mikecanant Loc: Texas

Anyone else have problems and hopefully solutions for inconsistent metering results with D800? I have tried every variation available and cannot get photos that are consistently exposed within an acceptable range. Anyone know if Active D lighting might have something to do with it. The only way I have found that works is to take a test shot and then change method or EVF every time the shadows/light change.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Err...

If you want to know you have a real problem.

Place your camera on a tripod.
Capture the scene.
Turn off the camera.
Recapture the scene w/o changing the settings.
Do that a few more times.

If you have a variation, any variation, you have a camera problem. If not, question the person behind the camera.

Leitz Loc: Solms

Since you are doing everything correctly, the meter is obviously faulty and you'll have to send the camera in for repair.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Changing shadows and light typically do change exposure!

Two hints... Turn off Active D-Lighting and don't use it. The other is never use Matrix Metering. Both are totally unpredictable. You simply cannot guess at what they will do.

The alternative though is that you have to learn enough to do what those two options try to do! If you don't imagine that doing fine freaking fotography is ever going to be worth that kind of effort, turn them back on and take a lot of shots to increase your odds of getting a good one!

Extra exposures were expensive for Ansel Adams when he packed an 11x14 view camera around on a mule, but they don't cost you anything except emotional angst at being wasteful with nothing!

Personally, I suggest looking at page 261 of the User Manual and go to the Menu -> Playback menu -> Playback display options and basically select everything (but most important are the histogram and the highlight alert). Then look at page 222 and scroll through these options on your camera. Generally I shoot with the "RGB histogram"
selected. You want the highlights to blink to show over exposure and the histogram to show under exposure.

With the camera configured that way, regardless of the exposure mode or Auto ISO, if you make an exposure it takes one glance to know if it is okay. If not you can use the -/+ Exposure compensation button close to the shutter release to bias the light meter one way or the other, and the retake the shot.

mikecanant Loc: Texas

I took Rongnongno's advise and took 3 shots without changing settings on camera and got three different variations of f stop and speed and 3 different light levels in resulting photos.

Thanks for input from all responders!

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Place the camera on manual and see what happens.

BebuLamar

Although I am one of those who encourage the use of manual mode but in this case I don't see it would help.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

The reasoning is simple.

The camera fails the first ime, fine.

Now controlling every aspect of the capture, if the camera fails again there is absolutely not question that the camera is failing.

If there is no difference it is the camera AI that is throwing a fit for whatever reason.

Let's eliminate all the causes before jumping to a conclusion.


By the way by manual I include ISO too.

BebuLamar

So in manual how do you determine the setting? Using the meter? If so then it should give the same result.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

You use the exposure given by the camera meter. It does not really matter.

The key is to know if you get the same result using the same process I described earlier. No change to the settings. on tripod then just on-shoot-off on-shoot-off
Any different result and the camera is good for refurbishing/repair.

mikecanant Loc: Texas

Earlier I said:
I took Rongnongno's advise and took 3 shots without changing settings on camera and got three different variations of f stop and speed and 3 different light levels in resulting photo.
Update:
I may have found the culprit- a feature that I seldom check because I don't use it - the bracketing button was set at F3. I changed it to F0 and the above noted problem disapeared.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

It happens.

Linda Ewing Loc: Lincolnshire,UK

I had a similar problem, turned the BKT off but when I take continuous shots they seem to automatically bracket. Ahggg!

MtnMan Loc: ID

You can get sporadic results if you use spot metering. You should usually use matrix metering. Check the little knob to the right of the viewfinder. It is easy to push out of place.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Duh!