JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

I shoot with a Canon 60D, and because my hands don't seem to be as steady as they were :thumbdown: , I generally use the Tv (shutter priority) mode.

This morning I was taking a picture out the back door at the first snow fall of the winter, and decided to use the Aperture Priority because I wanted the best DOF. The shot was dark but fixable, andjust for the fun of it, I decided to take the same shot using the preset 'Landscape' mode. I was amazed at the difference. The colors in the Landscape shot are much more true to life, and the darkness in the Tv shot tells me that it is over exposed.

The ISO was is set at 100-400 limit, but under the Auto shot both @ f-13 why so much difference in the shutter speed and the ISO. I understand that if I underestimated the amount of light the ISO would go to the available max, but why would the Auto shot reduce the ISO to the minimum and slow down the shutter (let in more light)? The changes between the two pictures seem contradictory?

Shot #2750 first one is using the Aperture Priority which I believe I set for f-16, but the details say it was shot at f-13, 1/8000, ISO400

The second #2751 set for "Auto Landscape" resulted in f-13, 1/200, ISO 100

Av & over exposed


More true colors

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

The first is underexposed. The second is, to my eye, overexposed. I suspect the second might have been improved with a polarizer.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

#1 is under exposed, not over. The reason is that the camera metering is fooled by the snow.

#2 is OVER exposed. Landscape mode usually average the exposure for everything and tends to be over exposed if you have large area that are dark.

The reality is likely between the two.

Auto anything when taking a picture that has such variations in lighting is not a good idea.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

"but why would the Auto shot reduce the ISO to the minimum and slow down the shutter (let in more light)? The changes between the two pictures seem contradictory?"

I'm guessing that in auto, there is a balance set to keep ISO lowest possible (for noise), while shutter speed is still high enough to avoid blur from camera movement.

If you're really interested in comparing results from different modes, try on a scene with less harsh lighting and contrast.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

LA Shooter, Ron & Linda,

Thanks for the information. I don't remember just where the spot focus point was, but probably at the woods to the right of the Red Bark Maple, and the sun would have been coming in from the right side out of the picture. There was a lot of light variation plus the reflection off the snow; it is so bright out there now that sunglasses would be in order.

Except from when using the Camera flash indoors, I seldom use any of the presets other that the Av(occasionally) or Tv (most of the time).

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

If you can't or won't shoot manually, then the histogram will help you. Take a shot, check the histogram. And with a situation like this, whichever "auto" mode you're using, you can probably get a good shot by using exposure compensation setting. But I don't think any of these work arounds are as good as understanding exposure and going manual.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

I think much of it is to do with metering. Could it be that you have the camera set for centre point or centre weighted metering? In aperture mode it will have used that metering setting, and if the metered area had a lot of snow in it, the camera would have metered mainly for the snow. However, in Landscape mode the camera is more likely to have used matrix metering - i.e. using the whole frame for evaluation - resulting in a more balanced exposure.

1/8000 seems like a strange value - are you sure it wasn't 1/800? However, even 1/800 seems a bit on the fast side considering you were in Av mode. It seems a strange choice to leave ISO as high as 400 while the shutter speed is as high as it is. You have the camera manufacturers to thank for that particular combination of settings.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

What we have here is a good reason to bracket shots

Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE

[quote=JCam]Advise #1 Please click on "store original" so we can see the details and camera settings. Also when ever a snow picture is taken, set aperature to + 1 EV. The camera wants to make bright white into dirty grey. David

MtnMan Loc: ID

Your metering likely changed as well. The first looks like average metering and second might be center weighted in the trees.

You might also have inadvertently changed what Nikon calls the Picture Controls (don't know the Canon name for it). Among other things it adjusts brightness, saturation, and hue in a jpeg image.

And with both of those changing your auto white balance might have changed as well.

You should be surprised how similar they came out.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

The other thing to remember is that when the camera is deciding on how to expose, it only knows what's in it's "field of view" and where it "samples" from in that view.

Moving the camera around will change that decision when the light isn't actually changing at all because the tones of what's in the field of view will keep changing. (though the light isn't.)

I learned to shoot manually and have shot that way ever since. It's not some badge of honor or anything; it just works for me.

I know that when I take a shot, the exposure won't be a surprise.

Go out today and do this; (just for fun to compare your results)

If it's sunny like it is in these images first set your camera on M mode (manual) and choose the following settings:

f/16

ISO 100

Shutter speed 1/100 (or close like 1/125)

That's a "rule of thumb" about how to set your camera without using a meter. It works fine. (if it's not REALLY mid-day sunny, the you can use f/8 or f/11)


THEN (again just for fun and to compare results) put your camera in M mode, set the ISO for 100, and the shutter speed to "about" 1/125 or so, and then meter off of the upturned palm of your hand. Make sure your hand is in the sun. Keep changing the shutter speed until the meter needle is centered when metering off of your palm in the sun.

That's a quick way to get an exposure.

And bonus...no matter where you point your lens, it will be a consistent exposure...you won't even have to look at the LCD to figure out if your camera guessed correctly!

Come back and post your results.

PS: If you want to do this but don't quite understand what I'm saying, just PM me and I'll explain whatever you don't get

MtnMan Loc: ID

Some good advice given in this full post.

But one thing not often emphasized enough in these discussions is that your choice of metering mode can greatly affect what you get. Most cameras provide at least three choices: matrix or full area metering, center weighted metering, and spot metering. Even with your hand unless your hand fills the full frame these choices can give quite different results.

Also the way the spot meter functions varies by camera. With Nikons it moves with the selected focus spot (assuming you have set focus to select one). With Sony and I believe at least some Canons it uses a spot in the center of the camera. Sometimes that spot size is user controllable.

I use spot focus and matrix (full area) exposure metering most of the time. I will change t spot metering if I have a darkish subject against a bright background, knowing my exposure will blow out the background in those cases.

Don Fischer Loc: Antelope, Ore

My though is the first is under exposed, but not seriously. The snow is white, camera didn't focus on the snow or it would be blue. Even I could fix that and I don't do much post processing. The second looks over to me too. Metering on your hand is a way to go. I've tried it and it does work, supposed to read the same as photo grey. If the snow wasn't there, you could meter on green grass.

MtnMan Loc: ID

You confuse focus and exposure. That often happens here on UHH. This thread is addressing exposure. Focus is another matter and generally separate from exposure. I say generally because with Nikon cameras when you choose spot metering and have selected a single point for focus the camera uses that point for metering as well. Other cameras use the center point for spot metering.

If the metering emphasized the snow it would be gray: thus the admonition to increase EV when shooting snow filled screens. The blue you might sometimes see with snow can come from white balance (another consideration) or sky reflection.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

True!

I intended that the OP fill the frame with his/her hand. Thanks for the heads up.