mrbacco wrote:
Hi all. Newbie here and beginner in photography. I would like to ask a question.
Just bought the Pentax K-s1 as per title, but I have 2 main issues.
[1] the photos are very dark in auto mode and using the viewfinder. In LV mode are good. Why is that?
[1] in manual or AV is a bit better . I played with exposure and shutter and I get an average quality. BUT when I put the LV on they are completely white [like taking a picture of a white cloud under the sun]
Thanks for reading
Read your book. I can guarantee it's user error. You can also watch Youtube videos on use of your camera if that's easier for you.
After looking at the EXIF data, I can affirm that it is user error. You don't know what you are doing and have the camera in M or manual mode with your settings so messed up that you aren't going to get what's expected.
I don't mean to be so blunt, but you don't know about the 3 things that are needed for a proper exposure. Your ISO is way too high, the f/stop is stopped way down on the second really bright photo, and you don't have a shutter speed that will net a proper exposure.
I suggest you read the Bryan Peterson book on exposure so that you can get a grasp of how exposure works. Then put your camera back in Auto and take some pictures. Study the EXIF data and note what camera settings your camera chooses for you. This is a good way to get you in the ball park of what a normal exposure setting would be.
One thing you should take note of and study is the exposure meter that EVERY camera has built into the viewfinder and or the LCD when shooting in LiveView. The exposure meter will tell you if you are going to get a properly exposed picture. Whether you are in M,A, or S mode, the meter tells you if the camera is exposed properly.
If you are going to play with the camera in M mode (manual) start with a much lower ISO like 400. Just leave it at 400 and then play with your f/stop and shutter speed. You almost never need to put a camera at f/29. So put the f/stop at f/8 to start and then just play with the shutter speed while looking at the exposure meter. So put it at ISO 400; F/8 and then use the shutter speed adjustments while watching your meter. Keep another thing in mind. You might need to keep your camera "awake" as in a half press of the shutter because most cameras will not let you see the changes in the exposure meter if the camera is "sleeping". Most modern cameras sleep in as little as 10 seconds of not pressing any buttons.
Oh, I almost forgot to say, Those other photos might all be exposed differently because you might have the "bracketing" feature set in your camera. Read about bracketing in your manual and if it's on, make sure you turn it off before your next set of pictures. After you have a grasp of how exposure works, then you might want to learn more about bracketing. But many people play with settings that they don't understand, and then don't realize that it needs to be turned off or it will drive you nuts.