Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Learning to use a histogram was a long, shallow learning curve for me. Although it still boggles my mind sometimes, it now makes much more sense to me than it did a year ago, both on the computer and in-camera, where I get 4 different histograms, either separately or super-imposed, in different colours.

Back to the beginning: I've just discovered that I can use a histogram in-camera before I take the picture.
I'd read about it in Gary Friedman's book, took me a bit to find it in the menu... and now have to learn to deal with a plain white histogram and just a bit of green along the bottom edge.

I sure hope those who say 'you're never too old to learn' are right, cause I'm getting older and just about every day I learn something new (to me).

BTW, the camera I used here, is the Olympus E-M1.

nsainato Loc: Sun City, Arizona

I am learning just like you, what is the name of Gary Friedman's book. Thank you.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

This one is "The Complete Guide to Olympus' OM-D E-M1"
$20. and I had it on my computer within 5 minutes, well, maybe 10. Three formats: pdf, epub and mobi. I downloaded all three, put the epub file on my Kobo, the pdf on the tablet and the mobi is still sitting there.

I also printed the pdf file (permission to do so in the confirmation e-mail) and had Staples put a comb binder in it.
I like to make notes in my manuals and instruction books.

I also have David Busch's "Olympus OM-D E-M1 Guide to Digital Photography" but like the Gary Friedman book better.

BTW, Gary Friedman has books for other cameras as well:
http://www.friedmanarchives.com/ebooks/index.htm

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

The screen with the live histogram on the bottom of my viewfinder is my favorite view. Just adjust the exposure compensation with the font dial and nail the exposure almost every time. Every now and then I'll tweak the shadows and highlights in the tone curve.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

On camera histogram are inaccurate and do not offer any legitimate information, even for a JPG.

The only thing you can depend on is if your capture is more or less accurate using the 'bell curve'. Too much to the left = underexposed, too much to the right = overexposed.

The camera histogram is not really 'live' but an approximation of a highly compressed image made to be seen in your camera screen.

Histograms otherwise are incredible when you post process an image as you can use the four versions of it, average luminosity and each channel luminosity.

Do an in depth resear4ch on camera histogram, that way you will have the full 'appreciation' of why an on camera histogram is the worse thing to depend on.

Trust only your WB setting and the evil triumvirate (ISO, Speed, Aperture) indicators in your view finder.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Oh, don't be so negative, Rongnongno ;)
I found a new toy inside a toy and I want to play with it!
In any case, don't know if you have seen the live histogram on the E-M1 and I can see it could have some usefulness for a quick check of over- or underexposure.
So far all I know about it, is part of what I read in the two books (read both chapters only once, and my old brain no longer retains information easily).
Today it's too wet outside for my liking, but the first next "nice" day, I will be going to a park near hear, where there are completely open areas, as well as dark areas under the trees. Perfect location to try out this new toy. After I've tried it and seen what it can or cannot do for me, I'll decide whether I'll leave it or turn it off again.

Camera use in the old days sure was a lot easier: I was about 11 or 12 when my Dad let me use one of his cameras: "Just leave this button on 125, when the sun shines, turn this one to 11, or if it is cloudy, to 5.6. That was it. Dad developed the film, and I liked the negatives, but Dad never got around to printing them - something like the cobbler's daughter going barefoot...
But, I like to learn about new toys, and this new camera has lots of them ;-)

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

He's a ray of sunshine, isn't he. :roll:

You'll probably find that the histogram works remarkably well. I find it comes in handy when I don't want to use the OVF on bright days, where the viewfinder might be washed out from the sunlight (or doing very low angle). I just keep an eye on the histogram and compose the subject in the frame.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I use the live histogram on my Nikon in live view works well

Boone Loc: Groundhog Town USA

[quote=Morning Star]Learning to use a histogram was a long, shallow learning curve for me. Although it still boggles my mind sometimes,

I use the live view histogram all the time in SP or AP. Mine is pretty much dead on. Love it. Boone :thumbup:

floral43

A histogram is a representation of light a (bar graph). their are 256 tones of gray 8 bits per channel, 3 channels! 3 raised to the third power equals 512/2 equals 256 If you use photoshop you can see Red green and Blue channels. The purpose of a histogram is to try to extend it's range to the extreme sides, in doing so you will improve the dynamic range giving you more of the tones of gray from black to white. In practice it's only a guide.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Hmmmm, seems to me that when I went to school (I know, it is a very long time ago, and I used another language at that time as well), "3 raised to the third power" was 3 x 3 x 3 = 27.
I'm sorry, I don't follow your math.
As well, while having that viewfinder in front of my eye, I often don't have time to even look at the histogram, much less time to do any math (Think "young children with puppies and kittens").
What seems to be working for me, although I haven't yet practiced enough, is to look at the scene and think what kind of shape to expect in the histogram.
One other step I'm trying out: I've set the upper limit to 245 - I believe it will help to prevent blown out areas. Time will tell.
As I said before: This camera, even though I've had it for 8 or 9 months now, is still a new toy, and often feels like it is a box full of other new toys. It will take me another 8 or 9 months, or maybe even 2 or 3 times that long, to learn most of what I can do with that camera, and what I will use regularly or never at all.

floral43

My mistake i meant 8 for bits per red green blue channels 8*8*8 = 512/2 256 looking at the histogram is just a guide, I thought i explain what the histogram was based on your question about light.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

My question? Was that about incidental light, or reflective light, or additive light or subtractive light?
Actually, I don't think I asked any question, I was just jabbering away about how I'd discovered that I could check a histogram before I take a picture, not only after it had been taken.
It was the histogram as a representation of light (and dark) that I found difficult to wrap my head around, but now that I (think) I have, I find it is a great tool to use, especially since I have also learned how to change it by turning a wheel on the camera before I take the photo or moving sliders when editing that same photo on the computer.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

What has that got to do with anything?

There are 8 bits per value, which is 2^8, or 256 tone values. That is
2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2.

The number of colors available is 2^(3*8) or 2^24, which is 16,777,216.

floral43

How can you ever understand a histogram if you don't understand the principals of light.