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big soft moose said:
and how does heget them to 1s shutter when 1/20 sec shutter is over exposed with the narrowest apperture and the lowest possible iso ? - short of using filters or shooting in low light in can't think of a way
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That' the question to a different answer!
Context you have snipped that from was, OP's camera has a lot of capability, and with the capability to get shutters down under a whole second, long exposures are possible from it, its not something utterly beyond his cameras capabilities.

1/20th @ f8 & ISO80.. If I were to pik the Nik, then OK, I could drop 3-stops to f22, so I could go up 3-stops on the shutter, to 1/2s... and I'm probably blowing even more with an extra 1/3 of a stop on my ISO... and still not under a whole second on the shutter.. to wit, while limited aperture on his bridge camera aren't helping the matter, but an extended range of tighter apertures on another camera, probably aren't going to solve it either.. may get him further, but not all the way....

BUT, forget long exposures and trying to make them any longer. Back up and just consider the OP's initial 'problem' of over-exposure.
1/20th isn't a long exposure, why is he seeing over-exposure, even at that short a shutter?

Clue to that I think is likely in his comment he's using Aperture priority... so 'something' in the scene is fooling the meter into suggesting settings that result in over-exposure...

He could wait for lower light, he could put a pair of sunglasses in front of the lens, he could go buy a proper filter.... Any or all would hold back light getting into the camera.. So, lets bang in 6-stops of ND, that would get him from 1/20th down to 2&1/2 seconds.. and his camera could do that.... BUT based on the same metering, he'd get the same exposure... he'd get the same over-exposure!

So WHAT is it in the scene, fooling the meter? Why is't he recognising it? Why isn't he offering any exposure compensation to avoid it?

Doesn't matter what f-numbers he has or hasn't got; there is 'the problem'. Understanding exposure, understanding the scene, and employing the know-how to get the desired exposure when the cameras metering-coupled-settings isn't delivering it.

Only when THAT fundamental is solved, and he's got the exposure 'right', adding compensation, firing at maybe ISO80, f8 & 1/50th.. should we turn attention to changing the shape of the exposure triangle to use a longer shutter to get more milk, and the problems we only then get, that two corners of the triangle are up against the buffers, and he has no more f-stops or ISO settings to use. Then, lower light, sunglasses or filters, will shift the buffers for him so he can use longer shutter speeds ad maintain the same 'good' exposure.

But, moving the buffers for him, now, not understanding exposure or metering and getting over-exposure, he's no better off to solving his 'over-exposure'.. he'll still be getting the same metering error, and uncorrected, getting the same degree of over-exposure...he might get the bur he wants, but it wont solve his over-exposure.
 
Mike, i think you are just massively overcomplicating and confusing this thread

If, as the OP suggested, he has his camera set to ISO 80, 1/20th and F8, the camera metering will make ZERO difference as he already has the 3 sides of the exposure triangle locked down, the only way to reduce the exposure is to stop less light falling on the sensor, but to keep the relatively slow shutter speed to get movement in the water, he needs an ND filter.............. simple as that

As for why it's over exposed, without seeing any shots it's very difficult to say, but it could just have been a very bright day :)
 
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Teflon-Mike I understand what you are saying & yes i'my still trying to get my head around the exposure part more if you or anyone else knows of some good links to info on exposure i'd be very grateful
 
Bryan Petersons book "understanding exposure" is a good place to start.

also this looks reasonably accessible http://www.exposureguide.com/exposure.htm ignore the advert at the top which is pretending to be part of the article but isnt
 
Sweety said:
Teflon-Mike I understand what you are saying & yes i'my still trying to get my head around the exposure part more if you or anyone else knows of some good links to info on exposure i'd be very grateful
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Tutorials section on here, and Exposure - Exposed! Would be my suggested starting point! - Mostly in pictures, and without too much jargon.
Your 'over-exposure' problem, however lies in metering, which maybe is another tutorial.
Within a 'picture', that as a whole may be a bit bright, or a bit dim, you have parts of the picture that 'locally' are brighter or dimmer. High-lights and Shadow.
The camera 'meters' or measures the brightness of the scene as a whole, and it tends not to look at the highlights and shadows or the range between them, so carefully.
It also starts with an assumption, (MoAFU), that on 'average' your scene, regardless of what it is or how brightly lit, 'on average' should be about 18% or Kodak Grey.. so it looks at the scene, and it offers exposure settings to average everything out to that middle Kodak grey.. whether they are or not, in real life!
So, if you have a fairly dim scene with a lot of detail in shadows, the camera will try and 'lift' the exposure and brighten it all up.
If you have a fairly bright scene with a lot of detail in highlights, the camera will try and drop the exposure and dim it down.
So, if you pictures are being 'over-exposed'.. coming out brighter than you want them.. you need to work out why the camera is offering the settings it is to make that 'over-exposed' picture... what is it in the scene that is 'fooling' it.
Because in all the 'automatic' modes, the camera's 'brain' is trying to select ISO, Aperture and Shutter settings for you, to get the 'exposure' the meter thinks you should have.
In Manual mode, you have a 'swing needle' type scale, that suggests whether the settings you dial in will give over or under exposure.. but still based on that meter's 'wrong' assessment of the scene.. balance the needle or get the dot in the middle, taking the meter's suggestion of exposure you should have, your picture will still be over or under exposed, because the METER is 'wrong', not the settings.
Having sussed that one, and why it is wrong, you need to correct it, tell the camera to stop being so foolish, or tell it its not giving you quite what you want, and ask it nicely to do things a bit different, or, tell it to sit this one out and make your own settings, ignoring the meter, or 'correcting' for its error and deliberately making settings to under expose (or over-expose) to what the meter suggests.
You don't HAVE to use manual; there may be an alternative and more suitable 'auto' mode; I think on the little bridge I have knocking about, that's all 'icon' driven, there's an icon for 'night-time' scenes, and another for 'back-lit' ones, as well as 'sports' and 'parties' and gawd knows what! BUT selecting an icon or mode that's closer to the actual sort of scene you are looking at, can give it a better idea of what its looking at and tell it to make anther guess at the exposure, that is actually likely to be closer to what you want.
Alternatively, there may be an 'exposure compensation' button, that you can use to simply tell it "No, that's too bright, make it dimer for me"

But if, as your first post, you are getting 'over-exposed' pictures; that's the key-stone to sorting them out.
 
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