JD750 Loc: SoCal

I am curious how many do or don’t use Nikon’s active D lighting either in camera or post shooting using Nikon’s retouching software?

What say yea?

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I wonder how many of us even use Nikon. Personally, I use Pentax and get lost when people use Nikon-specific terms:

JD750 Loc: SoCal

It probably has a different specific name for other brands.

“Active D-Lighting takes place in the camera at the moment the photo is taken and applies digital processing only to the necessary portion(s) of the image.”

“Active D-Lighting preserves details in highlights and shadows for natural contrast.”

BebuLamar

I used to use D lighting but now I don't any more. I still use it in post.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

How much of the technical details to you actually understand, beyond the quoted marketing nonsense?

Using this setting can cause your camera to override your human decision making, I believe now even in Manual exposure mode. It also 'processes' your JPEGs slightly differently, especially in bringing out the details of your shadows. The processing data is included in the RAW, but you have to use Nikon software to have these details available for application to the RAW; other software ignores these processing ideas. If ADL changed (overrode) your exposure, that change is reflected in the RAW as that was a change to the in-camera settings when the shutter was released.

ADL has various processing options (AUTO, Extra High, High, Normal and Low). ADL works best with Nikon's "entire frame" metering, the Matrix setting.

If you're shooting RAW, ADL is probably worthless, as you (the human) have all the control over the processing of the image (highlights, shadows, WB, overall exposure). If you're shooting JPEG, ADL may be useful to 'fix' any poor choices you made in the exposure settings vs the actual image lighting / contrast situation.

User ID

I usually activate it during "retouching", aka "processing the NEF". My aversion to boring imagery causes me to prefer shooting under "challenging" illuminations.

Paul seems dismissive of it principally on the basis that it not a Canon thing, and also that the users he encounters seem to be dimbulbs. Sux2B him in that way :-(

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I use Active D lighting at various levels at exposure, usually toward the milder end. It is very helpful on sunny Texas days because it flattens the ends of the response curve. The degree of effect, and whether it works on one or both ends of the curve, are both controllable.

And Paul is correct...it is very important to understand how ADL interacts with other picture controls, Contrast in particular. ADL affects Contrast settings, and changes to Contrast will impact how ADL works.

ADL is harmless to the raw file. So if it falls short of producing a JPEG that meets requirements, the raw version is still available for processing.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

We have all these UHH 'super humans' convinced their brains are smarter than a special-purpose computer inside their camera, as well as having faster finger dexterity than that same camera-controlling computer. Their 'how' is so much more important than the 'what' of the image result. Hence, ADL should be an anathema.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

or maybe he recognizes the difference between a general discussion and what is really a Nikon-only discussion masquerading as a general discussion.

BebuLamar

One thing that makes me stop using it because it does make a difference with the raw files. It decreases the exposure by a small amount.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have found that I use ADL on bright days with full sun. I have not found that it decreases exposure with the settings I use. Even if it did, I am usually shooting landscapes or railroads at ISOs of 200 or below. I could easily afford to pay a half or even a full step out of the 14 stops of available DR for the convenience.

BebuLamar

You won't notice it unless you take 2 identical shots one with and one without ADL.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

If you choose a level that affects the response curve at both ends, the exposure will not change.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

Never.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Ps, for those terrified of AI this and other such stuff is already AI baked into cameras.