Overexposing D700

cowasaki

cowasaki

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Darren
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I went to the zoo today and mainly used my 80-200 f2.8 lens.

Looking at light room and pretty much every image is over exposed but by differing amounts. I normally have EV set to -0.7 and this normally gets the exposure about right. I took about 300 images today with EV set to 0.00 so I would expect all the images to be 0.7 over exposed BUT they are all over exposed by between 0.7 and 3 stops!!

Yes some of the images are 3 stops over exposed!

I appears to be random how much they are over exposed BUT the amount of over exposure is the same for each batch of images, so all the pictures of the spectacled bears are 3 stops over exposed but all the Lion pictures are only 0.7 stops over.

This is very strange and I have not been able to check anything with the camera yet.

Also the 80-200 f2.8 today seems to be less sharp that it normally is.

I just hope that it is some kind of setting......
 
scottthehat said:
i find that on my d300 my sigma 50-500mm causes it to overexpose by about 0.7 sometimes more. were as my other lenses are always spot on.
Click to expand...

It is NOT the lens.

Just had a close look and

Fit 24-70 and the first 4 pictures are perfectly right absolutely spot on in the car park!

Then I go into the zoo and 2 elephant pics are about 2 stops over exposed.

Fit 80-200

Then 10 more elephant pics at long range that are all 2 stops over exposed.

Then I stop and then take 2 shots across the elephant enclosure of other toggers at long range and these 2 are about right.

Then I stop and then take about 40 elephant shots at long range all 2 stops over.

Then I stop again and then take 1 image of follow toggers at close range which is correctly exposed.

Then I take 8 elephant shots at long range all 2 stops over.

Then 5 more fellow toggers at close ish range all correctly exposed.

Then 1 take 10 monkey pics (10 metres) all 3 stops over.

Then 2 bird pics which are about right (5 metres).

Then some of the cabibarus and the grazing creatures again correctly exposed (5-30 metres).

Then the spectacled bears 3 stops over (5-10 metres).


I would go on but you probably get the picture.........
 
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I get this on my 2nd D2x - depending on which lens the exposure and WB are sometimes wildly off. It doesn't sound as bad as what you're getting though.

Funnily though, my 80-200mm is often one of the culprits (along with my Tammy 17-50mm); I can get perfect exposures one minute and the next, after changing view, they're all over the shop. I'd expect it if i were shooting into different light levels but it's generally when shooting the same thing against the same background. I've learned to live with it now

I know you've said it's not the camera but is it the same when you try different metering modes? Try it on spot or centre and see if it's the same....
 
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As an example these two pics are taken 90 seconds apart with no settings changed. The range it similar and clearly in 90 seconds the light hasn't really changed.

The camera has decided that a shutter speed of 1/320th is right for the 1st shot

but then decided that it needs 1/30th for the second shot !!!!


_D7H2720.jpg


_D7H2721.jpg
 
specialman said:
I know you've said it's not the camera but is it the same when you try different metering modes? Try it on spot or centre and see if it's the same....
Click to expand...

It has never done this before and I said it was not the LENS I think it must be the camera.

Spot metering
f4.5
aperture priority
0EV
80-200 f2.8 @ 200mm
 
Would spot metering explain this? in the first image, the animal in the centre is correctly exposed, and so happens to mean that the rest is correctly exposed since the whole image is about the same(ish) tone. In the second image, the animal in the centre is much darker than the surroundings so the camera has metered to correctly expose the dark fur (well that whole 17% grey thing) so as a consequence the brighter surroundings are way overexposed? That'd be my guess :)

edit: and with the camera being in aperature priority and if you fixed the ISO then it would be left with shutter speed to change to 'correctly expose' the photo
 
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brightspark567 said:
Would spot metering explain this? in the first image, the animal in the centre is correctly exposed, and so happens to mean that the rest is correctly exposed since the whole image is about the same(ish) tone. In the second image, the animal in the centre is much darker than the surroundings so the camera has metered to correctly expose the dark fur (well that whole 17% grey thing) so as a consequence the brighter surroundings are way overexposed? That'd be my guess :)
Click to expand...
:agree:
 
Arr, I was using matrix metering until someone said I should try spot metering. I have been mainly shooting in manual using a light meter recently so it hasn't mattered. Will try going back to matrix :thumbs:
 
or when you're taking a photo of say people or objects when the sun is behind them to stop the people/objects being silhouetted, granted you will probably end up with a white background......
 
I have been back through the images and everything now fits. The images that are right are those where the centre of the image is at mid level. The ones that are most out are those that are white/black at the centre!!
 
Yep - spot metering can cause more problems than it solves. You really need a reason to be using it.
 
cowasaki said:
I have been back through the images and everything now fits. The images that are right are those where the centre of the image is at mid level. The ones that are most out are those that are white/black at the centre!!
Click to expand...
Which is as it should be.

The second shot has a black bear. Big difference.
 
cowasaki said:
It has never done this before and I said it was not the LENS I think it must be the camera.

Spot metering
f4.5
aperture priority
0EV
80-200 f2.8 @ 200mm
Click to expand...

Spot metering, black fur, 18% grey.

There's your answer.
 
cowasaki said:
Arr, I was using matrix metering until someone said I should try spot metering. I have been mainly shooting in manual using a light meter recently so it hasn't mattered. Will try going back to matrix :thumbs:
Click to expand...
The problem with matrix-metering usually arises if the background is mostly dark or mostly bright. With spot-metering you'll have to be spot-on your main target and if it is a dark bear, you'll likely get a 18% grey bear afterwards.

edit: woops, should have read the whole thread. Already answered.
 
CT said:
Yep - spot metering can cause more problems than it solves.
Click to expand...

I've found this out to my detriment, luckily i was shooting RAW at the time so was able to sort out in PP, it's always centre weighted or matrix now ;)
 
Yep, spot meter on a neutral subject and it should expose about right, spot meter on a black subject and it's going to overexpose in an attempt to turn black to grey. White and it will do the opposite, underexpose to pull white to grey.

I only use it occasionally, I popped it onto spot on Sunday because the groom's mum's hat had a large brim putting her face in shade and on eval her face was underexposing. Pop it on spot and get her face right at the expense of slightly overexposing the rest.
 
Hi Darren

Nor convinced about the spot metering being your problem.
Sounds to me as if you have bracketing shots switched on and its taking a correct exposure, next one over (or whatever you've set it at) and next shot under etc, depending on how many shots you've dialled in to camera.

Check to see if bracketing icon / symbol is on. If so you'll have to press bottom front button on right and dial the number exposures to zero or you'll keep getting all your shots bracketed.
 
This thread is freaking me out a bit to be honest...

Are you saying that if you were shooting a wedding you would be using matrix metering for most of the day...? Not just spot..?


my head is hurting..!
 
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