Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Why would I chose to underexpose by more than a stop if I'm not forced to do so?

None of the raw channels are blown in my raw file.

Fuji supplies an app called XRaw Studio that cables the camera to the computer and uses the camera to re-generate JPEGs from raw files with the camera settings changed. I did that setting Daylight WB and pulling the exposure -1 to simulate sunny 16. Here's that, per your recommendations, disaster JPEG. Why would I want to do that? The photo I took looks like this: https://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2021/7/17/458053-glad_1.jpg

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selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You are not underexposing if you are not clipping the highlights. ETTR does not always look too bright in the JPEG. Sometimes it looks to dark.

With white stuff in the scene (white clouds, flowers, feathers) you come close to clipping highlights at Sunny 16 in broad daylight.

The reason for Sunny 16 (or LV 15 in my case) is to ensure that the highlights are not blown, not to get the best JPEG image.

If you shoot for a nice JPEG you are often in danger of blowing the raw highlights, maybe even getting discolored white highlights as you have noted. Discolored highlights are not caused by the wrong white balance. You can't fix blown highlights from raw as I already demonstrated.

Like you, I always develop from raw and ignore the JPEG. All of my cameras have plenty of DR so I can brighten the image in post and have plenty of highlight and shadow information to work with.

If I want the shadows to be darker it's a piece of cake.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Below is the histogram for my raw file. The exposure was 1/180 sec f/11 with the ISO at 200. You're claiming that an exposure 1 stop less would not be an underexposure even though it would produce this JPEG: https://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2021/7/17/428799-dscf3755.jpg

Does that JPEG look too dark to you? You want to argue that's not underexposed? What was that you said about anyone who understands exposure.... glad I know better than to listen to you.

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selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

What part of, “The reason for Sunny 16 (or LV 15 in my case) is to ensure that the highlights are not blown, not to get the best JPEG image.” did you not understand?

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

This part: "You are not underexposing if you are not clipping the highlights."

And this part: "Anyone who understands exposure could have taken that image on manual at Sunny 16. There was no need for aperture priority and exposure compensation."

What part of, the highlights were not blown with an exposure more than +1 sunny 16 so a sunny 16 exposure would have been an underexposure as the JPEG showed, do you not understand?

I understand exposure and knew enough not to take the photo on manual at sunny 16. Understand now?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Actually you really don't understand exposure when working with raw data.

The first rule of digital exposure is to not blow the highlights. Blowing the highlights is overexposure.

The second is to get enough exposure to work with. Not capturing as much shadow information as you want is underexposure.

Any other exposure is correct exposure, neither underexposed nor overexposed.

Your image had a limited dynamic range, about 6 stops. Sunny 16 (LV 14.67) got you within about one stop of blowing your highlights. It also captured the full 6-stop range of scene. That makes it a successful exposure, one you can work with to develop a proper image from raw.

Below are two exposures taken at LV 15. The brightest highlights in the clouds in both images are at exactly the same level, about 2/3 stops from blowing out. Because the foreground in one of them is under a large cloud it has a different DR than the other one where the cloud is not there. Nevertheless, the second image has a wider DR.

But both images can be easily developed from the raw data, no blown highlights and plenty of shadow information.

If I had used the camera's meter the two images would have received different exposure. But since I took them on Manual at LV 15, both images were fine - as close as ETTR as I cared to get and plenty of DR at ISO 200.

If you really understood exposure you would know I am right.

If you don't, you won't.

Foreground under a heavy cloud, 9 stop DR 1:12 PM

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Foreground in direct sunlight, 10 stop DR 1:57 PM

(Download)

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

This is you making up BS as fast as you can shovel. Provide an appropriate reference.

No, sunny 16 did not get me within about one stop of blowing highlights. You are wrong. I showed you a histogram of the raw file and told you the exposure. Do you need help reading it?

Waiting for that reference.....

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You don’t understand what the plot shows.

The green channel reaches maximum value of 8000. The maximum possible raw value in a 14-bit raw file is 16000. The difference is one stop.

In other words, one more stop of exposure and it would reach the raw limit.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

You remain wrong. So you don't understand what sunny 16 is? What would be a sunny 16 exposure using a camera at ISO 200?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

You have to be kidding! You can't possibly be that ignorant!

Sunny 16 is any of these at ISO 200:

1/50 @ f/32
1/100 @ f/22
1/200 @ f/16
1/400 @ f/11
1/800 @ f/8
1/1600 @ f/5.6
etc.

Go to the back of the class.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

I refer you then back to this post: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-704155-10.html#12402418 where I first presented the histogram for my raw file -- second sentence. Compare my exposure for that raw file with what you just listed as a sunny 16 exposure for ISO 200.

And then you're post here: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-704155-10.html#12402948 where you said, "Sunny 16 (LV 14.67) got you within about one stop of blowing your highlights." You are wrong.

And I see that reference never showed up. So, here's a respected reference that explains why you were making up BS as fast as you can shovel. https://www.rawdigger.com/howtouse/exposure-for-raw-or-for-jpegs

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Sunny 16 works out to LV (light value) 14.67. I normally shoot at LV 15, 1/3 stop darker.

You have clearly shown that you don’t understand the exposure triangle. That’s your problem.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

This is just incoherent. I assume then you've figured out your mistake and incoherent is all you've got left. I told you in my first response to your original dumb remark, https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-704155-9.html#12401980, that I had exposed over a stop more than sunny 16. The histogram shows I still had at least 2/3 stop to go before blowing highlights so of course it's not possible that, "Sunny 16 (LV 14.67) got [me] within about one stop of blowing [my] highlights."

Still waiting for that reference.....

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Here is a reference - Exposure value - probably over your head since your education is clearly not technical.

A flower petal does not have as much reflectance as a white cloud, a Styrofoam container or an Egret's feather. If it did it would have returned a higher value. But reflectance is probably over your head as well.

If you don't know how to read a RawDigger histogram, don't understand the exposure triangle, light value, manual exposure for full sun, Sunny 16 or reflectance there is no hope for you comprehending exposure.

You claim to be a teacher? I feel sorry for you students. Is it a case of in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king? Or is it just the blind leading the blind?

You are a font of misinformation.

You are quick to bluff and lie to cover up your ignorance. So you have no character or integrity either.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

That is unrelated in every way to the reference I asked for. Still waiting for that reference.....

You said to me in reference to my photo: "Sunny 16 (LV 14.67) got you within about one stop of blowing your highlights." You said that after seeing this raw file histogram of my photo: https://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2021/7/17/475033-dscf3755_full_6032x4032.png

Explain please how 1/180 sec. at f/11 for ISO 200 is Sunny 16 especially since in this post, https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-704155-10.html#12403388 you wrote:

"Sunny 16 is any of these at ISO 200:

1/50 @ f/32
1/100 @ f/22
1/200 @ f/16
1/400 @ f/11
1/800 @ f/8
1/1600 @ f/5.6
etc."

You've proven yourself wrong as you so often do.