.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

I think spot metering is not recommended for objects that are much darker or brighter than the ambient environment, such as a bird in a canopy having lot of openings into a bright sky. It's very easy to overexpose the sky in such cases. I know this from practical experience. Also that could be a reason why your photos need so much shadow recovery and also because you are shooting in very harsh light. Try using matrix metering and I think you will notice a difference.

I have lost many shots when the subject was perfectly exposed using spot metering but the back ground was too dark or too bright.

[Sawyer]

The thing to also remember is that regardless of how good they are, cameras will struggle to cope with a wide range of light from bright to dark in the frame, without something to reduce this range to manageable limits.
One easy way to do this is to use fill flash, with some negative flash compensation and perhaps slow sync, so as to not be obvious, to add some light to the dark parts to narrow down this range. The on camera flash can be quite useful in bright light - indeed it's main use is in bright light, though that seems counter intuitive to beginners.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

I have lost many shots when the subject was perfectly exposed using spot metering but the back ground was too dark or too bright.

Isn't that exactly when you want to use spot metering, when the background is too dark or too bright in reference to the object you are exposing?

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Isn't that exactly when you want to use spot metering, when the background is too dark or too bright in reference to the object you are exposing?

True I got a perfectly exposed bird but washed out skies. But when I matrix metered everything was perfectly exposed. No washed out highlights and a pretty well exposed bird.

[amit_mechengg]

In the war of Canons and Nikons DSLRS i took a plunge and bought the almighty Sony Aplha A58M DSLT technology with 18-135 lens kit at just 41000 rs.
The lens alone is worth 39000. The image quality is simply outstanding. The features are way beyond costlier canons and nikons.

15 AF points, Auto Focus lock on object, ISO upto 12800, 8 FPS, auto focus in video shooting too, extremely fast due to DSLT technology, Image stabilizer as well as auto focus built in the body, light weight, good build tilt screen are just some of the USP of this product.

Not famous in india but selling in high nos abroad i think sony has definitely nailed it

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

True I got a perfectly exposed bird but washed out skies. But when I matrix metered everything was perfectly exposed. No washed out highlights and a pretty well exposed bird.

What was the shade (on gray scale) of the bird? And when you spot metered on the bird, did you compensate for the shade it had?

If the bird was exposed correctly under both spot and matrix, and skies were exposed correctly only under matrix, it is hard to explain how that happened.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by Samurai

What was the shade (on gray scale) of the bird? And when you spot metered on the bird, did you compensate for the shade it had?

If the bird was exposed correctly under both spot and matrix, and skies were exposed correctly only under matrix, it is hard to explain how that happened.

On a gray scale? How do you do that when you are spot metering? It was a brown fish owl and I used the the centre focus point on the bird and metered using spot metering. I guess the metering compensated for the dark brown bird and in the process over exposed the already bright sky. It was not a one off incident and I have been able to replicate it more than once. I think when the variations between the dark and light areas are big, especially when the brighter areas are much larger than the dark areas, spot metering is a tricky thing. When I used matrix metering the bird was pretty well exposed but not as well as when it was spot metered.

[Bluu]

Which lens will pair well with the D7100 for low light/street/landscape photography? Is the 18-135mm kit lens versatile enough or is an investment in the 35mm or 50mm lenses required for aforementioned needs?

No video, sports or wildlife requirements.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by SPARKled

On a gray scale? How do you do that when you are spot metering? It was a brown fish owl and I used the the centre focus point on the bird and metered using spot metering. I guess the metering compensated for the dark brown bird and in the process over exposed the already bright sky.

I think you skipped a step here. If the bird was dark brown (same as dark grey), you have to compensate by setting the EV to -1. Otherwise you will be overexposing everything. Thus the sky was blown.

The spot metering always assumes that the spot you picked to be mid tone or grey. If it is not mid tone, you are responsible for compensating. Always decide whether the spot is light grey, grey or dark grey. Then you can compensate correctly.

Check my old post here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post1749110

[NetfreakBombay]

I have been using a point and shoot camera with 28-300mm lens and a really tiny sensor (3 mm diagonal). this was purchased in 2005 for $600.




That camera has given up the ghost and I am looking for a replacement.

Noticed that an entry level DSLR (EOS 1100D) with

1. 18-55mm + 55-250mm lenses
2. 26mm Sensor

is available for just 27k.

Is there a catch or is this a reasonable price for kit?


http://www.flipkart.com/canon-eos-11...md37hqu6ck5a5t

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I think you skipped a step here. If the bird was dark brown (same as dark grey), you have to compensate by setting the EV to -1. Otherwise you will be overexposing everything. Thus the sky was blown.

The spot metering always assumes that the spot you picked to be mid tone or grey. If it is not mid tone, you are responsible for compensating. Always decide whether the spot is light grey, grey or dark grey. Then you can compensate correctly.

Check my old post here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post1749110

I did set the EV to - 0.7 but it did not work very well. I can try - 0.1 the next time and see the difference.

[Aroy]

There are many options when shooting birds which are predominantly is shadows.

1. Use matrix metering and hope for the best. That too will invariably over expose the sky and under expose the bird. Underexpose may be recovered but blown sky never.

2. Use spot meter for the sky. The sky is perfectly exposed, but every thing is in shadows. With the modern DSLR there is at least 13EV of DR (for D3300, and 14.5EV for the D610/800), so shadows upto -11EV are recoverable with little noise if you use base ISO (100 in case of most modern Nikons)

3. Use centre weighed metering for the bird in the shadow. The bird and the surroundings will be perfectly exposed. The sky blown. If you are only interested in the bird this is the correct metering.

If you know how much shadow you can recover with very little noise, then it is better to expose for the sky, unless the subject is really dark - 6 or more EV below the sky. Otherwise expose depending on what you want - the bird or the whole image including sky.

The only other method of getting both right in a high DR scene, is to bracket for exposure -5 EV, 0 EV,+5 EV and then merge the sky with the bird.

[.sourov]

My canon EOS 600D had to visit the service today as my 50 1.8 lens got stuck to the body. But i was shocked to find out that i have to pay Rs 3000 to get it resolved even though it was not my fault. The service center guys put this under physical damage, but i searched out in the internet that it is a common issue with the lens and many have faced it. Please let me know what to do, both the camera and lens are under warranty.