Help with manual mode: I've been trying to learn how to use manual on my nikon z6 (first time camera owner).. Well, theres something weird going on when i take my pictures. The picture...

Elissa.allen21

I've been trying to learn how to use manual on my nikon z6 (first time camera owner)..
Well, theres something weird going on when i take my pictures. The picture gets VERY grainy... in my u1 or u2 mode, or any other mode, i dont have any issues taking pictures. Any insights or suggestions? Im going to post two pictures of what it looks like in manual mode vs another mode

Elissa.allen21

Just figured it out 🤣🙈
My exposure time was ridiculously high. Lol

Tea8 Loc: Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain.

Grainy can also mean that you have the ISO ridiculously high as well. When you create a post with a photo if you would check the little box that says store original, all of us here could take the pic and look at the exif data on it and we could pinpoint for you just what settings were off.

If it hasn't been suggested to you already you might want to check out Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

The first one is obviously underexposed, and if you try to lighten it it will likely be noisy. What metering mode did you use?

CO

I rented the Z6 for two weeks not long ago. I didn't have that issue but something similar when using my studio strobes. I take light meter readings from the strobe and enter those values into the camera in manual mode. That results is a very dark viewfinder - too dark to use. The final photo is properly exposed but the viewfinder is very dark.

Haris Loc: Thessaloniki , Greece

Glad you find it , still my question is what was the obstacle on using manual mode on such a camera . You did correct the exposure , by viewing one or more readings from the light meter . My question is purely to understand if there is some special way of handling such a situation on the specific camera .

MDI Mainer

CO wrote:

I rented the Z6 for two weeks not long ago. I didn't have that issue but something similar when using my studio strobes. I take light meter readings from the strobe and enter those values into the camera in manual mode. That results is a very dark viewfinder - too dark to use. The final photo is properly exposed but the viewfinder is very dark.

I had a similar issue with my Sony a6000. Then I found this post that told me how to fix the problem by switching off "Live View Effect":

https://us.community.sony.com/s/question/0D50B00004ILDd4SAH/a6000-shooting-on-manual-getting-a-dark-viewfinder?language=en_US

Perhaps there's a similar function switch on the Z6.

Elissa.allen21

This is the original if you all want to take a look 🙂

(Download)

Elissa.allen21

MDI Mainer wrote:

I had a similar issue with my Sony a6000. Then I found this post that told me how to fix the problem by switching off "Live View Effect":

https://us.community.sony.com/s/question/0D50B00004ILDd4SAH/a6000-shooting-on-manual-getting-a-dark-viewfinder?language=en_US

Perhaps there's a similar function switch on the Z6.

Thank you! Im definitely going to look into this 🙂

Elissa.allen21

This picture was taken on the same mode after i was messing with the shutter speed

(Download)

AZNikon Loc: Mesa, AZ

Elissa.allen21 wrote:

This picture was taken on the same mode after i was messing with the shutter speed

These shots will prove to be an embarrassment to her some day when you show them to her fiancé.

Well done!

CO

MDI Mainer wrote:

I had a similar issue with my Sony a6000. Then I found this post that told me how to fix the problem by switching off "Live View Effect":

https://us.community.sony.com/s/question/0D50B00004ILDd4SAH/a6000-shooting-on-manual-getting-a-dark-viewfinder?language=en_US

Perhaps there's a similar function switch on the Z6.

Yes, I found out it's menu option d8. If you select “Off” for “Apply settings to live view" the viewfinder will be much brighter.

BebuLamar

I can't read all of the EXIF data. I think the camera was on M but with auto ISO. The dark and noisy picture because it was shot at 1/8000 and the auto ISO has reached its maximum ISO and yet still underexposure.
Looking at others shot that were bright the aperture is the same f/4 but the shutter speed at 1/200 and yet it's ISO 9000. So under similar lighting the first shot has to be at ISO 360,000 which the camera doesn't have. I think it's max out at 50,000 or so so it's very noisy and still underexpose.

CO

I see in the original image that the settings were f/4, 1/8000 sec. The ISO was on auto at ISO 204,800 (the metadata shows 2EV over 51,200). It's no wonder it was grainy. It should show the exposure indicator at the bottom of the viewfinder.

CO

BebuLamar wrote:

I can't read all of the EXIF data. I think the cam... (show quote)

The Z6 can go up to ISO 204,800. That's what the ISO was in first image. The metadata shows 2EV over 51,200.

(Download)